Sports Betting
Tuesday’s Best ESPN BET Bets: First Responders Bowl, Nets-Pistons, Guaranteed Rate Bowl
The Ravens were able to save us from a winless Christmas with their cover and outright win against the 49ers. We finished the day 1-2. Kansas City is a complete mess on offense, and they scored just as many points as the Raiders defense did. LeBron James faked a serious injury and was not even close to going over his point total. We move to 65-52-2 on the year.
I am very surprised there are not more bowl games today after going 2 days without one. The way the holidays fall this year was not the best for bowl games. We didn’t even get the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve; everything is backwards this year.
While two of my plays today will be bowl games, I will not have an official winning pick for the Quick Lane Bowl between Bowling Green and Minnesota at 2:00pm today. I have been going back and forth on who to pick in this game. I did lean towards taking Bowling Green, but PJ Fleck is undefeated in bowl games as the Gophers coach. I would take Minnesota but look into who is in or out for the Gophers this game.
Now onto the winning picks!
LA, TN, CO, AZ, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH
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Texas St Bobcats (-3.5) vs Rice Owls O/U 60 First Responders Bowl 5:30 PM on ESPN
For the first time ever, the Texas St Bobcats are in a bowl game! This has been a long time coming as they enter their 10th season playing FBS football. They had previously won enough games to be eligible, but they weren’t invited. But with the lack of winning teams in 2023, the Bobcats had a spot locked up.
The Owls have moved on from starter JT Daniels after he medically retired citing concussion issues. That ends a career that took him from USC to Georgia to West Virginia to Rice. That is a lot of mileage for a college career. AJ Padgett will get the start for Rice in the bowl game.
Bobcats head coach GJ Kinne is one of the up-and-coming coaches in college football. His high-flying offense will get him a bigger job in a few years. I believe given the fact that this is Texas St’s first bowl game and the high caliber of this offense, the Bobcats easily win and cover against Rice.
Texas St Covers -3.5, Texas St Bobcats 38 Rice Owls 27
LA, TN, CO, AZ, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH
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Brooklyn Nets (-6.5) at Detroit Pistons O/U 230.5 7:00 PM
The Detroit Pistons make their first appearance on the Winning Picks. They have not won a game since before Halloween. Three major holidays have taken place since their last win on October 28th against the Bulls. Since then, they have racked up 26 straight losses, which ties the same season record.
A loss tonight would give them the record for in-season losing streaks and puts them one game behind the 76ers, who’s losing streak extended over from the 14/15 season into the 15/16 season. But likely for the Pistons, they get a team they just played on Saturday: the Brooklyn Nets.
While I do not think the Pistons will win this game, I do believe they can at least cover this spread and make a game out of it. Pistons fans were wishing for a win for Christmas, and they might get close to one tonight, but I believe they will at least cover the spread.
Pistons Cover +6.5, Brooklyn Nets 118 Detroit Pistons 115
LA, TN, CO, AZ, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH
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Kansas Jayhawks (-11) vs UNLV Rebels O/U 68.5 Guaranteed Rate Bowl 9:00 PM on ESPN
Two of the most surprising teams of the last few years of college football face off in Phoenix in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. This will be the first bowl game for UNLV since 2014 and only their 7th overall in program history. Their last bowl win came in 2000 over Arkansas in the Las Vegas Bowl.
For Kansas, they were able to make their first bowl game in nearly 15 years last year, which was a loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl. Their last bowl win came in the 2008 Insight Bowl over Minnesota, which is what the Guaranteed Rate Bowl used to be called. Remember when Pitt always played in the Insight Bowl in the early 2000’s?
Either way you look at it, each team has the chance to win their first bowl game in 15+ years. That is a really long time to go without one, but you obviously have to get their first. I have no doubt that Kansas can win this game, but I expect the Rebels to put up a first with former WPIAL star and Pitt coach Brennan Marion and his Go-Go offense.
There are going to be a lot of points in this game. The total is high, but I believe we can easily get there.
Over 68.5 Covers, Kansas Jayhawks 45 UNLV Rebels 31
LA, TN, CO, AZ, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH
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