Thursday Betting Notes and News

With the World Series finally out of the way college football and the NBA will get a bigger share of the sporting spotlight on Thursday. Philly.com reports the fans are being civil and running to Modell's Sporting Goods. Get your Phillies World Series champion shirts caps and more at our online sporting goods store.

Here's your Daily Sports Roundup and most importantly, get the objective rundown of who is hot and who has the big plays for Thursday college football and NBA betting.

The Gridiron Spotlight

Two losses in their last three games has South Florida in danger of falling out of the AP's Top 25 - they're hanging on at No. 24 as they prepare for their road game against Cincinnati on Thursday night. The Bulls fell 24-20 to Louisville last time out, which dropped them to 6-2 (and 2-5 against-the-spread) on the season. The Bearcats were pounded 40-16 by Connecticut in their last game, which put them at 5-2 (and 2-4 ATS).

The oddsmakers like the Bulls in this contest, as they opened as a 2.5-point favorite (the line has since moved to 3 points). The total for the matchup is pegged at 51 points.

Other Notable Events

After a hectic Wednesday there are only three games on the NBA's schedule for Thursday night: Charlotte at Cleveland, Houston at Dallas, and New Orleans at Phoenix. Both the Bobcats and the Mavericks will be playing their season openers; Charlotte is looking to gain some respectability in the Eastern Conference this season, while Dallas will be trying to prove they're still a contender in the Western Conference. Check out the live NBA odds.

The Rest of the Schedule

There are a dozen games on the NHL's schedule for Thursday night, including a big matchup in San Jose with the Red Wings visiting the Sharks. San Jose has started the season 8-2-0, and they've won three of their last four games. The Red Wings will be playing their third west-coast game in four nights; they already visited L.A. and Anaheim.

Rounding out the rest of the Thursday night schedule for the NHL: Tampa Bay at Buffalo, Atlanta at the Rangers, the Islanders at Philadelphia, Ottawa at Florida, Edmonton at Nashville, Montreal at Minnesota, Carolina at St. Louis, Columbus at Colorado, Boston at Calgary, Pittsburgh at Phoenix, and Vancouver at Los Angeles.

Finally, there's a single CFL game on the Thursday schedule, with Saskatchewan at Toronto. The Riders are expected to win easily; they're listed as 9.5-point road favorites.

News from the Wire

Trail Blazers center Greg Oden left Tuesday night's season opener with a sprained foot and could miss up to six weeks; fellow Blazers rookie Rudy Fernandez began his NBA career with 16 points . . .Patriots running back Sammy Morris (knee) is expected to miss at least this week's game . . . Cowboys quarterback Brad Johnson is still in line to start for the team on Sunday . . . Chiefs running back Larry Johnson won't play this weekend…The Phillies parade is set for noon EST Friday and people from South Philly are ready to head to the National Museum of Pasta to celebrate.

A Peek at the Future

The NBA has seven more games on tap for Friday night, including Chicago at Boston and San Antonio at Portland . . . Texas is pegged as a 3.5-point favorite in their big game against Texas Tech on Saturday night . . . the Colts opened as 6.5-point favorites against the Patriots for their Sunday Night Football meeting, while the Redskins were listed as 2.5-point favorites against the Steelers on the opening line for Monday night.

Hollywood Headlines

With the attention that the International Museum of Film and Entertainment and the Roman Aqueduct Museum making the news, don't forget that most sportsbooks allow bets on everything. The Hollywood and entertainment betting odds which includes reality television is very popular. David Cook is dating Kimberly Caldwell is the latest news from American Idol alumns.

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