Thursday's football slate pairs a near pick'em National Football League clash with three college football games. We break down three parlays and flag the best-priced underdogs.
Thursday Football Parlay Picks: Patriots at Bears Headline a Four-Game Slate
Thursday gives us three college football games and one National Football League game: New England Patriots @ Chicago Bears at 8:15 PM ET. The college games are Liberty at Kennesaw State and James Madison at Appalachian State (both 7:00 PM ET), then East Carolina at Memphis (7:30 PM ET). Below are the prices, the angles and three parlays built from the best numbers available.
A note on form: the live form feed for Chicago and New England came back empty, so we won't make form claims for either side. These picks rest on market prices and line structure.
Thursday's Best Prices at a Glance
| Game | Spread | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty @ Kennesaw State | Liberty -9.5 (-108, Courtside) | O 47.5 (-108, Courtside) / U 48.5 (-105, FanDuel) | Liberty -333 (Courtside) / Kennesaw State +350 (FanDuel) |
| James Madison @ Appalachian State | James Madison -10.5 (-105, FanDuel) | 57.5 (-108 both sides, Courtside) | James Madison -417 (FanDuel) / App State +339 (Courtside) |
| East Carolina @ Memphis | Memphis -10.5 (-104, FanDuel) | 53.5 (-108 both sides, Courtside) | Memphis -385 (Courtside) / East Carolina +320 (FanDuel) |
| Patriots @ Bears | Bears -1.5 (-108, Courtside) | U 49 (-108, BetRivers) / O 48.5 (-103, Courtside) | Bears -122 (Courtside) / Patriots +110 (BetRivers) |
Parlay 1: The College Chalk Ladder (+638)
- Liberty Flames -9.5 at -108 (Courtside)
- James Madison Dukes -10.5 at -105 (FanDuel)
- Memphis Tigers -10.5 at -104 (FanDuel)
The market makes all three double-digit favorites, and each moneyline is shorter than -330. Laying the spread keeps the price near even money per leg instead of burying the parlay in heavy chalk. Liberty -333, James Madison -417 and Memphis -385 on the moneyline imply roughly 77%, 81% and 79% win chances. Covering is a harder ask, but the spread legs pay close to double each. Three legs at -108, -105 and -104 combine to about +638. The risk is plain: three big numbers must all be covered, and one backdoor cover ruins the ticket.
Parlay 2: The Unders Triple (+624)
- Under 57.5 in James Madison @ Appalachian State at -108 (Courtside)
- Under 53.5 in East Carolina @ Memphis at -108 (Courtside)
- Under 48.5 in Liberty @ Kennesaw State at -105 (FanDuel)
Two of these totals sit at 53.5 or higher. Big favorites can lead to clock-chewing second halves, which helps unders. The Liberty game has an unusual split: Courtside shows the over at 47.5, while FanDuel hangs the under at 48.5 with a half-point cushion for just -105. That is the best number on the board for under bettors. The three legs combine to roughly +624.
Parlay 3: The Contrarian Dog Pair (+304)
- New England Patriots moneyline at +110 (BetRivers)
- Appalachian State Mountaineers +10.5 at -108 (Courtside)
This is the value play for anyone fading the chalk. The Patriots at +110 imply about a 47.6% chance, while the Bears at -122 imply about 55%. With the spread at only 1.5, this is a near pick'em, and we like getting plus money on a coin flip. Pairing it with Appalachian State +10.5 gives a double-digit cushion in a game with a high total of 57.5, where late scores can swing a cover. The two legs combine to about +304. This parlay runs against Parlay 1's James Madison leg, so treat them as alternatives rather than a hedge.
Where the Odds Look Generous
- Patriots +110 (BetRivers): a plus-money price on a game the spread treats as close to a toss-up. The Patriots at +1.5 cost -108 at Courtside, so the moneyline is the better price by a clear margin.
- Appalachian State +339 (Courtside): the implied chance is about 23%. If you think this is closer to a one-score game, the number is attractive, though the spread is the safer way to play it.
- Kennesaw State +350 (FanDuel): the best price on the board for the Owls (about 22% implied). Liberty at -333 is the shortest price in the Liberty game.
Line shopping alert: in East Carolina @ Memphis, FanDuel has Memphis at -10.5 while Courtside has East Carolina at +9.5. The numbers are not the same, so verify the line before betting either side. In the Patriots-Bears total, the under is posted at 49 (BetRivers) and the over at 48.5 (Courtside), a small but real difference.
Final Thoughts
Parlay 1 is the highest-conviction ticket for backing favorites. Parlay 2 offers a cleaner game script if the scoring stays low. Parlay 3 is the one for bettors who see the market overpricing the Bears. Odds move, so confirm lines and prices before placing any wager.
Where to place these parlays
A parlay has to be placed at a single sportsbook, so the best price for each individual leg is not always available together. These are the live prices for each whole parlay at the sportsbooks that offer every leg.
| Parlay | Best price | Next best |
|---|---|---|
| Parlay 2 (3 legs) | ReBet +557 | - |
| Parlay 3 (2 legs) | Courtside +300 | ReBet +293, DraftKings +292 |
Gamble responsibly: parlays are high-variance bets, so only stake what you can afford to lose and seek help if betting stops being fun.
