The fifth week of the college football season was very kind to me. I went 11-4 with my picks against the spread. I improved my overall record to 27-16-4 on the season.
Week six of the college football season (October 5th to be exact) is filled with a lot of fun games to watch. All the teams are in their conference schedule, with a few exceptions. We will start to see which teams are contenders and which teams clearly benefited from a weak non-conference schedule.
There are some huge Big Ten and Big 12 games on Saturday. You will know a lot more about Northwestern and Texas Tech after 10/5/13.
We answer those questions and pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday…we also sneak in a few smaller games in the MAC and Mountain West conferences.
Texas Tech Tech at Kansas (+17) – My pick is Texas Tech
This is the easiest games to handicap. Kansas is 2-1, but it’s an inflated record. Their two wins came against Louisiana Tech and South Dakota. Texas Tech is undefeated and has put up a lot of points. Texas Tech will leave this game with their guns up in the air after a blowout win.
Michigan State at Iowa (-1) – My pick is Michigan State
Iowa has been one of the surprise teams in the Big Ten this season. They beat Minnesota last week and looked like the better team. Michigan State hasn’t played since their loss in South Bend on 9/21. The Spartans are coming into this game with a week off. I like Michigan State to win on the road.
Ball State at Virginia (-5.5) – My pick is Ball State
Ball State is 4-1 going into this game and also has the same record ATS (against the spread). I’ve done very well betting on Ball State in the past and I’m riding them until they lose. The Cavaliers haven’t looked good against other FBS teams so far. The Cardinals could even sneak a victory on the road, but at the very least, give me the points in this one.
North Carolina at Virginia Tech (-7.5) – My pick is Virginia Tech
I’ve been saying all season to stay away from Va Tech until the market corrects itself. Early in the season, the betting lines open and even get bet up in favor of Va Tech. With a -5.5 spread at home against North Carolina, the value is finally back. The Hokies should win big over the Tar Heels.
Georgia Tech at Miami (-5) – My pick is Miami
The Yellow Jackets looked bad last week in their loss to Virginia Tech. I had high hopes for them going into that game, but they pooped the bed. I looked too much into their win against North Carolina, we now know UNC is average at best.. Miami already has a marquee win against Florida under the belt and now look to continue their winning streak. The line opened up at -7, but Ga Tech bets came in and adjusted the line. I really like this line and feel confident that Miami covers the spread in this contest.
Kansas State at Oklahoma State (-15) – My pick is Kansas State
I don’t know how any Big 12 team could be favored by over two touchdowns against another Big 12 opponent (unless they play Kansas). I know Kansas State lost to an FCS team in their first game, but this line is a bit ridiculous. I think the Cowboys will win, but I don’t see them covering this large spread.
Arkansas at Florida (-11) – My pick is Florida
Florida looked really good against Kentucky last week. I wasn’t sure how they would bounce back after losing QB Jeff Driskel for the season. QB Tyler Murphy looks very capable at the position. Arkansas put up points against Texas A&M last week, but lost their second game in a row. The Gators are hot coming into this game and Arkansas doesn’t look confident. The Swamp is a hard place to win a game, especially if a team isn’t playing their best. Give me Florida to cover at home against Arkansas.
Maryland at Florida State (-15.5) – My pick is Florida State
I normally wouldn’t condone this high of a point spread in game between two ACC teams, but I like Florida State a lot. I am a believer in FSU’s Jameis Winston. I like Maryland’s Stefon Diggs as well, but there’s only so much a wide receiver can do to win a game. Winston has looked like a Heisman trophy candidate this season and he should pad his résumé even more against the Terrapins.
Arizona State at Notre Dame (+5.5) [in Dallas] – My pick is Arizona State
Arizona State has put up a lot of crooked numbers on the scoreboard this season. Matching those kind of numbers will be a huge challenge for Notre Dame. They’ve had trouble scoring points against average defenses. The game will be played in Dallas, so you this isn’t a true home game for the Irish. The Sun Devils will score enough points to beat the Irish…and cover.
Ohio State at Northwestern (+6.5) – My pick is Ohio State
Not many people were circling the Ohio State/Northwestern game before the season. Ohio State has proven they are a National Championship contender and Northwestern also goes into this game undefeated. This game is the main prime time game on ABC, uncharted waters for Northwestern. I fear this stage may be too big for the Wildcats. They’re good enough to make a good bowl game this season, but the Buckeyes have been here before. Ohio State will win this game and cover the spread.
QUICK HITS
Washington at Stanford (-7) – My pick is Stanford
Texas at Iowa State (-6) – My pick is Texas
Kentucky at South Carolina (-21) – My pick is Kentucky
Mississippi at Auburn (-3) – My pick is Mississippi
West Virginia at Baylor (-27.5) – My pick is Baylor
Fresno State at Idaho (+26.5) – My pick is Idaho
Rutgers at SMU (+4.5) – My pick is Rutgers
Clemson at Syracuse (+13.5) – My pick is Clemson
*These picks are for entertainment purposes