Best Sports Betting Picks Today: College Football Bowl Games, NBA, NHL Predictions for December 27

Once upon a time, Southern California thought it was a good idea to steal away then-Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley with a reported 10-year, $110 million dollar contract. Season 3 of the Riley era ends on Friday night, and a Trojans’ loss to Texas A&M would be the program’s third losing campaign in seven seasons.

Stephen Curry got tired out during that Christmas Day smorgasbord against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. He will sit out when the struggling Golden State Warriors visit the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Detroit Red Wings front office should wear Ebenezer Scrooge garb for Friday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after coach Derek Lalonde was fired the day after Christmas. It is like the franchise couldn’t wait for the clock to tick its way to the 26th.

We will study that Las Vegas Bowl matchup listed above as well as the Curry-less Warriors and the on-ice Scrooges.

USC TROJANS VS. TEXAS A&M AGGIES

The Trojans are 6-6 and playing in the Las Vegas Bowl, something Clay Helton could’ve regularly done at 20 percent of Riley’s salary. Riley was supposed to deliver national championships, but USC has lost 11 of its last 19 games. That is flat-out stealing the university’s cash.

It’s hard to figure out how motivated the Trojans will be to avoid a losing season with some good players having exited via the transfer portal. New quarterback Jayden Maiava surely wants to show that the 360-yard outing in the season-ending loss to Notre Dame was no fluke.

The Aggies expected a different postseason destination after a 7-1 start but then dropped three of their four games to fall out of College Football Playoff contention. The killer was a 43-41 four-overtime loss to Auburn.

Texas A&M changed quarterbacks to Marcel Reed, and the freshman can make things happen. The Aggies beat two teams that were ranked in the Top 10 and went 2-2 against such foes, while USC lost both its Top 10 games.

Texas A&M -4 spread, -108 (DraftKings)

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS AT LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Not having Curry when you have dropped five of your previous six games isn’t ideal. It does remind us he is 36, not 26. He also had a couple of recent poor outings—10 points on 2-of-13 shooting against the Indiana Pacers on Monday and two points on 0-of-7 shooting against the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 19.

So perhaps resting Curry on the front end of a back-to-back that concludes Saturday against the Phoenix Suns is a good call because the latter game is at home. Golden State begins a six-game homestand against the Suns, and the club is eyeing the stretch as a chance to regain solid footing.

The Clippers have won three of their past four games, including a solid 114-110 road victory over the Grizzlies on Monday. Who needs Kawhi Leonard (knee) when Norman Powell can give you 29, 29, 28 and 29 points during a four-game span? Powell is averaging a career-best 24.1 points and knocking down a career-high 47.3 percent from 3-point range.

Ivica Zubac averaged 17.5 rebounds in two wins over the Warriors this season and has notched six straight double-doubles. Yet Powell’s consistency and solid 3-point stroke are more appealing.

Norman Powell to score 25-plus points, -115 (DraftKings)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS VS. DETROIT RED WINGS

Todd McLellan takes over as Detroit’s new coach with the club hovering as the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference with 30 points. The Red Wings dropped three straight games before the holiday break, and the team was booed off the ice following Monday’s 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

I suppose Lalonde can take solace in the fact that ownership didn’t send him packing on Christmas Eve. McLellan is two victories shy of 600, but the Red Wings aren’t a team that will be an easy fix.

Detroit defeated the Maple Leafs 4-2 on Dec. 14 to even the season series, so Toronto should have extra motivation. The Maple Leafs have also lost two straight games, getting outscored 11-5 in the process.

John Tavares scored both goals in Monday’s 5-2 home loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Toronto remains without star Auston Matthews, so we see McLellan getting the win in his Detroit debut.

Red Wings moneyline, +124 (DraftKings)