Sports Betting This Weekend: Bengals-Browns, Eagles-Patriots, Ole Miss-Tulane

The BetMGM online sportsbook has thousands of markets to consider betting right now, including both college and professional football.

With the return of NFL football, this is one of the best times to jump into online sports betting. 

NFL

Bengals at Browns 

Sunday, Sept. 10  |  1 p.m. ET  |  CBS

The Bengals hadn’t won their division two years in a row in their entire history as a professional football team. That all changed after Joe Burrow arrived in 2020; Cincinnati won the AFC North in both 2021 and 2022, advancing to the AFC Championship round in both years.

Burrow has completely changed the axis of power in the AFC North, as the Bengals are now widely considered the favorite by most bettors. Their NFL odds to win the AFC North for a third straight year are currently +155 at BetMGM. 

This division hasn’t had a three-peat winner since the Steelers won it every year from 1994-97. 

Indeed, Cincinnati’s most difficult campaign might be this one. The Steelers, Ravens, and Browns all figure to be in the mix as playoff contenders in 2023, and Cincinnati will need to play a first-place schedule on top of that. 

It’s Cleveland that the Bengals open with, and it’s quite possible that the overall NFL public isn’t paying enough attention to the Browns as a playoff contender. In 2022, PFF graded both the Browns’ as top-10 units for both run blocking and pass rushing, meaning the Browns are an above-average outfit at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. 

If Deshaun Watson can play more effectively, Cleveland is a real contender to beat Cincinnati – both this weekend and this season.

NFL

Eagles at Patriots

Sunday, Sept. 10  |  4:25 p.m. ET  |  CBS

The reigning NFC champions will need to solve Bill Belichick’s defense in a late-afternoon Week 1 showdown in Boston. Tom Brady isn’t walking through that door, but the Patriots’ defense is still one of the top units in the NFL, and Belichick has had weeks to prepare.

The Eagles are a top pick to win the NFC this year, with about 13% of all bettors backing Philly to repeat as conference champions. Only Detroit has more bets at BetMGM. Philadelphia is also second in the Super Bowl odds table, behind Kansas City. 

But Philadelphia suffered major brain drain over the offseason. Much of the offense remains intact, but it did lose several pieces from its defensive backfield and linebacker corps, alongside both offensive coordinator Shane Steichen (Colts) and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon (Cardinals). 

Because the Eagles have become a highly public team, they are nonetheless significant four-point road favorites against Belichick and the Patriot defense. 

College Football

Ole Miss at Tulane

Saturday, Sept. 9  |  3:30 p.m. ET  |  ESPN2

Fans will tell you that Texas vs. Alabama is the top draw for college football this weekend, and they’d be correct. There are real, top-level implications there for the College Football Playoff odds market.

Beyond that, though, one of the top games to watch is a marquee P5 vs. G5 showdown between Ole Miss and Tulane. BetMGM’s college football betting odds price the Green Wave are a seven-point home underdog but will have the support of G5 fans everywhere against a representative of the mighty SEC.

Willie Fritz and Tulane are no strangers to pulling big upsets. After winning the American last year, Tulane won the right to represent the G5 in a New Year’s Six bowl game, where it drew Caleb Williams and USC in the Cotton Bowl. 

Very few people outside of Louisiana thought Tulane stood a chance, but Michael Pratt’s touchdown pass with nine seconds left sealed the upset, 46-45. 

Can Tulane do it again? After opening the season with an impressive win over South Alabama, it certainly seems possible. Expect a sellout in New Orleans.