The Daily Sweat: A four-pack of bowl games, including Kansas' first since 2008
The beauty of bowl seasons is you can always find a game on TV.
On this Wednesday we get four football games, starting at 2 p.m. Eastern. Not bad. If you want a betting breakdown of each of the four bowl games, Yahoo Sportsbook's Nick Bromberg and Sam Cooper gave their best bets on each of them. Here's a quick rundown of our options today, with point spreads from BetMGM:
Military Bowl: UCF vs. Duke (-3.5)
The line has moved a bit toward Duke; it was -3 earlier in the week. UCF lost its conference championship game and then had a number of players either opt out or enter the transfer portal, which is why the Blue Devils are favored.
Liberty Bowl: Kansas vs. Arkansas (-2.5)
Motivation is always a big deal in bowl games, and you have to think Kansas is motivated. This is the Jayhawks' first bowl since the 2008 Insight Bowl. They did beat Minnesota, 42-21, in that one. The Jayhawks have been a great story this season with coach Lance Leipold leading a great turnaround for a program that has been down for a long time. They'll be tested by a talented SEC opponent in this one.
Holiday Bowl: Oregon (-13) vs. North Carolina
The Ducks had a good 9-3 season and are big favorites in this one. It's a matchup between two good college quarterbacks, Bo Nix of Oregon and Drake Maye of North Carolina. Maye has been a hot name for NFL draft analysts as a potential top-five pick in 2024.
Texas Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss (-3.5)
The night ends with a fun matchup. Ole Miss, with Lane Kiffin coming back, is favored over a 7-5 Red Raiders team. The Rebels, who finished 8-4, lost their last three games in the regular season but should be refocused for the bowl.
Here's the first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday:
A lot of college hoops
We're past the lull that college basketball has during finals and the holidays. There are 13 games involving top-25 teams on Wednesday.
The best game could be No. 19 Kentucky at Missouri. Missouri is 11-1 but unranked and a 3.5-point underdog. The crowd will be amped up for this one, which would get Mizzou some respect and perhaps a spot in the top 25 next week. Kentucky doesn't have any horrible losses but the Wildcats are off to a bit of a disappointing start at 8-3.
Another game worth keeping an eye on is No. 8 Alabama at No. 21 Mississippi State. Mississippi State is very good defensively and could be worth a look as a 2.5-point underdog.
NBA has 8 games
Two of the hotter teams in the NBA have tough road tests on Wednesday.
The Brooklyn Nets, winners of nine in a row, are at the Atlanta Hawks. The Nets are favored by 6.5. The Denver Nuggets have won eight of nine. Nikola Jokic has been playing really well and Denver has the best record in the Western Conference. They're a 2.5-point road favorite at the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. The Kings have fallen off a bit after a hot streak but could be a tough out at home.
Bruins-Devils highlight NHL
There are five NHL games on Wednesday and the highlight is the Boston Bruins at the New Jersey Devils. The Bruins are a phenomenal 27-4-3 this season, and the Devils have cooled off after a franchise-record 13-game winning streak. The Bruins are -110 and you won't get odds that short on them very often this season.
What's the best bet?
Missouri getting blown out by Kansas in their biggest test to date is tough to shake, but I think they'll be better for their game against Kentucky. You will rarely regret taking a live home dog in college basketball, and I think the Tigers at least cover at home against UK.
