This Week's Best Spot Bet Opportunities
By Ben Burns
Covers.com
Schedule spot
The CFL’s most Eastern team visits its most Western when the Montreal Alouettes come to BC to face the Lions as 3-point road underdogs Thursday. The Lions have been the wise wager when these non-conference foes clash, covering in 23 of their last 31 head-to-head meetings overall, including a dominating 14-3 ATS mark in their last 17 home games with Montreal.
While those trends are impressive, BC is playing on a short schedule in Week 9. The Lions are coming off a 52-22 thrashing at the hands of the Ti-Cats in Hamilton Saturday and have a quick turnaround to put that loss behind him. The Lions have lost three of their last four games and have struggled with mid-week matchups, covering just four times in their past 13 Thursday contests.
Letdown spot
The St. Louis Cardinals have enjoyed an extended home stand in recent weeks, wrapping up a nine-game slate inside Busch Stadium with a series against the San Francisco Giants. The Cardinals have been tested in those games, hosting the Pirates and Marlins before welcoming the reigning World Series champs, and have bolstered their spot atop the National League in the process.
St. Louis crosses the country to kick off a 10-game road swing, which will nearly take them into September, with a three-game set in San Diego beginning Friday. The Cardinals are in letdown mode for Game 1, off a grueling series with the Giants and travel on top of that wear and tear. St. Louis and San Diego split a four-game series back in early July. Veteran John Lackey is on the mound for the Cardinals, lugging a 4.25 road ERA into Friday’s start – compared to a trim 1.91 ERA at home.
Lookahead spot
The Miami Hurricanes are still one of the most hated football programs in the land, and a lot of that animosity is coming from the Coral Gables faithful. Head coach Al Golden is on the hot seat in South Beach and in desperate need of a turnaround at “The U”. Picking up wins against old rivals like Nebraska, which is a 2-point underdog at Miami in Week 3, is key to Golden’s employment.
But before the Canes and Huskers rekindle their bad blood, Miami visits in-state little brother Florida Atlanta in Week 2. The Hurricanes will likely be lofty faves against the Owls out of the C-USA, but Florida Atlantic will have a packed house at FAU Stadium on September 11 for a nationally televised Friday night showdown. With the Hurricanes holding back with Nebraska on their minds, the Owls and new head coach Charlie Partridge could keep this game closer than oddsmakers expect.