SEC Week 12 over/unders: Who we like and who we're betting on
Several SEC teams are playing weaker foes in Week 12, which has come to be called “Cupcake Week” or “Lettuce Week” around the league in recent years.
Opponents like New Mexico State, UAB, Austin Peay, East Tennessee State, UMass and Western Kentucky litter the Saturday slate of games as teams rest up for Rivalry Week.
But, there are still some intriguing SEC-on-SEC matchups, including Ole Miss-Arkansas, Florida-Vanderbilt, Tennessee-South Carolina and Georgia-Kentucky.
Over at Underdog, there are ways to get in on the action by making fantasy picks for this weekend’s player over/under stats.
What is Underdog and why should SEC fans care?
Underdog is a new daily fantasy platform backed by investors such as Mark Cuban, Kevin Durant and Adam Schefter.
This isn’t what you might think about fantasy sports though. Through Underdog’s “Pick’em” contests, you can bundle a few selections of player prop picks similar to what you find at sportsbooks, and yes, you can put real money against these picks.
Underdog Fantasy is available in 41 states, so a lot of those southern “SEC” states where sports betting is not yet legal? Yep, you can do Underdog Fantasy picks for real money, as we’re outlining here. It’s really fun.
Underdog Fantasy is not available in the following states: CT, DE, HI, ID, IA, LA, MI, MT, NV.
Underdog is available in these states, but Pick’em contests as we outline here are not available: AZ, CO, MD, MO, NH, NJ, OH, PA, TN, WA, WV.
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My picks for SEC Week 12
Let’s start in Fayetteville, where Arkansas is getting set to host Ole Miss in what promises to be a freezing-cold Saturday night affair. It’s a matchup of the Ole Miss and Arkansas rushing attacks — the No. 1 and No. 3 rushing teams in the SEC, respectively. It’s also a battle for the SEC rushing title between Ole Miss star Quinshon Judkins (1,169 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Arkansas standout Rocket Sanders (1,147 yards, 7 scores).
With Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson having been banged up quite a bit this year, I expect this to be a run first, run second, run third and only throw it when you need it sort of game. Thus, even with the lofty higher/lowers set for Judkins’ and Sanders’ rushing totals, I’m taking the “higher” option on each.
Moving to the Tennessee-South Carolina game, watch out Gamecocks. I’m high on running backs this week, generally, but I’m making an exception for the Vols’ trip to Columbia.
Star Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt is a South Carolina native and didn’t receive a scholarship offer from the Gamecocks.
Oops.
I expect the Vols to go up big early and feed the ball to Hyatt, who should easily go “higher” than 79.5 receiving yards. If he does, it stands to reason that QB Hendon Hooker will be a big part of that. Hooker is looking to pad his Heisman résumé as the regular season winds down, too, so expect him to throw early and often. I like the “higher” option for Hooker’s 289.5 passing yards.
Finally, let’s talk Georgia-Kentucky. The Wildcats are coming off an awful home loss to Vanderbilt. Their reward? Taking on the No. 1 team in the country.
It should be a cold day in Kroger Field on Saturday, but without precipitation. Still, I like Georgia RB Kenny McIntosh to go “higher” than 49.5 rushing yards. The Bulldogs take a lead early and are more than happy to bleed the clock as the Wildcats and Dawgs trade long drives with lots of rushing yards between them.
How many picks should you make?
The more picks you string together, the higher the “multiplier” or payout. Of course, the more you string together, the less likely you are to win because all of the picks have to hit in order for you to win.
Obviously, the lofty 5-player parlay I have listed below is a long shot. A $1 bet pays off $20, so take that option if you’re feeling bold:
To play it a little safer, I like Sanders, Judkins and Hyatt’s “higher” picks parlayed. That’s a 6X multiplier.
We’ll see what happens in the SEC this weekend as teams prepare for Rivalry Week!
Get started on Underdog by clicking here and make your picks for SEC Week 12 action or other CFB, NFL and NBA games. Using this link means Underdog will match your deposit up to $100. If you deposit $25, you’ll get an extra $25 to start playing right away.
