Sports Betting This Weekend: Bengals/Commanders, Navy/Notre Dame, USC/San Jose State

College football’s Week 0 is upon us, and the NFL is playing its final week of preseason football. As far as the online sports betting calendar is concerned, it’s officially football season. 

NFL Preseason

Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Commanders

Saturday, Aug. 26  |  6:05 p.m. ET 

Preseason NFL football is generally more about experimentation and player evaluation than winning games, but there are always a handful of teams that try to build a little bit of momentum toward the regular season.

The Washington Commanders certainly fit the bill. They ended the Ravens’ epic, 24-game preseason winning streak with a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter, capped by Joey Slye’s  49-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining. This was not a team that wasn’t trying.

As a result, the Commanders are one of only six teams who are 2-0 entering the third and final week of preseason competition. They can make it a three-game sweep on Saturday when they host the Bengals (0-1-1) for an evening scrimmage in Landover, Maryland. 

NFL sophomore Sam Howell has already passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns this preseason and will likely feature prominently in the game once again. 

On the Cincinnati side, fans want to know: Will Joe Burrow miss Week 1 because of his calf injury? We almost certainly won’t get an answer this weekend. The Bengals will lean on backup quarterback Jake Browning, who is 26-for-39 for 235 yards and two interceptions.

Washington is currently a 4.5-point NFL odds favorite. 

College Football

Notre Dame vs. Navy

Saturday, Aug. 26  |  2:30 p.m.  |  NBC

College football’s Week 0 appetizer slate is sometimes mocked for its lack of upper-level substance, but this year’s schedule yields a rare college football betting treat. No. 13 Notre Dame is in action, and the Fighting Irish are playing in Ireland. 

This Saturday, Notre Dame faces off with annual opponent Navy in Dublin. It’s the third time the game will be played in Ireland and the first since 2012. Navy is 0-2 ATS despite playing as a double-digit favorite in both of the previous games. 

Notre Dame football odds were unpredictable in 2022, as the Irish impressed in competitive losses to Ohio State and USC but also lost confusing home games to Marshall and Stanford. The chief concern at the time was ineffective quarterback play and the inexperience of new head coach Marcus Freeman.

Freeman is another year wiser this season, but the true change came when Notre Dame landed transfer quarterback Sam Hartman from Wake Forest. The improvement in quarterback play is a major reason why Notre Dame is a 20.5-point favorite. 

College Football

San Jose State at USC

Saturday, Aug. 26  |  8 p.m.  |  Pac-12 Network

The reigning Heisman champion is back in action early this year, as USC plays a rare Week 0 game against San Jose State of the Mountain West.  

The Trojans, who will start 2023 quite high in most college football power rankings, are 30.5-point favorites. 

Ohio State quarterback Archie Griffin was the only college player to ever win two Heisman Trophies, so Williams has his work cut out for him. Expectations are already sky-high – Williams, the presumed No. 1 NFL Draft pick in 2024, is 5-to-1 at the top of the Heisman odds board. 

During the 2022 regular season, USC beat non-conference opponents by an average of 30 points. That includes a 66-14 win over Rice in its season opener.