Philly Special: Here are our best Philly sports bets of the weekend

Playoff baseball returns to Citizens Bank Park for the first time since 2011. Tenth-ranked Penn State heads to The Big House for a top-10 showdown with No. 5 Michigan. And the undefeated Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys in a Sunday Night Football matchup with first place in the NFC East on the line.

Could Philadelphians ask for a better sports weekend?

Should be a fun weekend to be betting, too. Here are our best Philly-focused bets of the weekend. (Odds come courtesy of BetMGM, are reflective of the time of writing and subject to changes.)

It’s not that hyperbolic to consider Friday night a must-win for the Phillies. The NLDS is even at 1-1, and Aaron Nola is on the mound in the first home playoff game at Citizens Bank Park in 11 years. The place will be rockin’, and Nola has proven recently that he is up for the moment. The Phillies’ pitching rotation for Game Four is a bit less clear, which is why winning Friday night is crucial. But the Phillies have the advantage, and count on them to take the series lead again with Nola on the mound against whichever pitcher the Braves go to.

Big Noon Saturday got a treat this week. A rare noon kickoff between two top 10 teams. Penn State is 2-0 in the Big Ten and coming off a bye week, while Michigan brings a 3-0 conference record into the game. It’s a big one, obviously. Both teams still have Ohio State on their schedule and are looking to stay alive in the Big Ten East, as well as get into the College Football Playoff picture. Michigan hasn’t looked that great in its conference matchups so far, but neither has Penn State. It’s going to be a cool and windy day Saturday in Ann Arbor. Both teams have been great against the run, and might have to win some battles in the passing game to find success. It smells like an under (50.5).

Sunday night, the Eagles host Cooper Rush and the 4-1 Cowboys. What a sentence that is. Dallas’ defense has been amazing the last few weeks, allowing Rush to play within himself. The Cowboys haven’t needed him to do too much – he threw the ball just 16 times in a 22-10 win over the Rams last week – and have gotten boosts from Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott on the ground. That could change Sunday. Philadelphia’s offense with Jalen Hurts at quarterback is a lot more dynamic than the Giants and Commanders teams that Dallas has beaten, and whatever this current version of the Rams is. Rush will need his arm more than he has in recent weeks, and that spells a comfortable win for the Eagles.

The parlay: Phillies moneyline (-120); Penn State/Michigan under 50.5; Eagles -6.5

Odds: +568 (bet $10, win $56.82)

Look, I’m no baseball expert and the Phillies were not expected to be in this position even just a couple of weeks ago. While home-field advantage hasn’t mattered a ton in these MLB Playoffs, going 11 years between having a home playoff game is pretty significant, especially against a divisional rival. With Aaron Nola on the mound, the Phils will be as confident as ever, but my play will be on under 7 runs. This should be a low scoring matchup that could provide some dramatics in the final few innings.

Penn State as seven point-underdogs against a Michigan squad whose best win was against an absent-minded offense in Iowa does not make any sense. Sure, the Wolverines possess one of the top offensive rushing attacks in college football, but the Nittany Lions have gone into two hostile environments (Purdue, Auburn) and won both games. It’s Big Noon Kickoff, in Ann Arbor, but taking Penn State +7 on Saturday just makes sense considering two of the last three matchups have been settled by seven points or less.

Finally, the Eagles and Cowboys will face off in a divisional game that could shape the future of the NFC East throughout the season. It’s been well-documented how well not only Dallas and Philadelphia have started the season, but the New York Giants as well. On paper, Philly is certainly the better team and has the better quarterback in Jalen Hurts, but the Cowboys’ defense, led by Micah Parsons, has been lights out the last few weeks. This is why I like the Cowboys +6.5, just because divisional games are that much tighter than the odds would suggest.

The parlay: Phillies-Braves under 7; Penn State +7; Cowboys +6.5

Odds: +596 (bet $10, win $59.68)

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