The college football season has been pretty great so far. There are plenty of undefeated teams still left, but that will likely change very soon. Teams will start cannibalizing each other, especially in conference championship games.
The first College Football Playoff poll was announced last weekend. There were some surprises, especially with Clemson getting the #1 spot. I’ve been high on them lately, but it was still quite the surprise.
Rivalry games have started across college football. There are some games this weekend that have fanbases foaming at the mouth.
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday (November 7th, 2015), and pick some smaller conference games as well. Enjoy!
Texas Tech at West Virginia (-8) – My pick is Texas Tech Red Raiders
This line just seems ‘off’. West Virginia are on a four-game losing streak. Texas Tech have lost back-to-back games by double-digits, but they’ve put decent numbers on the board. Tech’s big question mark is, and will always be, their defense. TCU handed WVU a beatdown last week, a team that Texas Tech nearly beat. The Red Raiders will step up and keep this game close.
Duke at North Carolina (-8) – My pick is Duke Blue Devils
North Carolina are better than we thought they’d be. Duke is also playing above their preseason ranking. The Blue Devils got screwed last week by officials in their last-minute loss to Miami. They’ve been great and their defense has kept them in games (excluding the Virginia Tech game). This is a rivalry game and both teams will be extra amped. I’m taking the points.
Penn State at Northwestern (-1.5) – My pick is Penn State Nittany Lions
I wrote off Penn State at the start of the season. I didn’t think they had the offensive weapons to win games. Christian Hackenberg has proven me wrong. I don’t see Northwestern scoring many points on Saturday. I’m taking Penn State as a possible moneyline play.
Florida State at Clemson (-10.5) – My pick is Clemson Tigers
This game opened at -12 and as of Thursday, has been bet down to -10.5. Clemson has won me over the last few weeks. I know this line seems a bit high, but it’s hard to bet against them at this point. Florida State is a tough opponent, but Clemson has been a machine this season.
Cincinnati at Houston (-8.5) – My pick is Houston Cougars
I realize Vanderbilt isn’t very good for an SEC team, but Houston blanked them last week. It was an impressive effort. Houston hasn’t had a very good defense the last few years, but they have only allowed a total of 17 points in their last three games. Cincinnati isn’t a foe to take lightly, but Houston is just playing solid football on both sides of the ball. I’m taking Houston in this game.
LSU at Alabama (-6.5) – My pick is Alabama Crimson Tide
Even though LSU is better than Georgia, I see this game going in the same direction as the Alabama/Georgia game earlier this year. Alabama defense held their own against Nick Chubb. Leonard Fournette is a beast, but they will need more than him. Nick Saban is great at taking away the opposing team’s best weapon. I’m taking the Tide.
Michigan State at Nebraska (+6.5) – My pick is Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State has been horrible against the spread this season. They were a bit overrated coming into the season and it affected the lines. They are perfect outright, but they haven’t been thoroughly beating their opponents. They need some blowouts to gain some extra leverage in the polls. I see them winning by a few touchdowns on Saturday.
South Carolina at Tennessee (-17) – My pick is South Carolina Gamecocks
The Vols have played well this season, but not well enough to be given this high of a line against South Carolina. It’s no secret that the Gamecocks have seen better days. I just don’t see Tennessee winning by this margin. I’m taking the points.
Iowa at Indiana (+7) – My pick is Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa received some dap from the College Playoff Pollsters last week. They received a higher ranking than most were expecting. Their running game and defense are hard to beat. They are the stereotypical, good Big Ten team. Indiana is coming off a nail-biter loss to Rutgers and a 26-point defeat to Michigan State. They were neck-and-neck with MSU until a disastrous fourth quarter. Iowa’s defense is top-notch and will stymie Indiana’s offense.
Old Dominion at Texas-San Antonio (-10) – My pick is Old Dominion Monarchs
This is when we pick a smaller conference game. Old Dominion is 0-7-1 against the spread. That is damn near impossible to do. They didn’t even get their tie until last week. Neither Old Dominion nor UTSA are very good. I’m going with the averages and picking Old Dominion to end their ATS drought. I’m taking the points in what will most likely be an ugly game.
QUICK HITS
Virginia at Miami FL (-7) – My pick is Virginia
Kansas at Texas (-28.5) – My pick is Texas
Auburn at Texas A&M (-7.5) – My pick is Auburn
Vanderbilt at Florida (-21) – My pick is Florida
Florida Atlantic at Western Kentucky (-24) – My pick is Western Kentucky
Syracuse at Louisville (-14) – My pick is Syracuse
Utah at Washington (-1.5) – My pick is Utah
Minnesota at Ohio State (-24) – My pick is Minnesota
Wisconsin at Maryland (+12) – My pick is Wisconsin
Utah State at New Mexico (+14.5) – My pick is Utah State
Sweetbob’s college football picks against the spread record in previous seasons:
2013: 134-79-8
2014: 148-118-4
2015: 80-77-3
*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.