Not one, not two, not three… four.
That’s how many interceptions Kirk Cousins hurled last Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Cousins threw two picks in the red zone, one on fourth down that was returned for a pick six and another on Atlanta’s final drive.
Sigh.
As for this weekend, I’ve got two college football wagers, two NFL bets and a moneyline parlay. Remember, this space isn’t the place for a million picks or five-teamers. These will always be the games I love the most.
Let’s go to work.
2024 Record: (33-31, -1.1 units)
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas (-3, O/U 50)
I have these teams almost numerically equal in terms of power rating. I’ve got Texas at 127 and Georgia at 126.5. So yeah, the field goal is enticing. The Dawgs are one of the most resilient teams in the country and Kirby Smart is awesome at making second-half adjustments. As for the total, 45 points were scored in the last meeting and that’s with seven turnovers. I’m feeling a 28-27 final score either way.
PICK: Georgia (+3) to lose by fewer than 3 points, or win outright
PICK: Over 50 points scored by both teams combined
Falcons @ Vikings (-6, O/U 45.5)
You won’t love this and it’s okay. I’m going back to the well on the Falcons. Before squeaking out a 1-point victory against Arizona, Minnesota let a bunch of mediocre teams hang around. Joe Flacco and the Colts, Mac Jones and the Jaguars, Will Levis and the Titans, Caleb Williams and the Bears. Meh. This is a decent buy-low spot on an Atlanta team most people can’t stomach right now.
PICK: Falcons (+6) to lose by fewer than 6 points, or win outright
We’ve done a solid job this year picking against the Rams in the right spots. Arizona, Chicago, Miami and Philadelphia all took care of business and I expect Buffalo to do the same. Los Angeles continues to get by on past reputation when the metrics highlight a middling offense and vastly overrated defense. And please spare me with the Bills lookahead nonsense. There’s nothing more important to Buffalo than playing for a No. 1 seed.
PICK: Bills (-3.5) to win by more than 3.5 points
Blazin’ 5: Vikings (-5.5) beat struggling Falcons, Bills (-3.5) knock out Rams in Week 14
Bills (-3.5, O/U 49.5) @ Rams
No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon (-3.5, O/U 50.5)
You already know how I feel about Buffalo this weekend and I feel even better about Oregon beating Penn State in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship. Last month on “Bear Bets,” I talked about wheeling Jake Paul ML (-190) against Mike Tyson with anything that wasn’t nailed down. That’s how good I feel about the Ducks. I relish opportunities to bet against James Franklin in big games. That said, I’m not messing around with the point spread. Just win, baby.
PICK: Oregon ML and Bills ML parlay (+144)
Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and BetQL Network. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.
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