Thanksgiving Football Preview (And 8 Team Teaser) from Triple Threat Sports!

Back in the mid 1990's when what is now Triple Threat Sports got its start, along with any straight wagers we placed, we started a tradition of betting all four games on Thanksgiving (back then there were only two NFL games and usually the Texas vs Texas A&M game in college, as well as the Egg Bowl) in a six point, six leg teaser, and made the bet based PURELY on the trends we had available, and not using our standard, more encompassing, handicapping methods. It was fun, and if we were alive heading in the final game it offered a great chance at a hedge. We won money doing this most of the time - of course there were losses mixed in as well - but it was a nice way to spend a food filled holiday.

Now there are five games, and no we will not be playing a ten leg teaser, but we will take our shot with an eight teamer this year as well. This year it is a mix of college and pro games....and let's hope for a winner. As always, we have based this teaser purely on the most powerful team, series, and Thursday trends available for the game, and NOT our overall handicap of the game. We may or may not have star rated plays on Thanksgiving Day - we will post whatever we have late Wednesday night - but there are some really strong trends this year, so let's get to it!

Our first leg of the teaser is the DETROIT LIONS. I tweeted out earlier this week that since 1989 teams are 0-4 SU and ATS away after getting a tie in their previous game, and that fits the Packers here. Also, cannot ignore that favorites are 15-3-3 ATS since the current three game format for the NFL began. It is notable that the Lions have lost nine in a row on Thanksgiving (most of those as underdogs), but with the tie and the favorite numbers, they get the call in this one.

Sticking that the contest in the NFC North....our next leg will be the UNDER in the PACKERS/LIONS game. The numbers to note for this one include the trend that division Thursday games at this stage of the season are 3-11 to the Under, and also the series trend that has seen the last six meetings post 31-47-44-89-42-40 points, with five of those six being Under today's number.

The third leg of the teaser is the DALLAS COWBOYS. The Thanksgiving favorite trend of 15-3-3 ATS certainly holds some sway here, but also note that since 2010 home teams in interconference Thursday games are 4-1 SU and ATS and since 2000 favorites are 10-1 ATS at this stage of the season in interconference games. Finally, Thursday favs of seven or more are 10-1 SU and 8-3 ATS of late.

Next up is the total in the game above, and our play on that one is the UNDER in the RAIDERS/COWBOYS game. There are not major trends one way or the other for this one, but the one that stood out to us and got the Under on our ticket was that Thursday games with favorites of seven or more points are a 3-8 to the Under of late.

Our next NFL leg of the teaser is the PITTSBURGH STEELERS. Yes, we are fading the Thursday favorites trend, but in this case almost have to based on the series history between these two teams, THIRTEEN OF THE LAST 14 MEETINGS have been decided by nine points or fewer (3-3-3-3-28-7-3-3-3-3-9-4-3-6) when the Ravens and Steelers meet. That is as strong as it gets pointing towards the under dog here, and enough to get the Black and Gold on the ticket.

Rounding out the NFL portion of our ticket is the UNDER in the STEELERS/RAVENS game. Noted above that divisional Thursday games at this stage of the season are 3-11 to the Under, and a further look at the numbers shows that these two teams are a combined 3-14 to the Under in conference games, the Steelers are 0-6 to the Under on the road this year, Ravens are 0-6 to the Under as chalk this season, and each of the five previous meetings have gone Under this (teased) number in this series.

Moving on to the colleges, we will go with the TEXAS LONGHORNS as the play, noting that Texas Tech is on a 1-10 ATS run in November games and is 4-15 ATS as road chalk of this range while Texas is 10-4 as home chalk of this range and has been on complete control of the series in the last few meetings, especially at home. Finally, while this is a stats based teaser, cannot ignore that Texas should be sky high for what could be Mack Brown's final home game.

Finally, the Egg Bowl between Mississippi State and Ole Miss rounds out the teaser action. (And no, don't worry, we are not releasing our "EGG BOWL GAME OF THE YEAR" like a certain handicapper did a few years ago...and people wonder why cappers get a bad name) We are going with the OVER in the BULLDOGS/REBELS game. Simply put, these are the two best offenses for this rivalry game in ages, as MSU has passed for more than 234 yards in five of their last seven games while Ole Miss has topped that mark in seven straight games. Each of the last two meetings have seen MSU score well, and this time around Mississippi should do the same.

To sum things up, our eight team teaser is as follows:

Detroit

Green Bay/Detroit UNDER

Dallas

Oakland/Dallas UNDER

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh/Baltimore UNDER

Texas

Mississippi/Mississippi St OVER

Everyone at Triple Threat Sports hopes you and your family have a great Thanksgiving!

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