Pick Management 
Jacob’s Above Average Plays has two bowls games for you today including a College Football Playoff match up for the ages. To top it off, he’s giving you an NHL game that he knows will cash and that means more money for you!
Take Oklahoma+14 vs LSU (4:00 pm EST, Saturday 28 December 2019)
This is the first game in the College Football Playoff and it’s going to be a good one. To speak simply, LSU is above average in everything and so is Oklahoma. LSU has the nation’s number one offense and number twenty-two defense. They run a pro-style offense that leads to above-average scoring against opponents. Not only do they have great receivers, but they are being thrown to by this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Joe Burrow, and that’s why they are going to win this game, but they won’t cover. Oklahoma has the nation’s second-ranked offense and twenty-fifth ranked defense. Oklahoma quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is one of the nation’s top quarterbacks and has been for the past few years. He found a place in Oklahoma and really started to shine. Oklahoma’s offense is above average in passing, rushing, yards per play and score. They dominated opponents all year and while they won’t be dominating in this game they will be scoring. The offense is set up to be fast-paced and wants to score. Hurts has 50 touchdowns on the year (32 passing, 18 rushing) and has beat LSU three times already while quarterback at Alabama. The Sooners suffered from turnover issues this year and that’s what this game comes down to, but I think Hurts can lead his team and will keep it close. Take the Sooners plus 14.
Take Memphis vs Penn State OVER 60 (12:00 pm EST, Saturday 28 December 2019)
These teams have been two above-average offenses all year. I don’t think this will be any different. Memphis played above average this year on both sides of the ball. They were able to shut down the opposing team’s pass offense with an above-average defense allowing an average of 200.69 pass yards per game. On offense, they are even better. Memphis was above average across the board with their offensive stats. Ranking 10th in the nation in total offense, they score an above-average 40.54 points per game, while keeping opponents to just 24.38 points per game. The Tigers average almost 200 yards per game rushing (196.23) and average 284.46 yards per game through the air. They gain an above-average amount of yards per play. Memphis ranks 9th nationally in yards per play, gaining 6.9 yards per attempt. They now take on a team with a similar makeup, as Penn State is above average across the board on offense. Penn State amasses an average of 402.2 yards per game on offense. They pass for 228.7 ypg and rush for 173.5 ypg which I really like because it shows a very balanced offense. A good above-average balanced offense usually means they can score. The Nittany Lions rank 23rd in the nation in points per game, scoring an average of 34.22 points a game. Penn State has an above-average defense. I don’t want to put too much stock into that because Penn State didn’t play the toughest schedule and better teams did score on them.
Former Memphis head coach, Mike Norvell, left the program to become Florida State’s next head coach and I think, due to that, they will be fired up!. Current Memphis coaches remained. I like that Assistant Coach, Ryan Silverfield, is now the head coach because he knows the system. He will fire up the team to show their former coach what he’s missing out on. I think both teams will move the play here and we will see a high scoring affair. Take the over.
Take Toronto -132 (in regulation, 60 Minute Line) vs NY Rangers (7:00 pm, Saturday 28 December 2019)
In this game, we have another case of two teams headed in different directions. Toronto is one of the NHL’s hottest teams, as of late, winning six out of their last six games. They are playing above average on both ends of the ice since Head Coach, Sheldon Keefe, took over. The Maple Leafs are averaging 3.54 goals per game on an average of 33.51 shots ranking them fourth overall in scoring and fifth in shots on goal. Toronto plays way above average at home and they are hard to beat there; winning four out of their last five games. They tend to slack off when up against big which allows more scoring late in games and leads to above-average game totals. I don’t want to confuse you with some of their defensive stats, we’ll just move on.
The Rangers are just below average all year. They can score goals, but they give up a ton which is why they lose. They are worse lately winning just two games in December. They haven’t fared well against the Atlantic Division this year, only winning one out of the nine games played. Winning just two out of their last seven games, the Rangers don’t play well against Toronto either. New York is scoring 3.22 goals per game, but they are allowing 3.27 which is good for 25th in the league. I just think that Toronto is playing great hockey right now. They are returning home after a quick road trip and they just beat the Rangers on December 20th. Take Toronto to win in regulation. (To win in regulation means that the team selected by the bettor must win in the first 60 minutes. If the game goes to overtime it’s a loss)
