NFL Week 12 Weekend Betting Parlay

If the NFL odds for Thanksgiving Day games burned you, don’t worry; you can redeem yourself on the weekend. Give these picks a try.

Bills (+3) over Dolphins

I like the Bills to pull off a minor sportsbook
surprise here. They’re playing in their chilly home, hosting warm-weather Miami, which has to make a long road trip up North for the game. The Dolphins’ run defense should be weakened with defensive tackle Jason Ferguson out due to a torn quad. Terrell Owens also exploded last week, catching nine passes for 197 yards and a touchdown – coincidentally in the Bills’ first game since Dick Jauron got fired. May he and Lee Evans get behind the shaky Dolphin pass defense?

Colts (-3.5) over Texans

While it’s true that the Colts are coming “closer” to losing their first game in this NFL betting season – they’ve won their last four games by a combined 10 points – everything about Sunday’s game at Houston still favors them. The Texans have just 13 sacks in 10 games, meaning Peyton Manning should have lots of time to throw the ball on Sunday. Houston really struggles to stop the run, as the Titans showed on Monday night, and Joseph Addai is hitting holes like it’s his rookie season again. Indy is 14-1 all-time against Houston. Even though Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and the Texans offense will score, Houston won’t keep Indy off the board. Go with the Colts, whose Super Bowl odds are climbing rapidly.

Jaguars (+3) over 49ers

Sure doesn’t feel like the Jags are 6-4 but they are. Maurice Jones-Drew is running like a mad man and he may keep doing so against San Francisco. The 49ers can only ride Mike Singletary’s reputation for so long; the truth is that they’re not playing great “D” at all right now, ranking 30th against the pass and 22nd in total defense. Even if they stop MJD, David Garrard and Mike Sims-Walker could burn them. Since Alex Smith hasn’t been too effective when not operating out of the shotgun, I like the Jags to squeak past San Fran.

Rivalry Week: Title Contenders Texas, Alabama will Cover

A lot of football fans are focused on NFL betting right now, but that's no excuse to ignore Rivalry Week in college football. There are some lopsided spreads but, as well all now, hated enemies have a knack for defying the odds and derailing their rival's bowl hopes. Let's take a look at a few of the bigger games on this week's NCAA football odds.

Texas at Texas A&M: Texas -22

Thursday, Nov. 26 at 8:00 p.m. ET

The Longhorns (11-0) need one more win to make the Big12 Championship, and they're so close the BCS Championship game they can taste it. A&M, meanwhile, has been very mediocre at 6-5. Texas has the advantage pretty much across the board. Colt McCoy leads an offense that can hang up a lot of points in a hurry, while the defense has surrendered 20 points or more in just two games all season.

The Aggies' offense looked very sharp last week, racking up 375 yards on the ground, but they can't be expected to do that every week—especially against the tough Longhorns. Even if they do, it won't matter; A&M's defense has been shoved around all season, including 65 points to Oklahoma. That should be a good barometer of what Texas will do this week. Take the Longhorns on Texas Texas A&M betting.

Alabama at Auburn: Alabama -12

Friday, Nov. 27 at 2:30 p.m. ET

The Iron Bowl is especially important for 11-0 Alabama, which is ranked second in the nation and driving toward the BCS Championship. Auburn, on the other hand, suffered a meltdown after winning its first five games; the Tigers have lost four of six since then.

Offensively, Auburn can probably hang with 'Bama—assuming it brings its A-game. The Tigers have cooled as of late, particularly on the road (Ben Tate, the team's leading rusher, has rushed for 100 yards just once in his last four games). Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram is a Heisman candidate and has racked up 1399 yards and 15 total scores this season.

The difference-maker in this game? Defense. Alabama has the top defense in the nation, including the second-ranked rush defense and fifth-ranked pass defense. With Tate struggling to get going, that's trouble. Ingram, on the other hand, should have plenty of room to run—Auburn is 88th in rush defense and allowed 169 rush yards in last week's loss to Georgia.

Alabama is ranked second in the country for good reason—this is an excellent football team. The Crimson Tide will run the ball early and often so the scores may not pile up quickly. Don't fret, however; they'll cover the 12-point spread by the end of the game on Alabama Auburn betting.

NFL Week 12 Betting Parlay – Thanksgiving Edition

NFL odds for week 12 are getting some early action at sportsbooks this week. Why? Gobble gobble – it’s Thanksgiving week. That means we’ll see three games this Thursday. No time to waste in our NFL picks, is there?

Packers (No line) over Lions

Due to question marks over Matthew Stafford’s clavicle injury, the sportsbook line isn’t posted yet for the Packers/Lions game, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make up your mind yet. Even if the Lions get Stafford back in the lineup, even though Green Bay just lost cornerback Al Harris for the season, Detroit still faces the NFL’s No. 3 overall defense. The Packers have battled tougher foes than Detroit and survived. Though the Pack got caught looking past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this season, I think they’ll win this reason for that exact reason; they’re unlikely to make the same mistake twice. Look for Aaron Rodgers to have an even bigger game than normal, as the Lions don’t pressure the passer very well.

Raiders +13.5 over Cowboys

Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense are entering the time of year when they often tank – especially Romo. He could barely get anything going against Washington last week and the Raiders actually have a respectable pass defense. While I don’t see the Raiders totally shocking Dallas the way they did Cincy last week, I think they can keep this game within two touchdowns. Over the last three seasons, the Cowboys are 3-6 against the spread when favored by 10 or more points.

Giants -6.5 over Broncos

The Broncos’ ship is beyond sinking right now. They’ve dropped four straight games, their quarterback is battling injury and their skill players are getting into sideline spats. NFL betting players need to crunch the numbers carefully to understand why Denver isn’t recovering from its slump any time soon; the Broncos have allowed 174 or more rushing yards in three straight games. Their stout run defense isn’t stout anymore and the Giants’ power running game can exploit that problem. While the Giants may not totally romp at home, they’re a good bet to win convincingly.