Jimmy Boyd’s NBA Picks Against the Spread

4* NCAAB Situational ATS NO-BRAINER on Virginia Tech -

The Hokies should have zero problem here covering the spread at home against the Huskies. Virginia Tech's only loss on the season is a mere 1-point defeat at Penn State. No surprise, as this is what many thought to be the 4th best team in the ACC behind Duke, UNC and Virginia. 

There was some hype with Washington, but the Huskies have struggled to come away with wins when they take a step up in competition. They have lost at Auburn and Gonzaga, as well as a neutral site game against Minnesota. 

Note that these two played on a neutral court last year and it wasn't close. The Hokies won 103-79 as a 7-point favorite. They are simply the much better team and what is normally a strong homeport advantage gets even stronger when you factor in how far the Huskies have had to travel for this one. 

Washington is 1-5 ATS last 6 vs a team that's won 60% or more of their games and 4-13 ATS last 17 vs top caliber teams who are outscoring opponents by 12+ points/game. Hokies are 13-5 ATS last 18 non-conference and 9-2 ATS last 11 after playing 3 straight games as a favorite. Take Virginia Tech! 

3* NCAAB Early Bird ATS ANNIHILATOR on SMU +

The Hoyas simply are a great team to fade at home, especially as a favorite in non-conference play. Georgetown is 6-17 ATS in their last 23 as a home favorite and 4-13 ATS last 17 at home in non-conference play. 

Last time out the Hoyas suffered a crushing 72-71 loss at Syracuse and are 0-5 ATS last 5 off a loss. SMU on the other hand is an impressive 56-32 ATS L88 road games and have gone 22-8-1 ATS in their last 31 games played on a Saturday. 

While the Mustangs are just 6-4, they have played the tougher schedule to this point. I see no reason they can't make a game of this and I think worst case they lose by 5 or less, with a really good shot they win the game outright. Take SMU! 

5* NFL Browns/Broncos NO LIMIT Top Play on Browns +

Cleveland has been a different team since Hue Jackson and Todd Haley were shown the door. They have already won 3 games under interim head coach Gregg Williams. That's as many as Jackson won in his entire tenure. 

A big reason for that is the talent they now have at quarterback. Baker Mayfield passes the eye test and is only going to keep getting better. Browns have won 3 of their last 4 and the lone loss against the Texans was a lot more competitive than the final score. Cleveland just didn't take care of the ball. 

While there chances of making the playoffs are slim, the fact that they even have a shot is enough for this team to play hard. I don't think Denver is looking at this the same way, especially after losing last week to a bad 49ers team. Not to mention all the key guys that are now out to injury for the Broncos. This line is begging for you take them as a slim home favorite, which is even more reason to like the Browns. Take Cleveland! 

3* NCAAB No Doubt ATS BLOWOUT on Cal-Irvine -

The Anteaters should have zero problem beating the Pioneers by the number here. UC-Irvine is sitting at 9-2 on the season with an outright win on the road against Texas A&m. Denver is 4-9 an and are simply outclassed here. 

These two team played about this time last year and the Anteaters won by 14 on the road, easily covering as a a 5-point dog. Irvine has covered 8 of their last 10 against a team with a losing record and 4-1 ATS last 5 vs a team from the Summit. Pioneers are 5-16 ATS last 21 in non-conference play. Take UC-Irvine! 

1* Free Pick on North Carolina -2

I like the Tar Heels to come away with a huge win at home against the Bulldogs. These two teams last met in the National Championship Game a couple years ago. For North Carolina, this is their shot at showing they need to be taken seriously and a chance to right the ship after a recent poor showing against a top caliber opponent. 

On Nov. 28th the Tar Heels went to Ann Arbor and got annihilated by Michigan 84-67. A loss that I think is definitely playing into this line and why the public is on the Bulldogs. I think that was just a bad day for UNC on the road in a very tough environment. This time they are the ones playing at home and it's going to be electric at the Dean Smith Center for this prime time tip-off. 

Tar Heels have covered 19 of their last 27 home games overall. They are 14-5 ATS last 19 at home after a win and 8-1 ATS when that win was by 15 points or more (beat UNC-Wilmington by 28). UNC is also a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last 7 home games when playing an elite team that's won more than 80% of their games. Take North Carolina! 

4* NFL Texans/Jets VEGAS INSIDER on Texans -

The Jets simply don't have the talent to keep this thing competitive, especially after losing their leading rusher and receiver. I know the players and coaches are saying they are trying, but wins only hurt this team in the long run, as they lose out on a higher draft pick at an elite talent.

Sam Darnold was bad at taking care of the football and to no surprise he's making plenty of poor decisions in his rookie season. There's a really good chance Houston wins the turnover battle and that should be more than enough to get the separation we need to cover this spread. 

Deshaun Watson has been a covering machine on the road, going 6-3 ATS last 9. Houston as a team is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs a team with a losing home record (Jets are 2-4). New York is also 0-4 last 4 vs a team with a winning record. Take Houston! 

3* NCAAF Camellia Bowl TOTAL ANNIHILATOR on Eastern Michigan UNDER

This doesn't figure to be the most entertaining bowl game, as both of these offenses figure to have a hard time moving the football. I think there's a ton of value with the UNDER in this contest due to the matchup. 

Georgia Southern is an option team. They average 49 rush attempts per game compared to 9 pass attempts. Eastern Michigan has a solid defense and the extra time to prepare for bowl games will pay off huge. As will the fact that the Eagles played a non-conference game in late October against Army. 

While the Black Knights had 289 rushing yards, they ran it a ridiculous 73 times for just 4.0 yards/carry. That's the perfect recipe for long drives that just eat up the clock. 

As for Eastern Michigan's offense it's nothing special. They only averaged 27.5 ppg and the teams they played gave up close to 30 ppg. They can't run the ball very well, as they only averaged 3.8 yards/carry. Georgia Southern only gave up 3.9 yards/carry. I just think they will find themselves behind the chains a lot, which is a drive killer and often leads to having to settle for field goals in the red zone. Take the UNDER! 

5* NCAAF Opening Week BOWL TOTAL OF THE YEAR  on Arizona State UNDER

The books have complete missed the mark on this total. I think we are getting over a touchdown in value with the UNDER in this one. This Fresno State defense is the real deal. The Bulldogs ranked 17th in the country in total defense. They were great against both the run (27th) and the pass (30th). 

With Arizona State's star wide out N'Keal Harry sitting out this game to prepare for the NFL Draft, that only makes it that much easier on the Fresno State defense. Harry was a massive part of this offense. He had 73 catches for 1,088 yards and 9 scores. Only one other player on the team has more than 35 catches and that's Kyle Williams with 40 and he's also next best in receiving yards at 432. 

Without Harry even on the field, that lets the Bulldogs focus their defense even more on the run. I'm not expecting them to shutdown the Sun Devils rushing attack, but I think they can slow it down, which is going to lead to long possessions and less scoring chances for both sides. 

I also don't see much coming out of Fresno State's offense. They really struggled to score against the better defenses they faced. They only 14 points against a pretty bad Minnesota team in non-conference, so I'm pretty confident Arizona State can slow them down. I think both teams struggle to top 24 points. Take the UNDER!