There are predictable days, and then there’s what happened yesterday, where college football made the MLS playoffs look like a sensible, orderly affair. Out of 10 title games, the underdog won outright in six of them, and both Georgia and Oklahoma State got beat in high-profile games. Only Michigan and Cincinnati really took care of business as expected, creating a simply crazy day.
Hopefully, Sunday is more straightforward. Here are my best plays for December 5.
COLTS -9.5, -120
Officially, the Colts call Lucas Oil Stadium home, but NRG Stadium has basically been a home away from home for Indianapolis. The Colts have covered in eight of their past nine trips to Houston, and they’ve been playing excellent football as of late. Houston has nothing to play for, as it can’t get a winning record out of this season, so I expect the Colts to have an easy time in this one.
CARDINALS -7, -120
Kyler Murray is apparently a fan of large spreads, as the Cardinals are 3-0 ATS when they’re favored by at least a touchdown. I’m a bit apprehensive about Arizona both flying east and going to Chicago, where the temperature is 40 degrees with rain in the forecast. But the Bears are terrible, and I can’t see the Cardinals allowing them to stick close in this game. This looks like Arizona should cruise.
RAVENS -4, -110
Fading the Steelers was an easy play last week, and I’m going to do it again. The road team is 7-2 ATS in the past nine meetings in this rivalry, and Baltimore has played pretty good football for most of the season. The Ravens’ weakness is the pass, but Ben Roethlisberger is clearly not the player he once was, so I’m not worried about the Steelers attacking Baltimore’s secondary.
FOOTBALL TEAM +1.5, -110
The Raiders actually haven’t been all that great at home, failing to cover in five of their past six games at Allegiant Stadium. The Football Team has been surging as of late and has charged into the playoff picture, a major surprise given how awful the NFC East was a year ago. Washington plus the points makes a lot of sense here.
49ERS -3, -110
Something is wrong with Russell Wilson right now, and nobody really wants to acknowledge it. But until someone does, I’ll keep fading the Seahawks and cashing off them, as Seattle appears to be toast. The Seahawks cannot move the ball right now, and that should be ideal for a 49ers team that is patient when it has the ball. The under is also a strong play here.
DETROIT -1.5, -110
I’m not letting a Sunday go without getting some college basketball in there. The Titans shot the ball well in smashing IUPUI, and Illinois-Chicago doesn’t play defense very well either. The Titans should be able to hit enough from deep to get a decent lead on the Flames.
NJIT +2, -110
These teams both played Sacred Heart, and NJIT came out with the win while Lafayette took a seven-point loss. Both of these teams have played pretty well against mid-majors, as Lafayette managed to beat Rutgers and NJIT took St. John’s to overtime. The Highlanders play better defense, so they are the pick.
