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Sports Betting Tips Weekly: Hot and Cold Wagering Options

by Victor Ryan - 11/27/2015

Anthony Davis New Orleans Pelicans

This week's look at the hottest and coldest bets in sports will include college basketball for the first time this season as well as a couple of streaking college football teams that face tough in-state rivalry games this week. Meanwhile, a certain NBA team down in the Bayou has finally gotten healthy and has turned things around. Let's get started.

College Football

Florida State (9-2 SU, 7-4 ATS, four straight ATS wins)

The 14th-ranked Seminoles were eliminated from the ACC title race a couple weeks ago when losing to top-ranked Clemson, but that doesn't mean they haven't continued to be kind to bettors. Florida State made it four straight covers last week with a 52-13 pasting of Tennessee-Chattanooga as a 28-point favorite. This week they are a 2.5-point road favorite against No. 10 Florida, which has gone 2-2 ATS while winning four consecutive straight up.

The Gators have failed to impress in the last month, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, which would seem to make the Seminoles a deserving road favorite. Florida ranks 100th in the FBS in total offense and is 80th in scoring.

Virginia (4-7 SU, 7-4 ATS, five straight ATS wins)

The Cavaliers made it five straight covers last week with a 42-34 win over Duke as a 2-point home underdog. This week they take on archrival Virginia Tech where they are a 3.5-point home underdog. The Hokies have covered in three straight after losing to North Carolina 30-27 as a four-point underdog last week.

Virginia Tech has dominated this series as it has beaten Virginia 11 straight years. The Hokies need a victory to become bowl eligible, and this is also the final game in the career of legendary coach Frank Beamer.

Given all that, Virginia Tech certainly has plenty to play for. This one could come down to the performance of Virginia quarterback Matt Johns. He has thrown six TDs the past two weeks to give him 19 on the season-which is second-most in the ACC-but he's also thrown 15 interceptions. This week he faces a Hokies pass defense that ranks No. 11 in the nation with just 174 passing yards allowed per game.

Other hot college football bets: Washington State (9-2 ATS, eight straight wins), San Diego State (7-4 ATS, seven straight wins), Oregon (7-4 ATS, five straight wins), Air Force (8-3 ATS, five straight wins), Tulane (6-4 ATS, four straight wins), Minnesota (6-5 ATS, four straight wins).

Other cold college football bets: Duke (5-6 ATS, four straight losses), Rice (5-6 ATS, four straight losses), Army (4-7 ATS, six straight losses), Kent State (3-8 ATS, four straight losses), Hawaii (3-9 ATS, five straight losses),

Navy 9-1, 8-2 4 w

NFL

New York Jets (5-5 SU, 4-5-1 ATS, four straight losses)

The Jets have lost four of five and four straight against the number following their 24-17 straight up loss to Houston as a four-point road favorite last week. This week they travel to take on Miami as a 3.5-point road favorite. Ryan Fitzpatrick is expected to remain under center despite struggling badly the last two weeks. During that span, Fitzpatrick has completed just 46.6 percent of his passes for 409 yards with four interceptions. The Jets are also likely to be without cornerback Darrel Revis and center Nick Mangold this week because of injuries.

In Week 4, the Jets pasted Miami 27-14 in London as a 3-point favorite. In that one, Dolphins' quarterback Ryan Tannehill had his worst game of the season, completing just 19-of-44 for 198 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.

The Dolphins have lost three of their last four both straight up and against the spread.

Other hot NFL bets: Chicago Bears (7-4 ATS, four straight wins), Kansas City Chiefs (5-5 ATS, four straight wins), Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4 ATS, four straight wins), Carolina Panthers (9-2 ATS, four straight wins).

Other cold NFL bets: Cleveland Browns (3-6 ATS, four straight losses), Atlanta Falcons (4-6 ATS, six straight losses)

College Basketball

Miami (5-0 SU, 4-0 ATS, four straight wins)

The Hurricanes have been perhaps the biggest story in college basketball in the early going. While several high-profile Power Five teams have faltered to start the season, Miami has dominated its opposition. The 'Canes rolled to championship of the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico by hammering two nationally-ranked foes in Utah (90-66) and Butler (85-75). Miami features one of the ACC's best backcourts in Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan, and Jim Larranaga can flat-out coach.

This week Miami plays Northeastern on Friday night, Nebraska on Tuesday and Charlotte on Thursday. Expect the line to inflate a bit with the 'Canes, but they are a legitimate ACC contender playing with a chip on their shoulder. That can be a prolific combination.

USC (5-0 SU, 5-0 ATS, five straight wins)

Things have really improved in coach Andy Enman's third season at USC. After going a combined 23-41 SU the past two seasons, the Trojans have raced out to perfect 5-0 marks both straight up and against the spread. This includes a 72-69 win over No. 20 Wichita State on Wednesday as a 4-point underdog. Enfield has built a talented roster at USC, and it's finally starting to show in the results. The catalyst for the Trojans is sophomore guard Jordan McLaughlin, who is averaging a team-high 19.2 points per game on 61.1 percent shooting.

This week USC plays Xavier on Friday night and Santa Barbara on Thursday.

Other hot college basketball bets: Kansas State (4-0 ATS, four straight wins), Michigan State (4-0 ATS, four straight wins), Valparaiso (4-1 ATS, four straight wins), Ohio (4-0 ATS, four straight wins), South Carolina (4-0 ATS, four straight wins), South Dakota State (5-0 ATS, five straight wins).

Other cold college basketball bets: Northern Colorado (0-4 ATS, four straight losses), Wisconsin (1-5 ATS, four straight losses), James Madison (1-4 ATS, four straight losses), LSU (0-5 ATS, five straight losses.

NBA

New Orleans Pelicans (4-11 SU, 6-9 ATS, four straight wins)

The Pelicans, which lost 11 of 12 straight up to start the season, have finally turned things around after that absolutely brutal start. The Pelicans made it four straight wins against the number Wednesday with a 120-114 road win over Phoenix as a 4-point underdog. All-Star Anthony Davis has been banged up most of the season (hip contusion, sore shoulder) but is finally healthy and it's resulted in three straight games with at least 20 points and 17 rebounds.

This week the Pelicans play at the Clippers on Friday, at Utah on Saturday, home against Memphis on Tuesday, at Houston on Wednesday and home against Cleveland on Thursday. New Orleans was projected as a playoff contender entering the year, and it is beginning to show given the return to health. However, this is a rather brutal stretch coming up for the Pelicans with two back-to-backs and a couple of tough road trips.

Other hot NBA bets: Indiana Pacers (10-4 ATS, four straight wins)

Other cold NBA bets: Houston Rockets (3-12 ATS, eight straight losses), Los Angeles Lakers (4-10 ATS, four straight losses).

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