In Between the Lines: Chapter 10
Time flies when you’re having fun. The NFL is going into Week 15 and NCAA Football is going into Conference Championship Weekend. Who doesn’t love watching and betting on football on not only Sunday, but Saturday as well? You also won’t want to miss the action on the hardwood on Saturday afternoon when the No.1 Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes on the hardwood in NCAA Basketball.
With a stacked sports schedule comes fervent sports bettors. “In Between the Lines” gives avid fans and sports bettors exactly what they want. Looking ahead to the upcoming week in sports, “In Between the Lines” offers inside analysis on line movements and key stats.
Here’s what you absolutely can’t miss this upcoming week in sports:
1. NFL – Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans Saints (12/20/20 at 4:25pm)
This could very well be a potential 2021 Super Bowl matchup. Saints quarterback Drew Brees will play this weekend after missing four games due to 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung. This will be the first meeting between Brees and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
If the Saints lose this game, there is very little chance that they will get the NFC bye. The Green Bay Packers currently own the tiebreaker, as they won a head-to-head matchup earlier in the season. If the Saints defeat the Chiefs, the bye chance is still unlikely, as the Packers would need to lose two of their three upcoming games against the Panthers, Titans and Bears.
Now let’s talk odds. The Chiefs are currently 3.5-point favorites heading into Sunday night. The Chiefs have been winning games, but they have been having trouble covering the spread. The Chiefs have won five consecutive one-score games but have failed to cover all of them. Want to know how rare this is? The Chiefs are the first team to win and not cover five straight since the Patriots in 1986. On the other hand, the Saints have been cover kings. They have covered five of their past six games.
I like the Chiefs on the moneyline at -160 in this one. It’s possible that the Chiefs can turn around this streak of being unable to cover, but I still feel more confident in the moneyline.
2. College Football – No. 3 Clemson Tigers at No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12/19/20 at 4pm)
The No. 3 Clemson Tigers will take on the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the ACC Championship. These teams could very well end up meeting again for the College Football Playoff. If you recall, Notre Dame defeated Clemson 47-40 in a thrilling double overtime win earlier in the season. However, that was back when Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence was out with coronavirus.
Notre Dame, however, has an outstanding quarterback themselves in Ian Book. Lawrence and Book are the top two quarterbacks in all of college football (33-1 and 30-3), respectively. If the Fighting Irish win this rematch, this will be their first-ever conference championship victory in program history.
Clemson is currently a 10.5-point favorite. Although this may seem like a high number, for Clemson, it isn’t. This is actually the fewest points Clemson has been favored over a conference opponent with a Trevor Lawrence start. Notre Dame is 4-0 against the spread against teams with winning records this season.
I like Notre Dame +10.5 and Clemson on the moneyline at -400. I like Clemson winning outright, but I think the Fighting Irish can cover and stay close to the Tigers.
3. College Basketball – No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs at No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes (12/19/20 at 12pm)
The No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs and No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes will meet in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Saturday afternoon. Iowa center Luka Garza leads the nation with 29.2 points per game. However, the Bulldogs have freshman point guard Jalen Suggs, who will likely be a 2021 first-round NBA Draft pick.
Gonzaga is coming off quite a bit of rest. Prior to their 12 days off due to positive COVID-19 tests, the Bulldogs defeated Kansas, Auburn and West Virginia. Iowa has been able to play double the amount of games that Gonzaga has played. At 6-0, the Hawkeyes have a stacked team full of talent. They rank #1 in scoring at an impressive 110.5 points per game and #1 at an average of 24 assists per game. I like the Iowa moneyline in this one.
