Jordan Horrobin, Author at The Boost

Best NBA prop bets Dec. 6: Take overs with Sharpe, LaVine and Sabonis

Tonight’s NBA prop bets feature Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Shaedon Sharpe.

The pregame narrative: I like all three players to hit overs that involve scoring points, but the Sabonis pick capitalizes on his talent as a passer, too.

Check out the best NBA prop bets on Dec. 6.

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Best bet: Sharpe over 17.5 points (-108)

The Portland Trail Blazers are loaded with depth pieces rather than superstars, but in some ways Sharpe is still rising above the pack.

The London, Ontario native suffered a shoulder injury in training camp that caused him to miss the first eight games of the season. After three ramp-up games, he returned to a full workload on Nov. 12.

And from that point on, Sharpe has been the Trail Blazers’ leading scorer, averaging 20.3 PPG in 11 games.

Mind you, five other Blazers are averaging at least 10.0 PPG in that span (minimum eight games played), so the bulk of the scoring could go to a hot hand on any given night.

But based on Friday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, I think tonight is a nice spot for Sharpe to shine.

Utah allows the second most PPG to opposing shooting guards (24.6), per Betting Pros.

Utah allows the second-most attempted 3s per game to its opponents (39.6).

Key stat: Sharpe is averaging 16.8 points in his past five matchups against the Jazz dating back to March 2023.

Quick picks

LaVine over 2.5 threes (-143): The highest projected total of the night, by a mile, belongs to the Pacers/Bulls matchup in Chicago (247 points). This is a good way to tap into that matchup.

LaVine is shooting 42.5% from outside, averaging 3.1 makes per night. And he’s been even hotter lately.

44.4% 3-point shooting in his past nine games.

3+ threes in 7/9 games since Nov. 18.

The Bulls’ second-leading scorer has also cashed this bet in three of his past five against Indiana, averaging 3.2 makes on 8.0 attempted 3s.

Sabonis over 24.5 points/assists (-125): This is a really compelling number for one of the best big men in the game.

Sabonis is averaging 20.8 points and 6.3 assists (27.1 PA) this season. He’s cashed this bet in 14 of 21 games.

Victor Wembanyama might be back tonight for the San Antonio Spurs after sitting out on Thursday, but that doesn’t faze me.

Sabonis is 4/4 against this line in his previous matchups against Wemby, which includes a pair of matchups this year.

Since the start of last season, Sabonis is averaging 25.6 points and 7.4 assists vs. San Antonio.

Picks made at 12:18 p.m. ET on 12/06/2024.

Timberwolves vs. Warriors same-game parlay predictions Dec. 6: Fade Edwards, Kuminga in +240 SGP

Two of the NBA’s top defensive teams meet up in San Francisco on Friday night as the Golden State Warriors host the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The pregame narrative: I’m all about the unders for tonight’s matchup, including a pair of prop bets on Anthony Edwards and Jonathan Kuminga.

Check out my Timberwolves vs. Warriors same-game parlay predictions for Dec. 6.

Timberwolves vs. Warriors predictions

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Parlay: Under 224.5 points + Edwards under 26.5 points + Kuminga under 5.5 rebounds (+240)

Under 224.5 points (-205): Last year, the Timberwolves’ success was largely built on their lockdown defence, which posted an NBA-best defensive rating.

This year’s squad had some shaky nights on defence early on, but things are changing.

Each of Minnesota’s past three opponents was held to 92 points or fewer.

Unders are 5-2 for Minnesota since Nov. 21.

Six of the T-Wolves’ past seven games went under 224.5 points.

Golden State has also been a defensively-minded squad, ranking fourth in the NBA in defensive rating this year.

Unders are 2-0 when the Warriors are on a back-to-back, and four of the past five meetings between these teams finished below this total.

SGP legs

Edwards under 26.5 points (-195): Edwards’ scoring success this year has been built on some explosive production from the 3-point line. But that’s what Golden State is best at defending.

The Warriors allow the fewest 3s per game to opposing shooting guards (2.6), according to Betting Pros, as well as the lowest 3PT% to opponents as a whole (32.8%).

Edwards has been fantastic beyond the arc this season, canning 4.5 threes per game at a 42.3% clip.

But if his 3-point production is capped, the rest of his scoring should be, too.

Edwards has gone under this number in eight of his past 12 games, averaging 24.1 PPG in that span. He’s also been under in five of seven matchups versus Golden State since the 2022-23 season.

Kuminga under 5.5 rebounds (-190): At 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, Kuminga is a bit undersized for a frontcourt player. And he rarely imposes his will as a rebounder.

Kuminga averaged a career-high 4.8 rebounds last year and is down to 4.3 RPG so far in 2024-25.

He’s gone under 5.5 rebounds in 15/19 games.

Minnesota is a tough matchup for Kuminga to buck that trend. The T-Wolves allow the sixth-fewest rebounds overall and the second-fewest to power forwards.

Kuminga has gone under 5.5 rebounds in six straight games against Minnesota.

Picks made at 10:50 a.m. on 12/06/24.

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Best NBA prop bets Dec. 6: Take overs with Sharpe, LaVine and Sabonis

Tonight’s NBA prop bets feature Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Shaedon Sharpe.

The pregame narrative: I like all three players to hit overs that involve scoring points, but the Sabonis pick capitalizes on his talent as a passer, too.

Check out the best NBA prop bets on Dec. 6.

NBA prop bets

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Best bet: Sharpe over 16.5 points (-117)

The Portland Trail Blazers are loaded with depth pieces rather than superstars, but in some ways Sharpe is still rising above the pack.

The London, Ontario native suffered a shoulder injury in training camp that caused him to miss the first eight games of the season. After three ramp-up games, he returned to a full workload on Nov. 12.

And from that point on, Sharpe has been the Trail Blazers’ leading scorer, averaging 20.3 PPG in 11 games.

Mind you, five other Blazers are averaging at least 10.0 PPG in that span (minimum eight games played), so the bulk of the scoring could go to a hot hand on any given night.

But based on Friday’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, I think tonight is a nice spot for Sharpe to shine.

Utah allows the second most PPG to opposing shooting guards (24.6), per Betting Pros.

Utah allows the second-most attempted 3s per game to its opponents (39.6).

Sharpe has cashed this line in 7/11 games since returning to a full workload.

Key stat: Sharpe is averaging 16.8 points in his past five matchups against the Jazz dating back to March 2023.

Quick picks

LaVine over 2.5 threes (-130): The highest projected total of the night, by a mile, belongs to the Pacers/Bulls matchup in Chicago (247 points). This is a good way to tap into that matchup.

LaVine is shooting 42.5% from outside, averaging 3.1 makes per night. And he’s been even hotter lately.

44.4% 3-point shooting in his past nine games.

3+ threes in 7/9 games since Nov. 18.

The Bulls’ second-leading scorer has also cashed this bet in three of his past five against Indiana, averaging 3.2 makes on 8.0 attempted 3s.

Sabonis over 24.5 points/assists (-130): This is a really compelling number for one of the best big men in the game.

Sabonis is averaging 20.8 points and 6.3 assists (27.1 PA) this season. He’s cashed this bet in 14 of 21 games.

Victor Wembanyama might be back tonight for the San Antonio Spurs after sitting out on Thursday, but that doesn’t faze me.

Sabonis is 4/4 against this line in his previous matchups against Wemby, which includes a pair of matchups this year.

Since the start of last season, Sabonis is averaging 25.6 points and 7.4 assists vs. San Antonio.

Picks made at 10:13 a.m. ET on 12/06/2024.

College football conference championship picks and predictions: NCAAF best bets on Oregon, Marshall

From conference championship week, I’m targeting two ATS picks and a player prop as my college football best bets.

The pregame narrative: I’m backing the Oregon Ducks (as favourites) and Marshall Thundering Herd (as underdogs) to cover in their respective games.

Check out the best college football picks and predictions for the action on Saturday, Dec. 7.

College football picks

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Best Bet: Oregon -3.5 (-106)

I’m willing to be wrong about the Penn State Nittany Lions, who’ve faced a pretty soft schedule en route to a Big Ten championship appearance.

Penn State only has one win against a ranked opponent (No. 21 Illinois), and it blew a 10-point lead at home against its toughest foe, Ohio State.

That OSU matchup was Penn State’s only game as an underdog, and the Nittany Lions failed to cover a +3 spread in a 20-13 defeat.

Oregon, like Penn State, is just 6-6 ATS. But the Ducks are accustomed to facing massive spreads.

In their 11 games as favourites, the Ducks laid 13.5 points or more each time.

Oregon was a 3.5-point home underdog against Ohio State and won, 32-31.

Key stat: The Ducks have covered a -3.5 spread nine times, and I think the country’s No. 1 team can do it again.

Quick pick

Marshall +5.5 (-110): Most folks will be focused on the Power Four conference championship games, but there are interesting plays elsewhere, too.

In the Sun Belt championship, look for the Thundering Herd to at least keep things close against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

Marshall is 10-1-1 ATS, covering this number in nine straight games. The Herd won back-to-back games as road underdogs to muscle their way into the conference title match.

Louisiana has had a better year, but starting quarterback Ben Woolridge is out with a collarbone injury.

The offence was fine with Chandler Fields under centre last week, but I don’t think the Ragin’ Cajuns should be laying this many points with a defence that ranks 132nd in rushing success rate, per gameonpaper.com.

Picks made at 3:29 p.m. on 12/05/2024.

Best NFL Week 14 prop bets: Look for Jaxon Smith-Njigba to stay hot vs. Cardinals

I’m fading Kirk Cousins on Sunday and am backing a pair of offensive weapons in my NFL Week 14 prop bets.

The pregame narrative: Cousins is struggling mightily right now, and I don’t expect his former team (the Minnesota Vikings) to make life easy. Elsewhere, I like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and De’Von Achane to both stay productive in the receiving game.

Check out the best NFL Week 14 prop bets for the upcoming games.

NFL Week 14 prop bets

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Best bet: Smith-Njigba over 65.5 receiving yards (-115)

Smith-Njigba has enjoyed quite a sophomore surge, and he’s been at his best over the past month and change.

Check out JSN’s productivity since Week 8:

8.4 targets/game
102.0 yards/game
Cashed this bet in 5/5 games

This stellar stretch includes a 77-yard performance two weeks ago against the Arizona Cardinals. Smith-Njigba caught six of seven targets in that game.

With another date against the Cardinals due up, I think JSN can keep the good times rolling.

Smith-Njigba isn’t the Seattle Seahawks’ WR1, but he’s seen plenty of target volume in the past three weeks alongside DK Metcalf. Over the past three weeks, JSN out-targeted Metcalf, 22-19.

Key stat: Smith-Njigba has six-plus catches in four of his past five games, commanding a 28.2% target share in that span.

Quick picks

Cousins under 244.5 passing yards (-115): I’m a sucker for a revenge game narrative, but I just can’t put my faith in Cousins right now.

Last week, Cousins tossed four wobbly interceptions in a low-scoring loss against the Chargers. Atlanta has now lost three games in a row, and Cousins has a 0:6 TD-to-INT ratio in that span.

A mid-game benching in Minnesota — in favour of Michael Penix Jr. — isn’t out of the question. That’s part of why I like the under.

Additionally, Cousins has hit this under in eight of 12 games. He’s averaging 254.3 yards/game, but that’s only because of a 509-yard anomaly from two months ago — which might as well be two years ago.

Achane over 29.5 receiving yards (-110): Achane couldn’t get it going on the ground last week, turning seven carries into just 14 yards. But he’s such an asset that the Dolphins made sure to keep him involved as a receiver.

On a season-high nine targets, Achane caught eight passes for 56 yards. He continues to see heavy usage with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback.

In eight games alongside Tagovailoa, Achane is averaging 6.0 receptions and 47.5 yards. He’s cleared this yardage total in six of those games.

Picks made at 3:10 p.m. ET on 12/05/2024.

College football conference championship picks and predictions: NCAAF best bets on Oregon, Cam Skattebo, Marshall

From conference championship week, I’m targeting two ATS picks and a player prop as my college football best bets.

The pregame narrative: The Arizona State Sun Devils have a bulldog of a runner in Cam Skattebo, and I expect a huge performance from him against the Iowa State Cyclones. I’m also backing the Oregon Ducks (as favourites) and Marshall Thundering Herd (as underdogs) to cover in their respective games.

Check out the best college football picks and predictions for the action on Saturday, Dec. 7.

College football picks

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Best Bet: Skattebo over 119.5 rushing yards (-107)

Recent productivity, a key injury, and a compelling matchup all contribute to my belief that Skattebo can smash his yardage total in the Big 12 championship game.

Skattebo has 145+ rushing yards in 6/11 games, including five games since Oct. 1.

Arizona State’s top wideout, Jordyn Tyson, is out.

Iowa State’s defence is better at stopping the pass than the run.

Skattebo’s rushing production alone is enough to make this a compelling prop. The Sun Devils’ offence runs through him, which has been particularly evident over the past two weeks.

Against BYU and Arizona, Skattebo amassed 324 rush yards and six TDs.

Tyson’s injury is a key aspect, though, because he’s the Sun Devils’ go-to receiver — and it’s frankly not close. Tyson has 75 catches and 1,101 yards, while no other WR has more than 30 catches or 300 yards.

I doubt the Sun Devils can abandon the passing game altogether, but Tyson’s absence will mean even more plays should be funnelled to their standout tailback.

And keep in mind that the defensive matchup should encourage Arizona State to run the ball, too.

Iowa State is allowing the third-fewest passing yards in the country (156.9/game) and the second-lowest completion percentage (51.9%).

Key stat: Skattebo is averaging 127.1 rush yards per game and has cleared this number in five of his past seven games.

Go to full college football betting markets.

Quick picks

Oregon -3.5 (-118): I’m willing to be wrong about the Penn State Nittany Lions, who’ve faced a pretty soft schedule en route to a Big Ten championship appearance.

Penn State only has one win against a ranked opponent (No. 21 Illinois), and it blew a 10-point lead at home against its toughest foe, Ohio State.

That OSU matchup was Penn State’s only game as an underdog, and the Nittany Lions failed to cover a +3 spread in a 20-13 defeat.

Oregon, like Penn State, is just 6-6 ATS. But the Ducks are accustomed to facing massive spreads.

In their 11 games as favourites, the Ducks laid 13.5 points or more each time.

Oregon was a 3.5-point home underdog against Ohio State and won, 32-31.

The Ducks have covered a -3.5 spread nine times, and I think the country’s No. 1 team can do it again.

Marshall +5.5 (-109): Most folks will be focused on the Power Four conference championship games, but there are interesting plays elsewhere, too.

In the Sun Belt championship, look for the Thundering Herd to at least keep things close against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

Marshall is 10-1-1 ATS, covering this number in nine straight games. The Herd won back-to-back games as road underdogs to muscle their way into the conference title match.

Louisiana has had a better year, but starting quarterback Ben Woolridge is out with a collarbone injury.

The offence was fine with Chandler Fields under centre last week, but I don’t think the Ragin’ Cajuns should be laying this many points with a defence that ranks 132nd in rushing success rate, per gameonpaper.com.

Picks made at 2:00 p.m. on 12/05/2024.

Best NBA prop bets Dec. 5: Fade Podziemski, ride with Vucevic and Booker

Neither Steph Curry nor Victor Wembanyama are playing tonight, and those situations influenced two of my Thursday night NBA prop bets.

The pregame narrative: In the late-night spot, I’m fading Brandin Podziemski from 3-point range in a tough matchup. But I do like the over on a pair of props involving Nikola Vucevic and Devin Booker.

Check out the best NBA prop bets on Dec. 5.

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Best bet: Podziemski under 1.5 threes (-120)

Curry’s absence theoretically frees up plenty of 3-point shooting opportunities for his teammates. But I don’t expect much out of Podziemski from deep.

That’s partially because I don’t expect much out of the Golden State Warriors from the 3-point line as a whole.

Tonight’s opponents, the Houston Rockets, have put up stellar defensive numbers beyond the arc:

5th in 3PT% (34.3)
2nd in 3s allowed per game (11.9)
3rd in opponent attempted 3s per game (34.7)

Curry was out when the Warriors faced the Rockets last month. In that matchup, Podziemski went 0-for-3 from deep.

On the season, Podziemski is shooting just 20.6% from 3-point range. He was a 38.5% shooter from deep last year, but he still only averaged 1.2 makes due to low volume.

Buddy Hield is 22-for-41 (53.7%) from 3-point range in the four games Curry has missed this season. If anyone should be letting it fly for the Warriors tonight, it’s him.

Key stat: Podziemski has gone under 1.5 threes in 16 of 19 games, averaging 0.7 threes so far this season.

Quick picks

Booker over 10.5 rebounds and assists (-106): Booker is averaging 3.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists this year (10.4 RA), which puts him right in line with this number.

And given the juicy matchup he’ll see tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans, I think an over is well within reach.

New Orleans allows the second-most rebounds (7.4/game) and the second-most assists (5.3/game) to opposing shooting guards, per Betting Pros.

Booker has cashed this bet in nine of his past 16 games, amassing 11.2 RA in that span.

Vucevic over 19.5 points (-130): Tonight could be a huge night for Vucevic with Wembanyama sitting out for the San Antonio Spurs.

Last year, in his lone matchup against the Wemby-less Spurs, Vucevic had 24 points in 31 minutes. He also added 16 rebounds.

I don’t mind a points/rebounds prop for the 14th-year centre, but the points prop feels a bit safer.

Vucevic is averaging 20.9 PPG and will be able to operate without a 7-foot-4 menace guarding him in the paint.

Picks made at 12:58 p.m. ET on 12/05/2024.

Best NBA prop bets Dec. 5: Fade Podziemski, ride with Vucevic and Booker

Neither Steph Curry nor Victor Wembanyama are playing tonight, and those situations influenced two of my Thursday night NBA prop bets.

The pregame narrative: In the late-night spot, I’m fading Brandin Podziemski from 3-point range in a tough matchup. But I do like the over on a pair of props involving Nikola Vucevic and Devin Booker.

Check out the best NBA prop bets on Dec. 5.

NBA prop bets

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Best bet: Podziemski under 1.5 threes (-122)

Curry’s absence theoretically frees up plenty of 3-point shooting opportunities for his teammates. But I don’t expect much out of Podziemski from deep.

That’s partially because I don’t expect much out of the Golden State Warriors from the 3-point line as a whole.

Tonight’s opponents, the Houston Rockets, have put up stellar defensive numbers beyond the arc:

5th in 3PT% (34.3)
2nd in 3s allowed per game (11.9)
3rd in opponent attempted 3s per game (34.7)

Curry was out when the Warriors faced the Rockets last month. In that matchup, Podziemski went 0-for-3 from deep.

On the season, Podziemski is shooting just 20.6% from 3-point range. He was a 38.5% shooter from deep last year, but he still only averaged 1.2 makes due to low volume.

Buddy Hield is 22-for-41 (53.7%) from 3-point range in the four games Curry has missed this season. If anyone should be letting it fly for the Warriors tonight, it’s him.

Key stat: Podziemski has gone under 1.5 threes in 16 of 19 games, averaging 0.7 threes so far this season.

Quick picks

Booker over 10.5 rebounds and assists (+107): Booker is averaging 3.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists this year (10.4 RA), which puts him right in line with this number.

And given the juicy matchup he’ll see tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans, I think an over is well within reach.

New Orleans allows the second-most rebounds (7.4/game) and the second-most assists (5.3/game) to opposing shooting guards, per Betting Pros.

Booker has cashed this bet in nine of his past 16 games, amassing 11.2 RA in that span.

Vucevic over 20.5 points (-109): Tonight could be a huge night for Vucevic with Wembanyama sitting out for the San Antonio Spurs.

Last year, in his lone matchup against the Wemby-less Spurs, Vucevic had 24 points in 31 minutes. He also added 16 rebounds.

I don’t mind a points/rebounds prop for the 14th-year centre, but the points prop feels a bit safer.

Vucevic is averaging 20.9 PPG and will be able to operate without a 7-foot-4 menace guarding him in the paint.

Picks made at 10:13 a.m. ET on 12/05/2024.

NBA schedule, odds and betting lines Dec. 5: Cavaliers favoured at home vs. Nuggets

The NBA’s top teams in both conferences are in action tonight as part of an eight-game schedule.

The latest: In Toronto, Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder face the scrappy but often unsuccessful Raptors. Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers put a stellar home record on the line against the Denver Nuggets.

Check out today’s basketball betting lines and our NBA schedule for Dec. 5.

NBA schedule: Dec. 5

Visit all of tonight’s NBA markets. Click on game odds below to bet now.

Denver Nuggets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Washington Wizards

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Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks

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Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Toronto Raptors

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Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies

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Phoenix Suns vs. New Orleans Pelicans

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Chicago Bulls vs. San Antonio Spurs

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Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors

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Betting insights

Notable players listed as questionable on the league’s official 8:30 a.m. injury report: Malcolm Brogdon, Ty Jerome, Gradey Dick, Josh Giddey, Brandon Ingram, Fred VanVleet and Andrew Wiggins.

Cleveland is 12-1 at home this season, with a 10-3 ATS record in those games. Denver is just 3-6-1 ATS in its past 10 games overall — but the Nuggets are also 4-1 ATS as underdogs this season.

The Raptors continue to be a tough out, but now they’ll be tested by the Western Conference-leading Thunder. OKC’s average margin of victory is +10.8 points. Toronto, meanwhile, has covered a +8.5 spread in eight of its past 10 games.

New Orleans has lost nine straight games, though it was only favoured once in that span. Tonight, the Pelicans host a Suns squad that hasn’t played on the road since Nov. 17.

Golden State is 11-0 against Houston since the start of the 2021-22 season. That includes an overtime win as a 5-point road underdog on Nov. 2 of this year.

College football conference championship betting guide: Players to watch, key trends and NCAAF matchups

Settle in for conference championship week in the world of college football, where plenty of trophies — and College Football Playoff spots — are on the line.

The latest: Ohio State’s shocking loss to Michigan means Penn State will be Oregon’s foe in the Big Ten title match. Elsewhere, the Big 12 championship and ACC championship both appear to be win-and-in battles within the playoff landscape.

Check out our college football betting guide to get ready for conference championship weekend.

College football betting guide: Conference championships

A lot of really good college football teams will be watching from the couch this weekend, awaiting their bowl season fate.

Ohio State, Tennessee and Notre Dame are among the ones who’ll factor into the CFP field no matter what. Others are likely hoping SMU beats Clemson (ACC) and Boise State beats UNLV (Mountain West) to simplify the possibilities.

Six of the nine conference title games have a projected total of 50-plus points. There should be plenty of exciting action for bettors to sink their teeth into.

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Key college football matchups

No. 19 UNLV Rebels vs. No. 10 Boise State Broncos

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Boise State won, 29-24, on the road against UNLV in October as a 4-point favourite. The Broncos have won all seven head-to-head matchups and are 2-0 ATS against UNLV in the past two seasons.

Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty had 128 yards and a touchdown against UNLV in October, but that’s actually a down game for him. The Rebels held Jeanty to his lowest yardage total against an FBS opponent this year, as well as his lowest yards/carry (3.9) since September 2023.

Boise’s lone loss came by a field goal against now-No. 1 Oregon. All 11 of the Broncos’ wins have come by four-plus points, and their only ATS losses were in games in which they were favoured by a double-digit margin. Meanwhile, UNLV’s two losses came by just eight total points.

No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones vs. No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils

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Arizona State went 5-0 ATS and straight up in November, winning every game by four or more points.

Iowa State is known as a disciplined team, averaging the third-fewest penalty yards per game (29.3). Defensively, the Cyclones allow the third-fewest pass yards (156.9/game) and the second-lowest completion percentage (51.9%).

The Cyclones have only been underdogs once this season. Back in September, they beat the Iowa Hawkeyes, 20-19, as 3-point dogs on the road.

No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 2 Texas Longhorns

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Texas’ only loss of the year came against Georgia (30-15) on Oct. 19. The Longhorns, who were 4-point home favourites, trailed 23-0 at halftime and briefly benched quarterback Quinn Ewers before bringing him back in.

Georgia almost suffered a calamitous upset last week as a 17-point favourite against Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs clawed for a 44-42 win in eight overtimes … marking the second-longest game in NCAA history.

Georgia is 3-9 ATS this season, winning straight up in its lone matchup as an underdog (at Texas).

Both teams have an impact running back who’s questionable to play: Trevor Etienne (UGA) and Jaydon Blue (UT).

No. 18 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 8 SMU Mustangs

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Clemson is set to be an underdog for the first time since its season opener against Georgia. In that game, the Tigers lost 34-3 as 10.5-point dogs.

SMU lost by a field goal at home against BYU in September. Since then, the Mustangs have won nine in a row and are 7-2 ATS.

Both SMU (39.2 PPG) and Clemson (35.7 PPG) are among the country’s top-15 scoring offences. But overs are just 3-8 in Tigers games this season.

No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 1 Oregon Ducks

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Penn State and Oregon are both 6-6 ATS, and they’ve both hit the under in seven of their 12 games.

On Nov. 2, Penn State lost by a touchdown at home against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions were 3-point underdogs, and it was the only time they’ve been underdogs this season.

Nine of Oregon’s 12 opponents have scored fewer than 20 points. The Ducks allow the seventh-fewest yards per game in the NCAA (283.9).

Based on ESPN’s calculation of strength of schedule, Penn State ranked 36th this season and Oregon ranked 60th.

College football betting guide: Players to watch

RB Cameron Skattebo (Arizona State): Iowa State has one of the fiercest pass defences in the country, but that probably doesn’t faze Skattebo and Arizona State.

The Sun Devils run their offence through Skattebo, who has 14 total touchdowns in his past seven games.

https://twitter.com/ASUFootball/status/1860439919660810327

And his per-game averages in that span are stellar:

23.0 carries
137.9 rush yards
6.0 yards/rush

Arizona State runs the ball 60.2% of the time, which is the 13th-highest percentage in the NCAA. The Sun Devils should lean on Skattebo heavily on Saturday.

QB Darian Mensah (Tulane): The Tulane Green Wave usually run the ball a lot, but Mensah has proven he can contribute splash plays when needed.

The sophomore quarterback leads the AAC in yards per attempt (9.6) and completion rate (65.6%).

Mensah also has multiple TD passes in three straight games and is coming off his third 300-yard performance of the season.

The Army Black Knights allow the 11th-fewest rush yards per game (103.0), so Mensah might need to carry Tulane’s offence.

NCAAF national championship odds

Betting trends

Tulane lost a puzzler at home last week, falling by 10 against Memphis as a 12.5-point favourite. The Green Wave had been 7-1 ATS before that, winning eight in a row by eight or more points. Army, meanwhile, is 1-4 ATS in its past five games.

The Ohio Bobcats haven’t won the Mid-American Conference championship since 1968, and they’ll look to end the futility against their arch-rivals. The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks beat Ohio by 10 points at home this year after a 14-point win in the Battle of the Bricks rivalry a season ago.

In the Sun Belt, the Marshall Thundering Herd take their 10-1-1 ATS record into a showdown with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. Louisiana ranks third in the country in yards per play (6.9), while Marshall is coming off back-to-back road wins as an underdog.