Ricky Dimon
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Good morning, Pickswise Nation. Rivalry week in college football, concludes with some massive games, while Saturday’s schedule also includes college basketball, NBA and NHL action and the World Cup. It’s another big day in the world of sports, so let’s get right to it and make your next bet better with Wise n’ Shine!
About Last Night
Fit to be tied
England and the United States drew 0-0 in their Group B showdown at the World Cup on Friday. Although it was an unspectacular performance by the English side, it is in good shape to qualify for the knockout round. The USMNT must defeat Iran next Tuesday to advance.
Tough day all around for North Carolina
North Carolina lost in both football and basketball on Friday. On the gridiron, the Tar Heels fell to North Carolina State 30-27 in double-overtime. Their #1-ranked hoops squad was upset by Iowa State 70-65.
NBA experts go 5-1 on prop bets
Our NBA experts went 5-1 on their player prop bets on Friday and have compiled a 10-3 record over the past 2 nights. One of those involved Anthony Davis, who had 25 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers picked up a much-needed victory over the Spurs.
Devils win…again
The New Jersey Devils extended their road winning streak to 9 games with a 3-1 defeat of the Buffalo Sabres. In somewhat bizarre NHL news, the Avalanche vs Predators contest was postponed because of a water main break at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Today’s Slate
Ohio State vs Michigan with huge implications
It doesn’t get any bigger than this particular version of Ohio State vs Michigan. The winner will earn a place in the Big Ten Championship and all but punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff. Saturday’s schedule also includes the Iron Bowl and a crucial contest for USC against Notre Dame. Here are all of our college football predictions.
Quartet of contests in the NBA
A upstart Utah team will conclude Saturday’s NBA schedule by visiting Phoenix. The Lakers and Mavericks are also taking the court. Don’t miss any of our NBA picks.
Huge 12-game schedule in the NHL
Despite showcasing a healthy 13-game schedule on Friday, the NHL is getting right back in gear with 9 more games today. Following Friday’s postponement, the Avalanche (11-6-1) return home to face the Stars (12-5-3). You can find our hockey coverage on the NHL page.
Argentina looks to rebound, France faces Denmark at World Cup
There are 4 more games in Qatar kicking off on Saturday. Argentina is looking to bounce back from its upset loss to Saudi Arabia as it facs Mexico. Meanwhile, France will try to pick up 3 more points at the expense of Denmark. Check out our World Cup game previews.
Best Bet of the Day
NCAAF: Tennessee Volunteers -14 over Vanderbilt Commodores (-110)
7:30 pm ET, SECN
The Volunteers, once ranked #1 in the nation, suffered a crippling loss to South Carolina last week – eliminating them from the playoff picture. At 9-2, however, they are still a strong contender for a New Year’s Six bowl. This is a nice buy-low spot on Tennessee even though quarterback Hendon Hooker is out for the year with a torn ACL. Joe Milton will be under center and he was the starting QB for a while last season prior to Hooker’s ascension. Milton is perfectly capable of running Tennessee’s up-tempo offense and he has a huge arm. On the defensive side of the ball, the Vols are vulnerable to deep balls. Unfortunately for the Commodores, that isn’t their strength. Vanderbilt has done extremely well to win 2 straight games, but an inflated price as a result creates additional value on Tennessee when you don’t have to give more than 2 touchdowns.
Must-read
We have everything you need to know to bet better on Saturday’s college football slate, and you can find it in our Week 13 guide. It includes our +1139 mega parlay, best bets and favorite underdogs.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s action on the professional gridiron, Pickswise NFL betting analyst Jared Smith has delivered his Week 12 best bets after going 3-0 last week. Also take a look at our +1249 mega parlay.
Check out more great content as it arrives throughout the day on the Analysis tab.
Must-watch
Don’t forget to check out our daily show Let’s Bet It! on our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/c/Pickswise at 10:00 am ET.
Mark Zinno and Brandon Marcello are your hosts today and they will focus on all things college football, from the Heisman Trophy picture to National Championship odds and also to the remaining Week 13 games. As always, they will also make their Plays of the Day.
You can access the show at any time through Spotify and Apple Podcasts (search for Let’s Bet It Presented By Pickswise).
The Week 12 edition of Pickswise Playbook, our weekly NFL preview show, is also available. It features former NFL star Tank Williams, so don’t miss it!
Stat of the Day
Since losing to Ohio State on Oct. 29, Penn State is 3-0 and has outscored its opponents 130-24. Outside of Michigan and Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have not allowed more than 17 points in a game since their opener against Purdue.
Quote of the Day
“What would you do in my place? I know where I was born, I’ll tell you the year, the name of the hospital (and) the city’s area code. But I have to do everything possible for Mexico to win.”
— Mexico coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who is Argentinian, heading into Saturday’s game against Argentina
Boost of the Day
Ohio State ML, Oregon ML and Alabama to win by 14+ points
Boosted from +190 to +270 with FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel Sportsbook is celebrating today’s college football bonanza by boosting the odds on a parlay of Ohio State (vs Michigan) and Oregon (vs Oregon State) on the money line and Alabama (vs Auburn) -13.5 from +190 to +270.
Pickswise is the home of free sports picks, news and best bets. Check out our expert NFL Picks, NBA Picks, Soccer Picks and NHL Picks pages for our latest game picks.
