My streak of winners is still intact.
I went 12-7-1 last week with my picks, bringing my season total to 62-35-6 on the season. I was consistent with the previous week (11-7-1), but I picked one more game.
Week 9 of the 2013 college football season (October 26th to be exact) doesn’t have a Clemson/Florida State-type marquee game and has an overall weak schedule of games.
We’re at a point in the season where favorites often fall or fail to cover the spread. When making a bet, look to see if any teams had a common opponent earlier in the season. I went ‘underdog heavy’ in this week’s picks against the spread. Injury reports and weather conditions also grow more and more important deeper in the college football season.
We pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday, plus a few games in the MAC and American Athletic Conference as always…we also sneak in a Thursday night game 
. Enjoy!
South Carolina at Missouri (-2.5) – My pick is Mizzou
I was not a Mizzou believer earlier in the year, but as I stated before last week’s game, I’m all-in on the Tigers after their win at Georgia. South Carolina did not look good at Tennessee last week. It could just be one bad game, but I didn’t like how they played against Kentucky or Central Florida a few weeks ago. I have to go with Missouri until they prove me wrong. They have won by more than 14 points in every game this season and are 6-0-1 ATS.
Texas Tech at Oklahoma (-7) – My pick is Texas Tech
Texas Tech is one of the biggest surprise teams this season. They’re putting up points and their defense isn’t terrible. Oklahoma has only suffered one loss (Texas), but have yet to face the meat of their schedule. I don’t believe Oklahoma is better than Texas Tech and this line is off. Give me the Red Raiders and I may have put a few jelly beans on the moneyline in this game.
UCLA at Oregon (-22.5) – My pick is UCLA
Vegas loves to add on a few extra points to the point spread when Oregon plays at home. It opened up at -18.5 and the public has even bet it up to -22.5. I would bet that the line may even be pushed up closer to -24 by kickoff. Don’t sleep on UCLA. Oregon will win this game, but I don’t see them covering this large spread against a good Bruins team.
Ball State at Akron (+10.5) – My pick is Ball State
I once thought my Ball State picks were due to homerism (I attended Ball State), but they’ve been covering spreads (6-2 ATS) with their potent offense. Akron has struggled to score points and despite their win at Miami (OH) last week, they are a poor team. They did nearly knock off Michigan, but lost the next four games after that by a combined 69 points.
Oklahoma State at Iowa State (+13) – My pick is Oklahoma State
I hit a few times on Iowa State, but I missed on them badly last week. They were blown out 71-7 at Baylor and made me look foolish. I can’t recommend the Cyclones in good faith this week. I love the Cowboys and think Oklahoma State will blow out Iowa State on Saturday.
Stanford at Oregon State (+4) – My pick is Oregon State
I’m loving underdogs this week, especially in the marquee games. Stanford and Oregon State are both 6-1 going into this game, but Stanford has a losing record ATS (3-4). They have been overvalued by Vegas and the public. Oregon State is the lesser known football team in Oregon, but they also have a potent offense. OSU QB Sean Mannion is one of the better quarterbacks in the nation. He has already thrown for 2,992 yards and has a 29/3 TD to INT ratio. Give me the Beavers to WIN at home with a moneyline play.
Kentucky at Mississippi State (-10.5) – My pick is Mississippi State
This is a pretty bad Thursday night game. We’ve been spoiled by some pretty good ones on Thursday, but this one is a stinker. Kentucky looked like a high school team against Alabama last week and Mississippi State is a middle-of-the-road SEC team. This game will be close to the point spread. I’m picking the Bulldogs to cover at home.
Houston at Rutgers (-7) – My pick is Houston
Houston is a perfect 6-0 ATS this season. I have ridden them all season and they keep on getting favorable point spreads. Rutgers and Houston are equal teams, but I give the nod to Houston’s offense in this game. This game will be close and Rutgers will not cover.
Clemson at Maryland (+14) – My pick is Clemson
Clemson looked BAD against Florida State last week. I actually thought the game would be close, but boy was I proven wrong by the end of the first quarter. Maryland knows all about being blown out by Florida State. They lost in Tallahassee 63-0 early in October. They went on to beat Virginia the next week. I believe Clemson will also bounce back and easily cover on the road.
Wyoming at San Jose State (-7) – My pick is Wyoming
This is a bit of a reach for me. I’ve watched a few Wyoming and San Jose State games this season (I often find myself watching weird games late at night). Wyoming is better than this point spread. This game actually opened up at -5.5 and has been bet up. Wyoming did get blown out by Colorado State at home last week, a team San Jose State beat by a touchdown on the road two weeks ago. The stats don’t back up my pick, so bet cautiously. This is strictly an eyeball pick, since I’ve seen both teams play a few times.
QUICK HITS
Baylor at Kansas (+34.5) – My pick is Baylor
Texas at TCU (-2) – My pick is Texas
Florida Atlantic at Auburn (-23.5) – My pick is Auburn
Penn State at Ohio State (-14.5) – My pick is Ohio State
Colorado State at Hawaii (+4) – My pick is Colorado State
Northwestern at Iowa (-3.5) – My pick is Iowa
Utah at USC (-7) – My pick is Utah
Notre Dame at Air Force (+20) – My pick is Air Force
Nebraska at Minnesota (+10.5) – My pick is Minnesota
Vanderbilt at Texas A&M (-18) – My pick is Vanderbilt
*These picks are for entertainment purposes