Wednesday was a quiet day around the American sports betting scene, but we have more action in store for Thursday. The New England Patriots will play their second game at SoFi Stadium in five days when they take on the LA Rams on Thursday Night Football. We also have UEFA Europa League action during the day along with a few select college football and basketball games this evening.
BetOnline.ag has three odds boosters on the board ahead of Thursday’s sports schedule. Let’s dive right in.
NCAAF: Florida Atlantic (-8) and Pittsburgh (-6.5) BOTH to Cover (+300)
Florida Atlantic has fared well in their first season post-Lane Kiffin. The Owls are off to a solid 5-2 start, which has them tied for first in the Eastern Division of Conference USA. Florida Atlantic is fresh off of an upset loss to Georgia Southern last time out, though, after the Eagles came away with a 20-3 victory at home. That loss snapped a four-game winning streak for FAU.
The Owls will hit the road again tonight to take on Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles are just 2-7 on the season with an uninspiring 1-4 record in conference play. Southern Miss comes into this one having lost four of their last five games, including a three-point loss to UT-San Antonio last time out.
Southern Miss became the first FBS team to fire its coach when Jay Hopson was canned earlier this year, while his interim replacement, Scotty Walden, left his interim job for a permanent job at Austin Peay. The team announced that Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hail will take over. Needless to say, Southern Miss has endured its fair share of turmoil this season.
Pitt, meanwhile, is just 5-5 overall with a 4-5 record in ACC play. The Panthers haven’t had a season to write home about, but they’re actually favored in tonight’s road game against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are one of the few teams in the conference that has been worse than Pitt thus far. Tech fell 23-13 to NC State last week, which means they have won just once in their last five games.
Pitt was crushed 52-17 by Clemson last week, which obviously isn’t the most shameful result. That came on the heels of the Panthers’ 47-14 drubbing of Virginia Tech in their previous game. While the Panthers’ overall record isn’t good, their losses have been tough. Three of them have come against quality opponents (Clemson, Notre Dame, and Miami), while the other two losses came by a combined two points.
NCAAB: Arizona State (-4.5) and Oregon State (-13.5) BOTH to Cover (+330)
We head from the gridiron to the hardwood where we have a couple of Pac-12 teams in action. No. 23 Arizona State will play host to No. 24 San Diego State in what should be a fun one. The Sun Devils check-in as 4.5-point favorites at home here after back-to-back wins over Houston Baptist and Cal.
We’re No. 24 in the AP Poll & play our first road game of the year at No. 23 Arizona State on Thursday night. The game will be broadcast on FS1 and Fox Sports Go and is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. PT. #GoAztecshttps://t.co/7VArlMaClP
— San Diego State Men’s Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) December 9, 2020
Josh Christopher has averaged 17.5 points per game for the 3-1 Sun Devils to lead the team, while Bobby Hurley has also gotten solid production out of senior guard Remy Martin. San Diego State has been one of the best defensive teams in the nation early this season, and the Aztecs are off to a perfect 4-0 start. Three of SDSU’s wins have come by double digits, including a season-opening 73-58 win over No. 22 UCLA.
Oregon State is a sizable two-touchdown favorite at home to Portland. The Beavers are just 2-2 on the young season after back-to-back losses to Wazzu and Wyoming, but Portland certainly isn’t a daunting foe. The Pilots are 3-1 themselves, but they haven’t played anybody. While Oregon State isn’t expected to be one of the better teams in the Pac-12 this season, the Pilots were absolutely atrocious last year. Portland finished 7-25 overall and 0-16 in the West Coast Conference.
NFL: Patriots (+4.5) to Cover AND Over 45.5 Points (+340)
Raise your hand if you expected the New England Patriots to beat the Chargers 45-0 the other day. Now put your hand down, liar! New England stormed into Los Angeles and throttled a Chargers team that, quite frankly, didn’t look ready to play. Cam Newton only racked up 69 passing yards as the Patriots were happy to run the ball all day long. New England ran the ball 43 times while passing just 22 times in the game on their way to one of the most lopsided results we’ve seen in the NFL all year long.
Most expected a more competitive game, of course, but the Chargers’ defense has been lackluster. The same can’t be said of their SoFi Stadium bunkmates. The Rams have boasted one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses, so points will be harder to come by for Newton and co. tonight. The Rams are 4.5-point favorites here in a game with a 45.5 over/under.
Rams DT on Super Bowl rematch Thursday vs. Patriots: “This is definitely a game that’s going to give you a little bit more push just for a little payback.”https://t.co/mnQ1v3znUQ pic.twitter.com/pc7uihgdPt
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) December 10, 2020
LA improved to 8-4 with a 38-28 win over the Cardinals in the desert last week. The Rams haven’t been the most consistent team in the league, especially offensively, but when they’re actually executing, they’re a very difficult team to slow down. The Patriots managed to hold the Chargers scoreless last week, but New England has quietly had one of the worst defenses in the AFC this season.
The Los Angeles Rams are 7-5 against the spread so far this season, while the Pats are 6-6 ATS.
What’s The Best Bet?
The Patriots looked great last week, but they’re in for an entirely different test tonight. I’m skeptical of the Pats’ ability to cover the spread in this one. If the Rams jump out to a lead, is New England’s offense really capable of making up that ground against this defense? This team has been generally unpredictable all year long, but this spread looks too close to me. I like the Rams to cover, which means I don’t like this booster at +340. Pass.
San Diego State is fully capable of beating Arizona State tonight, even on the road. At the very worst, this will be a close game between a couple of comparable teams that could legitimately go either way. I think Oregon State has no problem with lowly Portland, but banking on the Sun Devils to cover against the Aztecs gives me pause.
As a result, the best bet on the board here looks to be college football. Pitt has been a tough-luck team all year long, and they’re in a fine get-right spot tonight against a middling Georgia Tech squad. Florida Atlantic will bounce back from their surprising loss last week to get the better of Southern Miss on the road, too. Bet on both FAU and Pitt to cover at +300.
Boosted Odds Prop Bet:
Florida Atlantic (-8) and Pitt (-6.5) BOTH to Cover (+300)
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
