Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here are our best bets for Wednesday, Dec. 28:
TOP PLAY
The play: Holiday Bowl, Oregon-North Carolina over 75.5
The odds/bet: -110 ($33 to win $30)
The book: FanDuel
Time/TV: 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Our take: This game has multiple opt-outs with most of them coming on the defensive side of the ball. And while this total keeps going higher and higher and … well, you catch the drift. This isn’t a Jackie Wilson song!
Normally, that would be frightening, especially with the highest total one will see all bowl season (even higher than Ole Miss – Texas Tech in the late game), but seriously., we’re not sure either team can stop the other.
With North Carolina’s defense, it would be somewhat of a surprise if the Ducks don’t score every time they touch the football.
HOLIDAY BOWL PLAYER PROP
The play: Oregon quarterback Bo Nix to pass for more than 287.5 yards
The odds/bet: -114 ($11.40 to win $10)
The book: FanDuel
Our take: To go along with our earlier theme, the Ducks are averaging 291.5 yards passing per game, while North Carolina is 121st in the nation in pass defense. The Heels gave up 448 passing yards to Wake Forest and more than 365 in three of four games in October.
Meanwhile, Oregon has had 287 passing yards or more in three of their past five games (and 280 or more in the other two), including a 327-yard effort on Nov. 26 at Oregon State and 412 at California a few weeks earlier. They also posted 446 passing yards against Washington State in September.
HOW WE’VE FARED
NBA: Clippers +4 over Raptors (WON $30)
NBA: Rockets +14.5 over Celtics (LOST $11)
Tuesday’s profit/loss: +$19 (1-1)
Total for the week: -$4 (2-2)
Total for December: -$46.20 (22-28)
Total for 2022: +$160.70 (334-359)
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, a $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
