2014 NCAA Football – Week 12 Betting Picks Against Spread

I went 12-8 last week, but I missed the Notre Dame game pretty bad. I admit my failures and oh boy, that one was a big one. My record is now 110-86-3 on the season.

Frigid temperatures are expected to hit across the heart of the country this weekend. Make sure to check the forecast before you lay your bets down. I don’t see any snow, but temps in the 30’s are likely (unless you live on the West Coast or the South…I’m sure those places will still be beautiful).

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 (November 15th, 2014), and picked some smaller conference games as well. Enjoy!

Ohio State at Minnesota (+13) – My pick is Ohio State Buckeyes

I looked at this game really hard. I lived in Columbus for half a decade and it seems like the Buckeyes have a knack for not covering late in the season. Ohio State hasn’t played a very tough schedule and Minnesota is undefeated at home. No one has any idea how good Ohio State actually is. It’s hard to compare them to any of the other top teams, because their schedule is so cake. I’m sure the other top teams would score 50+ points against the lowly Big Ten too. Karma is on the side of Ohio State who hinted about letting J.T. Barrett battle Braxton Miller for the starting job in 2015. This goes against what the info tells me, but I’m picking Ohio State to cover on the road.

Nebraska at Wisconsin (-6) – My pick is Nebraska Cornhuskers

I just gave Ohio State crap for not playing anyone, but Wisconsin’s schedule is even worse. I know they had the game against LSU (that they gave away), but the rest is so bad. This game will be low-scoring, so I’m taking the points. I see either team winning by more than a touchdown.

Florida State at Miami (+3) – My pick is Florida State Seminoles

FSU is 2-7 ATS this season and I’m sure many bettors are gun-shy about putting a penny on the Seminoles. This spread is only a field goal. They’ve been up against double-digit point spreads all season. Miami has been putting up 30+ lately, but they aren’t a powerhouse. If Florida State can limit yards on the ground, they will win this game by double-digits. If Duke Johnson and Joseph Yearby get going early, it could be a long, hard game. I’m picking FSU to cover on the road.

Mississippi State at Alabama (-8.5) – My pick is Mississippi State Bulldogs

It appears I have a road team fetish this week. Alabama and LSU beat up on each other last week. We will find out if Dak Prescott is legit on Saturday. He’s had good games against top-tier SEC teams, but Nick Saban will be game-planning to specifically take him out. I believe Prescott will do better than expected. We keep putting hurdles in front of this MSU team and they keep jumping over them. I’m not counting Mississippi State out. I’m taking the points and a possible moneyline play.

Texas at Oklahoma State (+3) – My pick is Texas Longhorns

I avoided Texas early in the season, but they’ve covered the last two games. They impressed me with their win against West Virginia last weekend. Oklahoma State has only scored three touchdowns the last three games. They can’t put points on the board. OSU quarterback Daxx Garman is awful. I’m taking another road team.

South Carolina at Florida (-6.5) – My pick is Florida Gators

I’m glad the Jeff Driskel era is over in Gainesville. Freshman quarterback Treon Harris has eased into the starting role and relied on the ground game to win games. South Carolina has issues against the run. Auburn ran all over them. I’ve avoided Florida for most of the season, but I’m more confident with Harris under center.

Clemson at Georgia Tech (+3) – My pick is Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

I hopped on the Tech bandwagon a few weeks ago. They are 3-0 ATS in their last three games. They have been a monster on the ground. They lost back-to-back games in October against Duke and North Carolina, but something appeared to click during them. They have been efficient on the ground  since and have averaged nearly over 400 rushing yards per game. Clemson is 0-4 ATS since beating NC State 41-0. They’ve won their last six games, but they’ve leaned on their defense. Clemson can’t hang in a high-scoring affair. I’m taking the points and a possible moneyline play.

Virginia Tech at Duke (-5.5) – My pick is Duke Blue Devils

I’ve been riding Duke all season. They are 6-2-1 ATS and I see another cover in their future. Keep riding Duke while they’re hot. If they cover this week, next week’s line against North Carolina will be inflated.

Northwestern at Notre Dame (-18) – My pick is Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame got spanked hard by Arizona State in the first half. They didn’t give up and were within a field goal late (but then it got ugly again). I like their fight. As far as Northwestern is concerned, they can’t put up points. Their game against Michigan was a joke. Both teams were trying to lose. I’m picking Notre Dame to cover and win big.

Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan (-26) – My pick is Western Michigan Broncos

This is where we pick an under-the-radar smaller conference game. The games between the directional Michigan teams are usually pretty close. Eastern usually comes out the loser, but the contests are mostly competitive. Well, Eastern’s offense didn’t arrive on campus this season. Western will run the Eagles out of Kalamazoo.

QUICK HITS

Indiana at Rutgers (-7.5) – My pick is Rutgers

California at USC (-14) – My pick is USC

Arizona State at Oregon State (+10) – My pick is Arizona State

Missouri at Texas A&M (-5.5) – My pick is Texas A&M

Auburn at Georgia (-2.5) – My pick is Georgia

Kentucky at Tennessee (-9) – My pick is Tennessee

LSU at Arkanas (-2) – My pick is LSU

Temple at Penn State (-11) – My pick is Temple

Iowa at Illinois (+6) – My pick is Iowa

UNLV at BYU (-24) – My pick is UNLV

*These picks are for entertainment purposes

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sweetbob-author-picAbout 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 ClicksGuyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.