Each week, The State News’ degenerates who are 21 and older will be helping you try to earn some money with three picks of their own each Friday morning. Each week, we will update our records from the last week, so you can see who is really helping you cash in each week.
Each week, The State News’ degenerates who are 21 and older will be helping you try to earn some money with three picks of their own every Friday morning. Each week, we will update our records from the last week, so you can see who is really helping you cash in. This week, the crew will be giving future picks for the NBA season and one college football parlay for the weekend.
Not a great week for our experts going 4-5 last week but we're ready to bounce back for more.
In this edition, we are excited to open up a slate of NBA picks along with a parlay for this weekend’s slate of college football.
Eli McKown, Sports Editor (3-3)
I was two plays away from going 3-0 last week, but hey, that's college football.
I have been dubbed the Parlay Prince by some friends of mine, so if you’re going to pick one up from this article, I suggest you go with mine. As for the NBA, while I do feel good about these, gotta feel like Jared has the edge here.
Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Finals (+1100)
The Warriors are set to bounce back in a big way this season. After finishing last season on an upswing, the Warriors return Klay Thompson back into the lineup and have an intriguing set of assets to improve the roster around Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Thompson if a superstar comes up for trade.
I love the odds here as the fourth most likely team to win the title.
Stephen Curry to win MVP (+900)
Yup, I’m doubling down on the Warriors.
If the Warriors bounce back, Curry will be at the forefront of the MVP race as a result. If you like the Warriors to win it, then sprinkle some on this one too.
Ole Miss (-2.5) vs Tennessee, Oklahoma (-13.5) vs TCU, Boston College (ML) vs NCSU, Rutgers (-2) vs Northwestern (Four leg parlay, +1345)
I feel really good about this one.
Ole Miss only being 2.5 point favorites against a bad Tennessee team baffles me, run with that one. Oklahoma figured something out with freshman quarterback Caleb Williams against Texas and I think this team rallies around him in this one. Northwestern this season is historically bad once again and after two tough losses for Rutgers, this is a must-win for them.
As for Boston College, I don’t like betting against North Carolina State, but I am all in on the Boston College hype train. I like them to get the win in Chestnut Hill.
Jared Ramsey, Football Reporter (3-3)
I went 1-2 last week and have no one to blame besides myself. I tried to be cute and have some fun and South Carolina and BYU responded by lighting my money on fire with embarrassing losses. If not for Georgia Tech scoring a touchdown in the final minute to cover, I’d be down horrendous after last week.
We trudge into week three sitting at .500 after the fiasco. This is the point of the season where I need to start crunching the numbers to offset my own stupidity. I was relentlessly studying the board this week and am ready to start winning again.
Milwaukee Bucks to win the NBA Championship (+900)
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The reigning NBA champions have been quiet since its conquest to a ring this summer. As the rest of the NBA shuffled its roster to try to compete, the Bucks stuck with what they got and are gearing up for a repeat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best basketball player on the planet and I don’t think that’ll change this year, which has me leaning towards the Bucks. They have the third-best odds to win it all, behind the Nets and the Lakers, but are in the best position roster-wise to succeed. The Nets star point guard is scared of needles and the Lakers roster resembles an AARP group more than a basketball team, so I’m going with Milwaukee.
Atlanta Hawks over 46.5 wins
The Hawks were the surprise of the postseason after upsetting the 76ers and taking the Bucks to six games in the Eastern Conference Finals before eventually losing. Trae Young and John Collins are bonafide stars in the league and they boast one of the best bench units in the NBA.
I think the Hawks will come into this year with a fire under them to prove that last year was not a fluke. They should be a top-five seed in the East again this year and win around 50 games.
Nebraska (-4.5) vs Minnesota, Arkansas vs Auburn (Over 53.5), Troy (-7.5) vs Texas State, Pittsburgh (-5) vs Virginia Tech (4-leg Parlay, +1234)
My college football bets last week were gross. Plain and simple. I couldn’t get a feel for the games but this week it was the opposite. These four games jumped off the board as locks to me and I feel very confident placing this bet before Saturday. Nebraska is better than Minnesota by a mile, Arkansas scored over 50 points themselves last week, Troy is a wagon and Pitt is going to win the ACC. This will not miss, so put some cash on it.
Sean Reider, Sports GA (3-3)
After some long and hard consideration, I have learned from my mistakes of the last two weeks and am sad to announce that I am retiring from publicly taking the under for at least the foreseeable future.
Well, at least until I see one I really like.
Regardless, cashing in on a surging Tennessee team and a straight-up dog in the bottom-five matchup of the century is one of the more fun weekends of picking games I can remember. We’re pulling NBA futures this week, a combination of two things I’ve never picked consistently well or got much of a feel for, but I’m confident I can pull out a win or two in the long run for our loyal readers.
Chicago Bulls over 43.5 wins (-110)
When I last checked in August, this projection was sitting around 39.5, which I would’ve more gladly recommended to anybody that came my way. Now, this is clearly a much higher total and while I don’t think the Bulls are in a position to demolish this number by any means, I think this revamped roster finds their groove around January and strings together a series of crucial wins to clinch this number late in the season.
In other words: the Bulls are back.
Joel Embiid to win Defensive Player of the Year (+800)
I’m not bold enough to take anything tied to the long term success of the 76ers as a team —I don’t really trust Daryl Morey teams in the playoffs and this whole Ben Simmons fiasco is even more of a reason to be wary —and yet, I do think Joel Embiid will still get plenty of worthy attention for his defense in what could be a weird, messy season in Philadelphia.
As long as he stays healthy (which is certainly not a given but a risk I’m willing to take), this is too good of a value play for me to pass up.
Oklahoma (-13.5) vs TCU, Tennessee (+116 ML) vs Ole Miss, Vanderbilt (+17.5) at South Carolina, Kent State (+6.5) at Western Michigan, Arizona (+6) at Colorado, Nebraska (-4) at Minnesota (Six leg parlay, +5505)
Plenty of teams here looking to build on rejuvenated seasons with even more looking to take just one step in the right direction. These lines in particular jumped out to me and while a six-leg parlay is far from a lock, I feel good about our chances here.
