Luckett's Locks: Christmas Day Special

Once the college football regular season ends, Luckett’s Locks usually decides to call it a year. However, Christmas Day falling on a weekend changes things.

With college football, NFL, and NBA all live on Saturday, the world gets to feast on plenty of sports action on one of the best days of the year. For those degenerates out there, that means a full smorgasbord of action.

Luckett’s Locks is here to help provide some handicapping help. Here are the value plays that stood out on a wonderful Christmas Day card — we’re not talking about the Hallmark kind.

Ball State vs. Georgia State Under 51

Down in Alabama, the Camellia Bowl is playing host to some Christmas college football action as both the MAC and Sun Belt will be represented.

Ball State won the MAC in 2020 but took a step back under head coach Mike Neu in 2021. Despite plenty of experience on both sides of the ball, the Cardinals averaged just 24.4 points per game and allowed over 5.7 yards per play.

Down in Atlanta, former South Carolina offensive line coach Shawn Elliott has the Panthers in a bowl game for the third season in a row. Georgia State just lost offensive coordinator Brad Glenn to Virginia Tech, but the Panthers will look to log their first eight-win FBS season in program history on Christmas afternoon.

Ball State has been one of the best field position teams in college football this season, and Georgia State has not been great at it. The Panthers are the better team, but the Sun Belt program is not super explosive. That screams under.

Both squads have been under-heavy this season. Ball State enters the postseason with five straight unders, and Georgia State is 4-2 on the under in their last six games.

The total goes under here in what should be a weird college football game.

Celtics @ Bucks Under 219.5

Over in the association, Boston will travel to Milwaukee for a Christmas day game. The Celtics have been middling under new head coach Ime Udoka, and the Bucks are well on their way to defending their title.

All the stars should be available at Fiserv Forum, but this game is a matchup of a pair of top-10 defenses in the NBA. Add that in with neither team ranking in the top-10 in pace, and we have a recipe for an under.

Let’s cheer for some bricks on Christmas afternoon.

Browns @ Packers Under 45.5

Cleveland is a mess as the Browns are dealing with major COVID-19 issues. However, this team can still play defense at a high level. The pressure is on for the Packers as Green Bay is looking to secure the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.

Expect Cleveland to run the ball and play keep away from Aaron Rodgers. Cleveland’s defense is good enough to give a potent Packers offense in check. With temperatures dropping into the high 20s during the game, the under feels like a safe play.

Let’s see that run get established on the Frozen Tundra.

Warriors (+3.5) @ Suns

Perhaps the top two NBA teams will be meeting out west on Christmas Day as the 26-5 Suns host the 26-6 Warriors. Phoenix will be home to the premier matchup in the association.

This is a battle between the top two defenses in the NBA, but the advantage goes to Golden State for having a better offense. Steph Curry steals the show as the future Hall of Famer might be the leading candidate for MVP honors.

Take the road dog.

Colts @ Cardinals Over 49

Indianapolis might be one of the hottest teams in football as the Colts are riding good defense and a strong running game for their playoff push in the AFC. Jonathan Taylor has been a monster running behind a good offensive line.

After being the best team in the NFL for the first part of the season, Arizona is now sputtering to end the year again under Kliff Kingsbury. However, Kyler Murray could find a spark at any moment.

Folks in Arizona get a Suns-Cardinals double-dip, and both teams have legit championship aspirations. Expect a couple of wild atmospheres.

The prime-time game has stakes on both sides. The Colts will be able to run the ball, but the Cardinals should have a bounce-back performance in them after an embarrassing loss to Detroit.

Expect points in bunches as Murray gets hot throwing the football. Let’s jump on this over.