If you like betting both football and horse racing, you've come to the right place!

Each week in Pigskins and Ponies you'll find analysis and key football bets from Payne Insider and Todd Fuhrman plus racing picks from Jose Contreras.

Professional bettor Payne Insider and former oddsmaker Todd Fuhrman are founders of Bet the Board, a cutting edge sports betting company focused on written and digital content. You can listen to Bet The Board podcast every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday during football season on iTunes and Soundcloud.

Handicapper Jose Contreras is an analyst for horse racing network TVG and a regular contributor to America's Best Racing.

Get this week's picks below, and be sure to check back for new selections each week. Happy betting!

Pigskins

Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Baylor Bears +4.5 (-110):

We’ve seen this number tick down from its opener of +6 to +4.5 and even +4 atBetOnline.AG.  Baylor had an up and down year, ending with a 6-6 record, but we have faith in head coach Matt Rhule to keep this game competitive and potentially pull the outright upset. Rhule has had nothing for praise for his team; during this break, he lauded the freshman and mental mindset of his guys entering their showdown against Vanderbilt. They’ll need to step up here on defense, as quarterback Kyle Shurmur will look to end an impressive career on a high note in Texas. Baylor +4.5 or better still has some value.

Iowa State Cyclones +3 vs. Washington State Cougars

Iowa State opened +5 across the market, and we have seen heavy sharp money attack the Cyclones. Based on our Bet the Board power number, we make Iowa State a small favorite on a neutral field here. Head coach Matt Campbell and this strong Iowa State defense should hold Gardner Minshew in check, and on the other side of the ball look for Iowa State to have success against a slightly overrated Wazzou defense, especially through the air. Iowa State +3 or better, and the +130 on the money line should have value, as well.

Cleveland Browns +7 (-120) @ Baltimore Ravens:

Baltimore slayed the dragon last Saturday night in Los Angeles, and now is in control of their destiny for the AFC North title, needing to only beat Cleveland Sunday to capture a home playoff game in the wild card round. The Browns, winners in five of their last six, operate with zero pressure, and an opportunity to spoil the Ravens’ playoff hopes. Cleveland won the first matchup 12-9 in OT, and should be able to do enough on the defensive side of the ball to keep this game within the number. With the total dropping to 40.5, expect this game to come right down to the wire.

San Francisco 49ers +10 @ Los Angeles Rams:  

The 49ers continue to play hard, while on the other sideline, Los Angeles is in an interesting spot. They’ll clinch a first round bye with a Bears loss or a win over the 49ers Sunday afternoon. This line opened 10.5, and we’ve seen movement on the dog, with some shops dropping to 9.5. Bottom line, we make this line slightly shorter with the Rams playing full strength/motivated, and if the Bears game is out of hand in the second half, we could see the Rams call the dogs off. Plus, it wouldn’t surprise us if Gurley sat out another game. The 49ers were -4 in turnover margin in the first meeting, and if they can take care of the football, they might shock the Rams and win this game outright.

Best Bet: [247] Iowa State Cyclones +3

Ponies

Sunday, Dec. 30

Santa Anita Park, Race 9, 7:03 p.m. ET

#4 Spend Spend Spend (5-1) showed good speed in her last start and was able to respond down the stretch despite dueling for the lead early on. I like the way she has progressed since switching to the dirt and I think she still has room to improve. I like that she has had about a month to regroup since that win.

Total picks: 35

Total winners: 3

Total money returned with $2 to win on each pick: $-43.60