The sports schedule is loaded on Thursday, with nine games on the MLB schedule, two NFL preseason games, four WNBA games and Round 1 of the 2025 Tour Championship already in progress. It’s an action-packed sports schedule that includes marquee matchups like Yankees vs. Red Sox, Giants vs. Patriots and Scottie Scheffler pursuing his second consecutive FedEx Cup championship. Whether you’re dabbling in MLB betting, football betting or wondering how to bet on golf, there are a number of online sports betting options, and our team can help point you in the right direction. Our computer model and experts will weigh in on all of the biggest events every day and they’re offering their top sports betting picks right now.
Here’s what we’re betting today:
MLB best bets
- Game: Cubs vs. Brewers (2:20 pm ET)
- The Pick: Over 6.5 runs
Shota Imanaga vs. Quinn Priester is a good pitching matchup, with Imanaga sporting a 3.05 ERA on the season over 103 innings while Priester has a 3.48 ERA over 123 innings. However, both starters have had tenuous outings in the last month, as Imanaga gave was shelled by the White Sox on July 25 and has given up seven homers over his last five starts and Priester gave up six runs to the Mets in his second-to-last outing and has surrendered six homers over his last four starts. These are both top-five offenses in runs scored and the intensity will be dialed up with Chicago looking to cut Milwaukee’s lead in the NL Central to five games. The model predicts over 6.5 runs in 62% of simulations.
- Game: Nationals vs. Mets (4:05 pm ET)
- The Pick: Nationals +1.5 (-145)
The Mets have won seven of the first nine games in the head-to-head series this season but the Nats will trot out ace MacKenzie Gore while the Mets will run Sean Manaea, who has given up 13 earned runs in his last three starts. Gore logged a quality start against the Mets in a 5-4 loss (10 innings) on June 10 where he gave up five hits and two earned runs over six innings with six strikeouts. With that in mind, the model likes Gore to cover the spread in 65% of simulations on Thursday.
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PGA best bets
- Tournament: 2025 Tour Championship (starts Thursday)
- The Pick: Ben Griffin birdies or better Over 3.5 (Brandt Sutton)
“Griffin has put together a spectacular season, recording two wins and nine top-10 finishes in 2025,” Sutton said. “He’s averaging 3.91 birdies per round, and ranks 15th on the PGA Tour in scoring average (69.53). He’s shot 69 or below in 10 of his last 12 rounds, and I expect him to get off to a fast start at East Lake on Thursday.”
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College football Week 0 best bets
- Game: Iowa State vs. Kansas State (Saturday, Noon ET)
- The Pick: Iowa State +3 vs. Kansas State (Jacob Fetner)
Two teams with Big 12 title aspirations and elite starting quarterbacks will go head-to-head in a ranked matchup for the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin. The Wildcats are coming off a 9-4 season where they beat Rutgers in the Rate Bowl, but they did lose to Iowa State 29-21 on Nov. 30 and have now dropped four of five overall to the Cyclones. Meanwhile, Iowa State won 11 games and went to the Big 12 Championship Game, and has also gone 4-0-1 against the spread vs. K-State in the last five years. Rocco Becht has two years of starting experience and the defense has at least one stud at every level.
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NFL Week 1 best bets
- Game: Bengals vs. Browns (Sunday, September 7 at 1 pm ET)
- The Pick: Bengals -5.5 (-110)
The Bengals got off to a sluggish start in 2024, but Joe Burrow and the offense nearly willed them into the NFL playoffs. Expect a larger sense of urgency in the early portion of 2025 while the Browns will be rebuilding yet again. Cincinnati re-signing Tee Higgins was a clear signal that it will do whatever is necessary to keep the franchise quarterback happy and now it’s on Burrow to make the most of this open window. The Bengals cover in well over 50% of simulations and is one of the model’s top spread picks for Week 1.
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