One day, I hope to be as happy as Michigan State’s kicker was last week. He went complete ‘Oprah audience member winning a free car’ crazy.
I went 11-9 against the spread last week. Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Iowa are now sitting on top of the College Football Playoff rankings this week. Michigan State and Notre Dame are currently the first two teams left out of the playoff.
I wanted to pick Baylor/TCU and Penn State/Michigan State games, but as of this writing, those lines are currently off the board. I wanted to get this week’s lines out as early as possible due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday (November 28th, 2015), and pick some games earlier in the week. Enjoy!
Ohio State at Michigan (-1) – My pick is Ohio State Buckeyes
This rivalry is one of the best in the country. It has become a bit stagnant with Michigan’s dive into mediocrity, but they are once again back near the top of the Big Ten. Ohio State’s hopes of a repeat might have been dashed last week with their loss against Michigan State. Michigan hopes to further ruin Ohio State season. If Jim Harbaugh could beat Ohio State in his first season in Ann Arbor, it would be a huge statement for the program. I think Ohio State still has more fight left in them. Ezekiel Elliott will get the ball more and run the ball at Michigan like Indiana had success doing two weeks ago.
Indiana at Purdue (+7) – My pick is Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana needs to win this game to become bowl-eligible. They’ve beaten Purdue in back-to-back seasons. Indiana smoked Maryland last week and should have beaten Michigan. They come into this game highly-confident. They will cover this spread on the road.
Iowa at Nebraska (+2.5) – My pick is Iowa Hawkeyes
Never count out a team needing a win to become bowl-eligible, but Iowa has their eyes on a much bigger prize. They are in the top-four in the College Football Playoff poll this week. They control their own destiny and need a big win to stay in the committee’s good graces. I’m taking Iowa to cover on the road.
Virginia Tech at Virginia (+3.5) – My pick is Virginia Cavaliers
This could be VT head coach Frank Beamer’s final game. They need one more win to become bowl-eligible. I like how Virginia has played the last few weeks. Their win against Duke was still surprising. Virginia’s run defense is a weakness, but I have faith the Cavaliers will play the role of spoiler this weekend. I’m taking the points.
Alabama at Auburn (+14) – My pick is Auburn Tigers
Weird things happen when these two teams face-off. Alabama has been dominating opponents since their loss against Ole Miss. Auburn hasn’t been that impressive this season, but this line seems a little high for such a huge rivalry game. I’m taking the points.
Notre Dame at Stanford (-4) – My pick is Stanford Cardinal
If Irish RB C.J. Prosise was healthy, I would probably pick Notre Dame in this game. I worry about Notre Dame’s ability to run the ball without him. Stanford is only the second true test the Irish have faced this season (they lost to Clemson earlier this year). Stanford is always a tough place to play for Notre Dame. They haven’t won in Palo Alto since 2007. I’m taking Stanford to cover and ruin Notre Dame’s shot at getting into the playoff.
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State (+6.5) – My pick is Oklahoma State Cowboys
Using the transitive property, Oklahoma should beat Oklahoma State since State lost to Baylor…a team Oklahoma beat just two weeks ago. The transitive property doesn’t really work in college football. The Cowboys were undefeated up until last week, so being nearly a touchdown underdog at home is a bit insulting. I’m taking the points.
Texas A&M at LSU (-5.5) – My pick is Texas A&M Aggies
The blueprint to beating LSU was shown to the world when Alabama beat the Tigers. LSU has since lost three games in a row. If you stop Leonard Fournette, LSU’s passing game can’t win games. A&M will use the same gameplan that Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss used the last few weeks. I’m taking the points in this game.
Ole Miss at Mississippi State (+1) – My pick is Mississippi State Bulldogs
Ole Miss is coming off a beating of LSU and Mississippi State won in a shootout against Arkansas. These two teams are quite even in many aspects. Ole Miss was thought to have one of the best defenses in the SEC coming into the season, but they’ve had their issues against good offenses. Dak Prescott will be the game changer in this game. I expect him to carry the Bulldogs to a win.
Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan (-24) – My pick is Central Michigan Chippewas
This is when we pick a smaller conference game. I love picking against Eastern Michigan. They’ve been horrible and almost as horrible against the spread. Central Michigan has been winning their yearly game against Eastern Michigan by a huge margin. I expect a similar score this season.
QUICK HITS
Navy at Houston (-1.5) – My pick is Houston
Tulsa at Tulane (+7) – My pick is Tulsa
Southern Mississippi at Louisiana Tech (-6) – My pick is La. Tech
Cincinnati at East Carolina (+1.5) – My pick is Cincinnati
North Carolina at NC State (+6) – My pick is North Carolina
UCLA at USC (-3.5) – My pick is UCLA
Northwestern at Illinois (+3.5) – My pick is Northwestern
Arizona State at California (-3.5) – My pick is California
Boston College at Syracuse (+3) – My pick is Boston College
Texas Tech at Texas (-1.5) – My pick is Texas Tech
Sweetbob’s college football picks against the spread record in previous seasons:
2013: 134-79-8
2014: 148-118-4
2015: 114-103-3
*These picks are for entertainment purposes
Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!
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.