I (once again) went 12-7-1 with last week’s college football picks against the spread. Even though I had a few close misses, I felt like I made smart plays. I am currently 42-35-2 on the season.
You will have some issues picking teams this week. There are a lot of road teams with favorable point spreads. I advise you to tread lightly, since this is part of the season in which weird things happen.
The Pac-12 and the SEC are proving themselves to be the top conferences in college football. On the other side of the coin, the Big Ten is imploding before our eyes. It’s already been an exciting season.
We were 134-79-8 against the spread betting on college football games last season. We hope to keep it going and help you guys out again this season.
We pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday (October 4th, 2014), and picked some smaller conference games as well. Enjoy!
Stanford at Notre Dame (+1.5) – My pick is Stanford
There’s no doubt Notre Dame is a better team this year. They have been able to pull out double-digit wins in every game this season. Unfortunately for the Irish, that streak will end on Saturday. Something is wrong in Vegas when Notre Dame (a very public team) is 3-1 ATS. The Irish haven’t faced an elite team and the Cardinal will come out with a close victory in South Bend.
South Carolina at Kentucky (+5) – My pick is South Carolina
I’ve liked Kentucky a few times this year. I picked them against Florida and they nearly won that game. It wasn’t because I’m really high on the Wildcats, but it was because I think the Gators are a joke. South Carolina is in the top-tier of the SEC (even with their two losses). Kentucky hasn’t shown they can hang with those teams just yet. They are currently a bit overrated and will get beaten by the Gamecocks by double-digits.
LSU at Auburn (-7.5) – My pick is Auburn
Auburn beat Arkansas early this season and didn’t have much of a problem. LSU is built a lot like the Razorbacks (but with a better defense). Auburn will mostly likely use the same gameplan to stop their rushing attack. I love Auburn in this game.
Oklahoma at TCU (+5.5) – My pick is Oklahoma
TCU has looked great so far and are 3-0 ATS. Oklahoma is coming off a bye week and Bob Stoops always have his players prepared. TCU will fall and the Sooners will cover on the road.
Alabama at Ole Miss (+7) – My pick is Alabama
I know ESPN Gameday will be in Oxford this weekend and the crowd will be nuts…but I don’t like the Rebels this weekend. They had issues scoring against Memphis, which has an average defense. Alabama will pressure Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace and he will not be effective. Alabama will cover on the road…in a very hostile environment.
Texas A&M at Mississippi State (-2.5) – My pick is Texas A&M
I love Arkansas this year. Texas A&M scraped by the Razorbacks and showed a lot of guts in doing so. I needed to see A&M in a close game. Kenny Hill looked human at times, but he was still able to make big plays. Give me the points and a possible moneyline play.
Kansas at West Virginia (-26.5) – My pick is West Virginia
The Jayhawks fired Charlie Weis…so this line couldn’t get high enough for me to pick Kansas. WVU is an explosive team and will destroy them on Saturday. I love betting against a team who fired their coach mid-season. The team just deflates like a tire.
Oregon State at Colorado (+7) – My pick is Colorado
I was the driver of the Sean Mannion bandwagon last year. He couldn’t do wrong in my eyes. In hindsight, maybe I should have been on the Brandin Cooks bandwagon instead. Mannion doesn’t look like the same player with Cooks in the NFL. Colorado is 5-0 ATS in their last time conference game. Pac-12 is a great conference, so as a mid-tier team in the conference, the Buffaloes are always underrated.
Michigan at Rutgers (-3) – My pick is Michigan
I’m going out on a limb here, but it’s time for the Wolverines to bounce back. Brady Hoke is well-liked by his players and they must know his back is against the wall. If they lose this game, Hoke is either a complete lame duck or they will cut ties immediately after the game.
Ball State at Army (-2.5) – My pick is Ball State
This is where we pick an under-the-radar smaller conference game. Army is a one-dimensional offense and Ball State has done well in the past when they only had to focus on the run. Army and Yale had a back and forth game last week and Army is 0-5 ATS when they’ve scored 40+ points the week prior. Also, Ball State is 7-0 ATS in their last seven games against an Independent team.
QUICK HITS
Central Florida at Houston (-3.5) – My pick is Houston
Florida at Tennessee (-3) – My pick is Tennessee
Virginia Tech at North Carolina (+2) – My pick is Virginia Tech
Massachusetts at Miami (OH) (-2.5) – My pick is UMass
NC State at Clemson (-14.5) – My pick is Clemson
Hawaii at Rice (-6.5) – My pick is Rice
Memphis at Cincinnati (-4) – My pick is Cincinnati
Miami (FL) at Georgia Tech (pk) – My pick is Georgia Tech
Pittsburgh at Virginia (-6.5) – My pick is Pittsburgh
California at Washington State (-3.5) – My pick is California
*These picks are for entertainment purposes
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.