What are the odds: Best bets from ACC Football to the NBA

After fall break, your weekly gambling advice is back and better than ever. Yesterday, Thursday, Oct. 18, was our first sports paradox day of the year — all four major U.S. sports leagues had games going on. The NBA season tipped off Monday night and the NHL season is starting up as well. MLB playoffs are getting intense, as the Boston Red Sox are a win away from reaching the World Series while the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers are battling it out in the National League. College football and the NFL are starting to reach midseason form in the quality of games, which is great for gambling.

My season record is now 17-15 on the year, after going 4-4 two weeks ago. I plan on involving an NBA game this week and a season prediction in honor of the season starting — and because betting basketball is my absolute favorite. Also, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt Panthers are on a bye, so football can take a back seat. Now’s the time to pick up an extra shift at work this week to help pay back your bookie.

No. 16 NC State (5-0) vs. No. 3 Clemson (6-0)

Spread: Clemson -17.5

Over/under: 56

Analysis: The North Carolina State Wolfpack remains undefeated so far — a feat that seems unbelievable, especially since we are talking football. The boys from Raleigh get their first big test of the season against the defending 2017 ACC champion Clemson Tigers on Saturday. NC State wants to show the country that they are in it to win it and not just lucky after having a pretty easy schedule to start the season. Both teams were off last week, which gave the Wolfpack some much-needed preparation for this game. Their offense must continue to score and keep up with the Tigers, but that shouldn’t be an issue since the Wolfpack averages 33 points per game and 480.2 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Ryan Finley has been playing the best of his career, throwing for 1,621 yards and 10 touchdowns over five games.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney doesn’t care that NC State is undefeated.

“It wouldn’t matter if they were 6-0 or 3-3 or 1-5 — it’s Clemson vs. N.C. State and it’s always a great game,” Swinney said. “They always get excited to play the Tigers and we always get excited to play them. It ought to be a lot of fun.”

The Tigers will continue to rely on sophomore running back Travis Etienne, who has led Clemson into being one of the top rushing teams in the country, with an average of 280.8 yards per game. First-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence looked good in his return from injury Oct. 6 in their 63-3 blowout win versus Wake Forest. He has thrown for 868 yards and 11 touchdowns on 69 percent passing so far this season. Expect him to come ready to play on the big stage with NFL scouts watching.

Bet: Take NC State to cover the spread and the over.

Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (5-1)

Spread: Kansas City -6

Over/under: 58

Analysis: Two of best teams in the AFC face off in a Sunday night primetime game where the notoriously loud Arrowhead Stadium will be rocking. The Chiefs are coming off their first loss of the season to New England last week on a last second field goal. It initially looked like the rookie Patrick Mahomes was going to beat future Hall of Famer Tom Brady on his home field — but the veteran rarely loses at home, and made an extra effort to get the win by scoring a rare rushing touchdown. The Chiefs’ controversial wide receiver Tyreek Hill torched the New England defense for three touchdowns and was rewarded with a beer thrown in his face by a Patriots fan after scoring. Mahomes and Hill will look to continue their scoring against a tough Bengals defense.

The Bengals pulled a trademark maneuver and lost in the final seconds to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown took a slant 31 yards to the house and sent Bengals fans home crying as per usual. Running back Joe Mixon showed off his dynamic offensive ability by scoring a late touchdown to take the lead against Pittsburgh, while former Pittsburgh Panther Tyler Boyd caught two touchdown passes from quarterback Andy Dalton. If Dalton can continue to find Boyd and Mixon, along with Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green, the Bengals could light it up against the Chiefs defense.

Bet: Take the Chiefs to cover and bet the over.

NBA Season Predictions

MVP: LeBron James +300, Anthony Davis +400 and Giannis Antetokounmpo +450

Analysis: A future bet for NBA MVP is definitely the fan favorite for gamblers to bet. Veteran players like James and reigning MVP James Harden are always in the mix to continue dominating the league. James could lead the Lakers to a top playoff seed in the Western Conference and win his first MVP since 2013. Meanwhile, young stars like the “Greek Freak” and Anthony Davis are ready to claim their first MVP award. And then there are the Philadelphia 76ers duo of Joel Embiid (+1,400) and Ben Simmons (+2,800) who are a stretch to win MVP, but could easily do so if the 76ers finish with a top-three record in the Eastern Conference. Lastly, you can’t leave out former MVPs Kevin Durant (+950), Russell Westbrook (+1,400) and Stephen Curry (+1,600). Curry will likely get overshadowed by the rest of his Warriors teammates, including Durant. On the other hand, Westbrook will look to have his third straight season averaging a triple-double. It’s a shame there are a ton of very good basketball players that could all very easily win the MVP award.

Bet: Davis at +400 if you want to play it safe. If you’re a risk-taking Philly fan, I think Simmons at +2800 has a better chance to win MVP over Embiid due to injury concerns.