Will Missouri cover against Illinois as an underdog in Sunday’s Bragging Rights Game? Will Michael Penix Jr. lead the Falcons to a win and a cover against the hapless Giants? Read on for our Sunday Cross-Sport Parlay.
Saturday Cross-Sport Parlay
Saturday’s Cross-Sport Parlay consisted of Penn State (-8.5) over SMU in the first round of the college football playoffs, Joe Mixon under 64.5 rushing yards against the Chiefs, the L.A. Kings (-118) over the Predators, North Carolina (+104) over UCLA and the Grizzlies (-1.5) over the Hawks.
The Nittany Lions rolled to a 38-10 win over the Mustangs, covering easily as an 8.5-point favorite. The Chiefs held Mixon to 57 yards and the Tar Heels overcame an 8-point deficit at halftime to beat the Bruins, 76-74. We also cashed Memphis, which hammered Atlanta, 128-112.
All we needed was a Kings victory in Nashville to hit the 5-leg, cross-sport parlay. Despite rallying with two goals in the third period to force overtime, the Kings fell to the Preds in OT as we finished one-leg short. So close.
NFL Sunday Cross-Sport Parlay: Atlanta Falcons -9.5, 1:00 p.m. ET
I don’t love the idea of laying nearly double digits with a Falcons team that only seems to play games that come down to the wire. However, I’ll make an exception in Michael Penix’s starting debut.
Kirk Cousins has carved out a good career in the NFL. He’s made a sh*t ton of money and he’s a total pro. Over the past month, however, he looks finished. I don’t know if his confidence is shot or age caught up to him in a hurry, but he’s a statue in the pocket, his arm strength has diminished and his decision making is atrocious. Part of the issue is his offensive line and I wonder if play-calling has also been problematic. That said, there’s no excusing the fact that he’s thrown nine interceptions and just one touchdown pass over his last four games. Once 6-3 and steamrolling towards an NFC South title, the Falcons are now staring up at the Bucs and are on the outside looking in at a playoff spot.
Insert Penix, the seventh overall pick in last April’s NFL draft. Most were confused by the Falcons’ selection of Penix and while they have botched things with Cousins (why sign him to all that money in the first place?), the rookie should give the passing game a jolt. If nothing else, Penix will move in and out of the pocket to evade rushers and extend plays. If Penix can merely protect the ball and take shots down field, he will significantly improve the Falcons’ chances of scoring points and winning games.
Start one for Penix couldn’t come against a better opponent, too. The Giants have been checked out for over a month and just allowed Lamar Jackson to throw five touchdown passes.
CBB Sunday Cross-Sport Parlay: Missouri Tigers +3.5 (-120), 1:00 p.m. ET
The annual “Bragging Rights” game will be held this afternoon in St. Louis, where Illinois will clash with Missouri at the Enterprise Center. These two teams met last season and the Fighting Illini rolled to a 97-73 victory and a 6-point cover. It was the second time in three years that Illinois won the game both straight up and ATS.
That said, this is a different Mizzou team. The Tigers didn’t win a conference game last season in Dennis Gates’ second season with the program. Gates had led Mizzou to a tournament win in his first year, but the transition last season proved to be more difficult than expected. He has the Tigers playing well again this season, however, as the team is off to a 10-1 start. While Mizzou hasn’t been tested much this season, one of the team’s wins came in a 76-67 win over Kansas as a 6.5-point dog.
NHL Sunday Cross-Sport Parlay: Florida Panthers -114, 5:09 p.m. ET
The Panthers have owned the Lightning in previous meetings between the two teams. In the last 10 Florida-Tampa Bay matchups, the Panthers are 8-2. Granted, most of that came last season when the teams meet in the playoffs. Still, Florida flexed its muscles by taking four of the five games in the series. They nearly pulled off the sweep, but the Lightning were able to force a Game 5 in Sunrise, FL, which the Panthers won, 6-1. The two teams will meet again today and I’ll gladly take the Panthers at this price.
NBA Sunday Cross-Sport Parlay: Indiana Pacers +114, 6:10 p.m. ET
These two teams are currently headed in opposite directions. While the Pacers have won three straight, the Kings have lost three in a row. Indiana posted two outright wins as an underdog at Philadelphia (+6.5) and Phoenix (+6), respectively. Sandwiched between those upsets was a 119-104 blasting of the Pelicans as 7-point favorites.
As for the Kings, they’re coming off narrow losses to the Nuggets (130-129) and Lakers (103-99), but also fell by 13 to the Lakers (113-100) last Thursday. Sacramento was favored in all three of those games. They’ve also dropped two out of their last three meetings with the Pacers.
4-Leg Cross-Sport Parlay Odds: +1337 (Fanduel Sportsbook)