I went 15-9-1 against the spread with my college football picks last week.
We are really in the heart of the conference schedules and we are seeing some big rivalry games pop up every weekend. The Penn State/Michigan game has a little extra importance this year since Michigan looks rather vulnerable.
There’s usually a really weird betting week that happens this time of the year. It seems like some weird things happen when seasons start to change and we get a slate of games full of upsets.
Will this be the Bizarro betting weekend?
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 8 of the 2019-20 NCAA Football season (October 19th, 2019). We also pick some smaller conference games.
Ohio State at Northwestern (+28) – My pick is Ohio State Buckeyes
How can a college team lose so much talent within a year? Northwestern was in the Big Ten Championship game last year and they are pretty damn bad this year. Their defense is okay, but their offense is not up to par. I expect Ohio State will get an early lead thanks to QB Justin Fields and then ride RB J.K. Dobbins the rest of the game. I expect Northwestern QB Aidan Smith will be running for his life and the Buckeyes may not need to score a ton of points to cover this large point spread.
Clemson at Louisville (+23.5) – My pick is Clemson Tigers
Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence has had a little bit of a sophomore slump (sort of), but his team is still undefeated. He hasn’t been lighting up the box score, but he’s still expected to be the #1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Louisville’s pass defense is pretty bad and Lawrence could pad his stats in this game. Clemson has beaten better teams by more and I expect them to cover this spread on the road.
Georgia Tech at Miami (FL) (-18) – My pick is Miami Hurricanes
Georgia Tech is perfectly defeated on the year against the spread. They have yet to win a game against the spread. They almost got their first win ATS last week, but missed it by a half-point versus Duke. Miami has been a bit up and down this season, but they should cover this spread. Their confidence has been shook since their slim win over Central Michigan. They should get their swagger back after a swift beating of Georgia Tech.
Purdue at Iowa (-18) – My pick is Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue is coming off a 40-14 win over Maryland. Freshman QB Jack Plummer really impressed me in the game as he threw for 420 yards and three touchdowns. He got off to a rough start as Purdue’s quarterback after QB Elijah Sindelar broke his collarbone almost a month ago. The Boilermakers don’t have much of a running game, so they need a strong passing game to compete. Iowa looked great early this season, but then ran into Michigan and Penn State. They are limping into this game and Purdue should make them fight for this win. The Hawkeyes may win this game, but I think the Boilermakers will keep it within the margin, so I’m taking the points.
LSU at Mississippi State (+18.5) – My pick is LSU Tigers
This line should probably be closer to 21, but I’m fine with getting a couple point cushion with my pick. LSU is coming off a 42-28 win at home versus Florida. LSU QB Joe Burrow is cementing his role as one of the better QBs in the SEC. He was helped greatly by RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who had one of the best games of his college career. Mississippi State hasn’t looked right all season. They are 3-3 on the season, but have been favored against the spread in all but one game and are 2-4 ATS for the year. They are coming off an embarrassing loss at Tennessee and LSU is the wrong team to face when you’re trying to fix offensive issues. LSU should cover on the road.
Minnesota at Rutgers (+28.5) – My pick is Minnesota Golden Gophers
In their last three games, Rutgers have been outscored by their opponents 135-7. They have quit on their team and are in an all-out free-fall since Rutgers fired their coach. Minnesota is coming off a 34-7 win at home against Nebraska, a competitive college football program. Rutgers plays Ohio State in a couple weeks, that point spread could be a record line.
Indiana at Maryland (+5.5) – My pick is Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana may not be the best of the best in the Big Ten, but they’ve been playing pretty well. Maryland started off the year with some big blowout wins, but they have been horrible in recent weeks. The Terrapins made Purdue’s freshman quarterback look like a potential Heisman candidate. Indiana’s offensive scheme is very frustrating for opposing defenses. It’s a no-huddle-like scheme and defenses can struggle as they just drive down the field. The Hoosiers should cover on the road.
Oregon at Washington (+2.5) – My pick is Oregon Ducks
Washington is a good team, but they have choked in every big game this year. They aren’t among the top teams in the Pac-12, where teams like Oregon currently sit. The Huskies will have a hard time against Oregon QB Justin Herbert. Washington usually wins games if they can force turnovers on defense and that is especially difficult with Herbert under center. I think Oregon will go into Husky Stadium and cover against the Huskies.
Baylor at Oklahoma State (-3.5) – My pick is Baylor Bears
Both teams are coming off close games against Texas Tech. Baylor won their game in overtime and OSU ended up losing by ten points. Baylor QB Charlie Brewer had a horrible game against Texas Tech. He didn’t throw a single interception this year until that game and he threw three versus Texas Tech. He did make up for it by rushing for three touchdowns in their overtime win. OSU has a very turnover-prone QB in Spencer Sanders. He has been awful since their Big 12 schedule began. He’s a freshman and he is struggling against some of the better teams. I think Baylor will exploit his inexperience and keep this game close, so I’m taking the points.
Northern Illinois at Miami (OH) (+1.5) – My pick is Northern Illinois Huskies
This is where we pick a game between smaller conference teams. Northern Illinois is usually in the upper echelon of the MAC, but they are having a rough season. They are still a good MAC team, but they started the year with some very tough games. They only won their second game of the year last week. Cal-transfer QB Ross Bowers did not have a great start at Northern Illinois, but he played very good against Ohio in their first MAC win. Miami (OH)’s defense is very bad and I expect the Huskies should be able to do whatever they want on offense. I’m taking the Huskies to cover on the road.
QUICK HITS
Marshall at FAU (-5.5) – My pick is FAU
Iowa State at Texas Tech (+7) – My pick is Iowa State
Houston at UConn (+21.5) – My pick is Houston
Central Michigan at Bowling Green (+11) – My pick is Central Michigan
Coastal Carolina at Georgia Southern (-6.5) – My pick is Georgia Southern
Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech (+1) – My pick is La Tech
Duke at Virginia (-3) – My pick is Duke
Temple at SMU (-7.5) – My pick is Temple
Charlotte at Western Kentucky (-9) – My pick is Western Kentucky
Kentucky at Georgia (-25) – My pick is Georgia
BONUS PICKS!
Michigan at Penn State (-9) – My pick is Penn State
Army at Georgia State (+6.5) – My pick is Georgia State
Tulane at Memphis (-4) – My pick is Tulane
Air Force at Hawaii (+2.5) – My pick is Air Force
Boise State at BYU (+6.5) – My pick is Boise State
Sweetbob’s college football picks against the spread record in previous seasons:
2013: 134-79-8
2014: 148-118-4
2015: 149-118-3
2016: 196-145-6
2017: 183-159-13
2018: 177-157-6
2019: 94-77-5
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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.