I went 10-13 against the spread last week.
There were well over a dozen games cancelled last week, but as of Wednesday night, there are only a few at this time, but that is most likely subject to change.
The first College Football Playoff rankings were released this week. Alabama tops the list with Notre Dame, Clemson, Ohio State and Texas A&M follow in that order.
Can Notre Dame stay among the top teams and win (and cover) against North Carolina?
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 13 of the 2020-21 NCAA Football season (November 28st, 2020).
Iowa State at Texas (+1.5) – My pick is Texas Longhorns
It’s really hard to pick against Iowa State after the beatdown they laid on Kansas State. You have to remember that this year’s KSU team isn’t on the same level as the top Big 12 teams this season. ISU QB Brock Purdy will have a much tougher time against the Longhorns defense. Texas has been winning ugly this season, but the market is now helping Texas in this one. This game should probably be Texas -3, but Iowa State’s blowout win has swayed a lot of bets. I’m taking the Longhorns in this one.
Notre Dame at North Carolina (+5.5) – My pick is Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame have covered back-to-back games and are coming off a bye week. The Irish have been able to beat up on ACC teams this year. They had that one close game against Louisville (and their overtime win over Clemson), but they’ve been able to consistently win by double-digits this season. Irish QB Ian Book has improved as a passer and they can lean on him to make throws when pressured. I’ll always have loved to UNC QB Sam Howell, but he will have trouble against the Irish defense. The Tar Heels haven’t played many good teams this year and this game will show how too the Tar Heels are right now. I don’t trust UNC’s defense against Notre Dame. The Irish should win this game by at least a touchdown on Friday.
Penn State at Michigan (-2) – My pick is Michigan Wolverines
It’s difficult to handicap either of these teams since they’ve played at such a lower level than everyone expected this season. Penn State comes into this game winless and are 0-5 against the spread as well. Their running game is inconsistent and they’ve suffered injuries to their backfield. I don’t think they have an answer at running back on the team right now. Michigan has about the same level of offense as they’ve had the last few seasons, but their defense really took a shit this year. They’ve given up at least 42 points in back-to-back games. Their offense played better when they promoted QB Cade McNamara to starter against Rutgers. I don’t think Penn State’s offense is good enough to take advantage of Michigan’s defensive liabilities. I’m taking Michigan to cover at home.
Auburn at Alabama (-24.5) – My pick is Alabama Crimson Tide
Auburn/Alabama meetings are usually close, but Alabama has been smoking opponents of late. They could be without head coach Nick Saban, who tested positive for COVID-19 (an early positive test weeks ago was a false positive). The Tigers would need a huge game from QB Bo Nix and I don’t see that happening right now. Alabama’s defense has improved after starting the year with a couple underwhelming performances. I’m taking Alabama to cover this week.
Oklahoma at West Virginia (+11) – My pick is West Virginia Mountaineers
This will be a test for young QB Spencer Rattler. The Mountaineers defense is one of the better defenses in the Big 12. The Sooners have faced some of the weaker Big 12 teams in recent weeks. West Virginia is very underrated in my eyes and gets overlooked amongst some of the more flashy offensive teams in the conference. This will be closer than people expect, so I’m taking the points.
LSU at Texas A&M (-14.5) – My pick is Texas A&M Aggies
I’m not sold that LSU’s defense can stop A&M right now. Aggies QB Kellen Mond has improved so much this season that LSU would need a near-perfect effort on defense. The Tigers just don’t have the personnel after the NFL Draft took a ton of talent from the team this offseason. LSU might be able to keep it close, but A&M should pull away in the second-half and cover.
Vanderbilt at Missouri (-14) – My pick is Vanderbilt Commodores
Vandy was supposed to play Tennessee, but after that game was cancelled, they scheduled Missouri on short-notice. I usually take the points when two bad SEC teams play and there’s a double-digit point spread. Vandy started the season looking like the worst SEC team by a mile. They’ve turned things around lately and have been competitive against teams like Mississippi State and Kentucky. Hell, last week’s 38-17 loss to Florida was far from what was expected. I want to point the finger at Vandy QB Ken Seals as to why the Commodores have been playing a little better. I think they will hang with Missouri and I’m taking the points.
Stanford at California (-1.5) – My pick is Stanford Cardinal
Stanford turned to QB Davis Mills in the last game and lost at home to Colorado 35-32. I was impressed with his arm, but he needed to be a little more accurate if the Cardinal wants to throw 40+ times per game. I expect that they will try to run the ball a little more against Cal. I didn’t expect much Golden Bears QB Chase Garbers this season and he hasn’t surprised me yet. He’s good enough to hang with average Pac 12 teams, but he’s going to get exposed against teams like Oregon. This game will probably be close, but I like Stanford as whole and think they will have a chance to win this game outright, so I’m taking the points.
Nebraska at Iowa (-13.5) – My pick is Iowa Hawkeyes
Nebraska’s offense will have a hell of a time against Iowa. The Hawkeyes might have the second-best defense in the Big Ten this year. They’ve easily covered their last three games by a huge margin. The Cornhuskers have an issue at quarterback and I don’t think any on their roster will put up much of a fight against the Hawkeyes. I’m taking Iowa to cover at home.
Northern Illinois at Western Michigan (-20) – My pick is Western Michigan Broncos
During non-COVID season, this is the where I usually pick a MAC game. I decided to go back to that format since the MAC is back going again. Northern Illinois has been pretty darn bad in the few games they’ve played this year. They are nowhere near the same talent level as some of their past squads. NIU QB Ross Bowers has been in college forever and he just isn’t the answer for the Huskies. Western Michigan should run up the score on Northern Illinois and expect a big game from RB La’Darius Jefferson. I’m taking Western Michigan to cover.
QUICK HITS
Nevada at Hawaii (+7) – My pick is Nevada
Miami (OH) at Akron (+14) – My pick is Miami (OH)
Kent State at Buffalo (-7.5) – My pick is Buffalo
Bowling Green at Ohio (-24) – My pick is Bowling Green
Oregon at Oregon State (+13.5) – My pick is Oregon State
Central Florida at South Florida (+24.5) – My pick is UCF
UMass at Liberty (-37) – My pick is Liberty
Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan (+7) – My pick is Central Michigan
Arizona at UCLA (-10.5) – My pick is Arizona
Duke at Georgia Tech (pk) – My pick is Duke
BONUS PICKS!
Troy at Appalachian State (-13.5) – My pick is Appalachian State
South Alabama at Arkansas State (-6.5) – My pick is Arkansas State
FAU at Middle Tennessee (+6.5) – My pick is Florida Atlantic
North Texas at Texas-San Antonio (-3) – My pick is UTSA
Georgia Southern at Georgia State (+1.5) – My pick is Georgia 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: 187-141-8
2020: 122-119-2
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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.