Best Bets Today: Top Picks, Predictions from Thursday's Sports Slate
Check out our sports betting experts' best bets for today's slate based on the odds from our best sportsbooks. Thursday's top sports betting picks chose from the offerings in the NFL, college football, college basketball, and the NHL.
Week 17 brings the NFL's final edition of Thursday Night Football with the Dallas Cowboys visiting the Tennessee Titans. Sports bettors also have a three-game slate of college football bowl action, culminating with the Alamo Bowl between Texas and Washington, as well as full college basketball and NHL schedules.
Read on for our best bets for Thursday, Dec. 29, based on the odds from our top-rated sportsbooks.
Today's Best Bets
- NFL: Cowboys-Titans Under 42 (-110 via DraftKings Sportsbook)
- College football: Washington-Texas Over 67 (-110 via DraftKings)
- College basketball: Providence (+108 via FanDuel Sportsbook) vs. Butler
- NHL: Los Angeles Kings (+135 via Caesars Sportsbook) vs. Colorado Avalanche
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Thursday's NFL Best Bet
Cowboys vs. Titans Under 42 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐
As Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network pointed out on Twitter, the Titans were in a similar situation to this week in 2019, when they played in a game that had no impact on the standings. In that game, the team rested star running back Derrick Henry. Will Tennessee do the same this week?
One thing for certain is that even if Henry does suit up, the Titans' offense has been abysmal, entering last week ranked 26th in points per game (28.2), 22nd in yards per play (5.2), and 24th in third-down percentage (26%). Meanwhile, the Cowboys scored 40 or more points in four of their last eight games and hung 40 on an Eagles defense that had allowed 22 or more points in only three games this season.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is coming off a 15-for-15 performance against the Eagles’ zone defense, the best by any quarterback in a game this season. However, Tennessee plays man coverage at a top-11 rate, per Pro Football Focus. In addition, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons’ 44% pass rush win rate was the highest in the NFL in Week 16, and he created a career-high five incompletions with pass rush wins, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Given the short week and the chance the Titans rest some key players, the Under is the right play.
Cowboys vs. Titans picks made by Mike Spector.
Check out our Thursday Night Football Prop Picks and all of our NFL best bets.
Thursday's College Football Best Bet
Washington vs. Texas Over 67 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
There’s one reason this number isn’t in the 70s: the Texas defense. In two of their final three regular season matchups, the Longhorns held both Kansas and TCU--two top 15 offensive efficiencies--below 20 points. Texas' ability to turn games ugly against quality offenses has to be accounted for.
But a Longhorns' D that ranks an FBS 23rd in adjusted efficiency is much stronger against the run (123 rushing yards per game, FBS 26th) than the pass (239 passing yards per game, FBS 83rd). So, while Washington may not do much ground damage in the Alamo Bowl, the path to points should remain relatively clear for college football's top aerial attack.
Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. led in passing this season and is motivated to play his first-ever bowl game. Texas matchups finished 6-6 on totals in 2022, while games involving Washington were quite favorable to Over bettors, going 8-3-1 on Overs. Washington's passing attack was one reason, but its malleable passing defense was another.
The Huskies gave up 259.2 passing YPG to opponents, ranking an FBS 101st. Though Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers won’t have running back Bijan Robinson in his arsenal, the Texas receiving corps is pretty well intact. Against one of the worst Power Five secondaries, Ewers should put on a show in front of a pro-Longhorns crowd.
Washington vs. Texas picks made by Brenden Schaeffer.
Check out all of our top college football best bets.
Thursday's College Basketball Best Bet
Providence (+108) ⭐⭐
Over the years, Butler has been a difficult team to beat at Hinkle Fieldhouse. But this year’s Bulldogs squad is ranked outside the top 200 in minutes continuity from last season, and in its only game against top-50 competition (per KenPom) at home this season, Butler lost by 22 and scored a season-low 46 points against UConn.
Providence is not nearly as talented as UConn, but it can pound the Bulldogs on the glass as the Huskies did, out-rebounding them 54-30. The Friars rank fourth in the country in offensive-rebounding percentage (38.8%), and their 32nd-ranked adjusted offensive efficiency should have them feeling comfortable in a tough road environment.
Most other sportsbooks have the Friars at +105 odds, so FanDuel offers slightly better value.
Thursday's college basketball best bets made by Mike Spector.
Check out all of our top college basketball picks.
Thursday's NHL Best Bet
Kings (+135) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
These are still not the Cup-winning Avalanche.
The Avs have battled injuries for most of the season and it is catching up to them. While they picked up some overtime and shootout victories recently, the Avs have just two regulation wins across their past 12 games.
That leaves them vulnerable against competitive opposition and the Los Angeles Kings qualify.
Climbing up to second place in the Pacific Division, the Kings are 6-1-2 in their past nine games.
The Kings have a mediocre road record of 9-7-4, but they have managed 51.6% of the five-on-five expected goals away from home, which ranks sixth in the league.
Kings goaltender Pheonix Copley has won seven of his eight starts since getting called up from the AHL so that is helping to turn positive puck possession into wins.
There is quite a variance in pricing for this game. Caesars and PointsBet have the Kings at +135 on the moneyline while DraftKings and BetMGM have a Kings win priced at +125. FanDuel remains the outlier, with +116 odds for a Los Angeles victory.
Thursday's NHL best bets made by Scott Cullen.
Check out all of our top NHL picks.
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
- FanDuel: Get a $1,000 No-Sweat First Bet Offer | Read our FanDuel Review
- Caesars: Earn a First Bet Offer of Up to $1,250 | Read our Caesars Review
- DraftKings: Get a 20% Deposit Match up to $1,000 | Read our DraftKings Review
- PointsBet: Earn Five First Bet Offer of Up to $100 Each | Read our PointsBet Review
- BetMGM: Get a First Bet Offer of Up to $1,000 | Read our BetMGM Review
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
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