Trinidad Chambliss achieved glory last season as he led the Ferris State Bulldogs to the NCAA Division II national championship. The 23-year-old quarterback now looks to take the next step toward guiding the Ole Miss Rebels to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Sixth-seeded Ole Miss (13-1) attempts to book a spot in the 2025 CFP title game when it takes on the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (12-2) in the CFP semifinals at 7:30 p.m. ET in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Chambliss, who transferred from Ferris State in April, has helped the Rebels get past No. 11 Tulane 41-10 in the first round of the playoffs and upset third-seeded Georgia 39-34 in the quarterfinals as he threw for a total of 644 yards with three touchdown passes and a pair of scoring runs in the victories.
After avenging its only loss this season with the triumph over Georgia, Ole Miss now faces a Miami team that has been the surprise of the playoffs. The Hurricanes knocked off seventh-seeded Texas A&M 10-3 in the opening round before posting a 24-14 triumph over defending champion and No. 2 seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals.
There are four games on Thursday’s NBA schedule, including a matchup between the struggling Indiana Pacers (6-31) and Charlotte Hornets (13-24) at 7 p.m. ET at the Spectrum Center. Indiana, which lost in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder in last year’s NBA Finals, own the league’s worst record and enter this contest with a 13-game losing streak.
The NHL slate features 12 games, one of which pits the red-hot Buffalo Sabres (22-15-4) against the New York Rangers (20-18-6) at 7 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden. Buffalo, which has won 11 of its last 12 contests, is looking to exact revenge after suffering a 4-0 loss to New York at home in its season opener.
Meanwhile, an abundance of college basketball games take place on Thursday, with one being a West Coast Conference showdown between Pepperdine (5-12) and San Diego (6-10) at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. The Toreros are hoping to halt their three-game losing streak, while the Waves aim for their first win in five contests.
Miami is a 3-point favorite against Ole Miss in the latest consensus college football odds. The Hornets are 3.5-point favorites against the Pacers, the Sabres are -125 on the money line versus the Rangers and San Diego is a 4.5-point favorite against Pepperdine.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Thursday, Jan. 8. All times Eastern
CFB best bets, where to watch
Miami vs. Ole Miss
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Glendale, Ariz. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Ole Miss +3 (-104) | Expert: Under 52.5 (-105, Bruce Marshall)
It’s rare that Ole Miss is an underdog, as it’s had that distinction only three times this season, and it covered the spread in two of those instances. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are 9-5 against the spread this campaign. The SportsLine Projection Model is backing the Rebels in this matchup, as its simulations say they cover 55% of the time. SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall (10-3-1, +670 on his last 14 college football Over/Under picks) doesn’t believe a shootout will occur, especially since Miami kept Texas A&M and Ohio State in check in these playoffs.
NBA best bets, where to watch
Pacers at Hornets
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Charlotte | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Hornets -3.5 (-113) | Expert: Moussa Diabate Over 20.5 points + rebounds (-120, PropBetGuy)
The Pacers defeated the Hornets when the teams met in November, but they’ve had difficulty keeping games close during their losing streak. Seven of the defeats during their 13-game slide have been by double digits, and all but two were by at least four points. Taking that into consideration, the SportsLine Projection Model sees the trend continuing, as the Hornets cover the spread in 64% of its simulations. Charlotte’s Moussa Diabate has recorded more than 20 combined points and rebounds in six of the nine games Ryan Kalkbrenner has missed with an elbow injury, and SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (36-20, +1300 on his last 56 NBA player prop picks) thinks the 23-year-old French power forward will do so again versus an Indiana team that allows the second-most rebounds (47.5) and fourth-most points in the paint (53.9) per game.
NHL best bets, where to watch
Sabres at Rangers
Time: 7 p.m. | Location: New York | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Under 6 (-105) | Expert: Sabres -110 (Todd Fuhrman)
Fewer than six combined goals have been scored in seven of the Sabres’ last 11 games and three of the Rangers’ past five contests. New York has played 19 contests at home this season, and five goals or fewer were scored 15 of them. What’s more, the Rangers were shut out in six of those 19 games. Therefore, the SportsLine Projection Model’ simulations have the Under for this matchup hitting 59% of the time. Considering that Buffalo is on fire while New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin and defenseman Adam Fox are out with lower-body injuries they suffered in Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth, SportsLine expert Todd Fuhrman feels strongly that the Sabres will emerge victorious.
CBB best bets, where to watch
Pepperdine at San Diego
Time: 9:30 p.m. | Location: San Diego | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: San Diego -4.5 (-110) | Expert: San Diego -189 (Matt Severance)
All four contests during the Waves’ current four-game skid have been in conference play, and they’ve been beaten by five or more points in each one. Overall this season, 10 of Pepperdine’s 12 defeats have been by at least five points. The SportsLine Projection Model sees the Waves suffering another such setback, as the Toreros cover the spread in 67% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Matt Severance (6-2, +522 on his last eight college basketball picks) also likes San Diego to post the victory over Pepperdine, which has recorded two of its five victories against non-Division I opponents.