This Week's Best Spot Bet Opportunities
By Ben Burns
Covers.com
Letdown spot
The FAU Owls nearly put their program on the map and shook up the college football power rankings but missed out on a massive win over Florida, losing to the Gators 20-14 in overtime as 28.5-point road underdogs in Gainesville Saturday. The Owls battled back in the second half to force the extra frame but couldn’t keep pace with their SEC opponent in crunch time.
Florida Atlantic now must wipe away the tears for a C-USA showdown with Old Dominion Saturday. The Monarchs opened as 4.5-point underdogs but have watched that spread come down a half a point since post. Old Dominion seems like a live home dog against a two-win FAU team coming off a crushing defeat.
Lookahead spot
The Chicago Blackhawks are out West for the holiday weekend, starting with a game against the San Jose Sharks Wednesday night. The Blackhawks not only will be looking past the Sharks to the Thanksgiving Thursday – a day off on the NHL schedule – but have two huge games ahead on this road trip.
Chicago has a rematch with the Anaheim Ducks, who they battled for seven games in last year’s postseason, Friday night. And then the Blackhawks play the Los Angeles Kings, who they lost to in the Western Conference final two seasons ago, Saturday night. With some time off and two massive rivalry games ahead, Chicago could get caught looking past San Jose Wednesday.
Schedule spot
The Atlanta Hawks are having a tough time replicating the success of last season, when they surged to the top of the Eastern Conference. Atlanta finished with 60 wins and held its own against non-conference opponents as well, going 22-8 against Western Conference competition. This season, the Hawks are just 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS versus the West and have a daunting road schedule ahead.
Atlanta plays three games in four nights, starting with a stop in Minnesota Wednesday. The Hawks already lost at home to the Timberwolves this month, falling 117-107 as 8.5-point favorites. Following the Thanksgiving Thursday, Atlanta is back at it with games at Memphis Friday and San Antonio Saturday. Overall, for the week, the Hawks play four games in five nights with the holiday in between.