Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
Good morning, Pickswise Nation. NFL Week 17 got underway with Thursday Night Football, but there is plenty more professional gridiron action on the immediate horizon. As for the college ranks, there are 5 more games on today’s schedule. As if that isn’t enough, neither the NBA nor the NHL is about to slow down for all the football festivities. 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
Cowboys take down Titans Thursday Night Football
The Cowboys may be on life support in the NFC East race, but they stayed alive by beating the Titans 27-13 on Thursday. It was a relatively meaningless game for Tennessee, as the AFC South title all comes down to next week’s showdown against Jacksonville.
Florida State wins a wild one
Florida State earned a 10-win season by beating Oklahoma 35-32 in the Cheez-It-Bowl. Following what had been a defensive struggle, 4 total touchdowns were scored in the 4th quarter. The other winners on Friday were Minnesota and Washington.
Doncic does it again
Luka Doncic delivered another triple-double on Thursday night, this time going for 35 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists during a 129-114 victory for the Mavericks over the Rockets. The Celtics improved to 26-10 by battling past the Clippers 116-110.
Today’s Slate
College football Friday: Give me 5!
For the first time in more than a week, we have at least 5 bowl games on a single day. Friday’s schedule is headlined by the Orange Bowl between Tennessee and Clemson. Here are our college football predictions.
NBA week continues with 9 games
The NBA features 9 games tonight, highlighted by a doubleheader on NBA TV that begins with the Hawks hosting the Lakers before the Warriors entertain the Trail Blazers. Also on the menu is an intriguing contest between the 76ers and Pelicans. Don’t miss any of our NBA picks.
Predators hope to end skid
There are only 4 NHL games on Friday, but they span the whole evening. A rare 5:00 pm ET puck drop for the Predators vs Ducks matchup gets things started, while the nightcap at 10:00 pm ET sends Edmonton to Seattle. You can find our hockey coverage on the NHL page.
Best Bet of the Day
NCAAF: Clemson Tigers -5 (-110) over Tennessee Volunteers
8:00 pm ET, ESPN
Only one thing is certain: an orange team is going to win the Orange Bowl. And it’s a pretty good bet that the team in question will be Clemson. While both the Tigers and the Volunteers are missing their starting quarterbacks, Clemson is without only one player due to opting out (defensive end Myles Murphy). Tennessee, on the other hand, has seen a few guys exit early – most notably Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman. Combine that with QB Hendon Hooker’s season-ending torn ACL and this certainly isn’t the UT team that briefly peaked at #1 in the rankings. Check out our full Tennessee vs Clemson predictions.
Must-read
We have everything you need to know for a big day of bowl games, including a +1017 college football mega parlay and a +672 Orange Bowl Same Game Parlay.
Meanwhile, the NFL may be off for a couple of days, Jared Smith has already delivered his NFL Week 17 best bets. On the ice, be sure to read our +1006 NHL 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.
Lauren Jbara and Jared Smith are your hosts today and they will be joined by Danny Burke, (@DannyBurke5 on Twitter), host of “Pro Football Betting Podcast” on VSiN Live and “Bet On, Chicago” on WLSAM 890. Danny will help break down the upcoming NFL Week 17 action, plus there will be Thursday Night Football reaction, college football bowl game discussion and – as always – 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 17 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
South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler has passed for 798 yards and 8 touchdowns in the last 2 games. That is part of the reason why we like South Carolina +2 and Over 51.5 in the Gator Bowl between the Gamecocks and Fighting Irish.
Quote of the Day
“He is a New Hampshire grad, I was a Rhode Island grad, so this is an East Coast head-to-head in El Paso. We’ve faced each other only back in the old Yankee Conference back when he was the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire and I was the defensive coordinator at Rhode Island. This is a little different level here, being in the Sun Bowl, but it should be an exciting game.”
— Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi on UCLA head coach Chip Kelly in advance of today’s Sun Bowl.
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