I went 13-10 against the spread last week.
There have already been a handful of games cancelled due to COVID-19, and I expect many more will fall into that category before Saturday.
I was really looking forward to the now-cancelled Indiana/Purdue and Ohio State/Michigan games, but for very different reasons. I wanted to see more from IU’s backup quarterback and also see Ohio State blowout a bad Michigan team.
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 15 of the 2020-21 NCAA Football season (December 12th, 2020).
Utah at Colorado (-2) – My pick is Colorado Buffaloes
Utah had a late-start to the season after a couple game cancellations due to COVID-19. They’ve also had to call QB Jake Bentley’s number after losing starting QB Cameron Rising for the season. Colorado will focus on running the ball against Utah. They’ve had a lot of success with RB Jarek Broussard carrying the ball. I’m taking Colorado to cover.
Oklahoma at West Virginia (+14) – My pick is Oklahoma Sooners
West Virginia is coming off a 42-6 loss to Iowa State. They just couldn’t stop anything Iowa State was doing on offense. That game could be an aberration, but if they struggled against Iowa State, they will struggle against Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler. I’m taking the Sooners to cover this weekend.
Wisconsin at Iowa (+1.5) – My pick is Iowa Hawkeyes
What the hell happened to Wisconsin’s offense? They only scored 13 points combined in their last two games. It wasn’t like they were facing a top-tier defenses, Indiana and Northwestern are both good on that side of the ball, but you would expect the Badgers would at least crack double-digits. I’ve liked Iowa all year and think they are underrated and will most likely win this game.
USC at UCLA (+2.5) – My pick is USC Trojans
USC started their shortened season with back-to-back nail-biters against Arizona State and Arizona. They followed those up with two decisive wins (and covers) against Utah and Washington State, solid teams. UCLA’s pass defense is a tad below average. I expect a big game from USC QB Kedon Slovis. The Trojans should cover this one.
Virginia at Virginia Tech (-3) – My pick is Virginia Cavaliers
The Hokies defense is beyond horrible right now. It would shock me if this game was close. I realize this is a rivalry game, but Virginia has improved as the season moved along and Tech has nosedived in recent weeks. I’m easily taking the points in this one.
California at Washington State (+2.5) – My pick is Washington State Cougars
It’s hard to handicap this game since we have seen so little of these teams. Cal opened the year with a bad 34-10 loss to UCLA, but have played a lot better since. They are coming off a 21-17 upset win at home against Oregon. I think this will end up being a letdown game for the Golden Bears. Washington State may not have looked very good in their loss at USC, but I think they will be able to hang with Cal. This game will be close, so I’m taking the points.
Minnesota at Nebraska (-10.5) – My pick is Minnesota Golden Gophers
I thought Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan could leap into a possible NFL Draft discussion with a big year. That hasn’t happened for him this year since he lost most of his receivers to graduation and the draft. The Gophers offense has taken a hit and their record shows just that. I think they are good enough to keep this game within double-digits. I don’t think the Cornhuskers can extend and keep a lead of that amount. I’m taking the points.
Georgia at Missouri (+13) – My pick is Georgia Bulldogs
Missouri’s win-loss record is rather bloated. If you look at their schedule, you’d realize that they’ve had an easy path through the SEC. They have played nearly every bottom-tier team in the conference. Georgia has been dealing with some injuries and QB JT Daniels the last two games and their offense has improved. Georgia should cover this one on Saturday.
Coastal Carolina at Troy (+13.5) – My pick is Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Coastal Carolina is coming off their biggest win in program history. They took a game against BYU on short-notice and won 22-17. Their defense surprised me in that one. I knew they were good, but I didn’t expect them to limit BYU to 17 points. I don’t think Troy will be able to stop the Chanticleers running game. They haven’t stopped running backs all season, so I don’t think they will start this week.
Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan (-6) – My pick is Eastern Michigan Eagles
Eastern Michigan is coming off a shoot-out win over rival Western Michigan. QB Preston Hutchinson bounced-back from a disastrous outing against Central Michigan. He threw three touchdowns and threw for 315 yards against Western. Northern Illinois does matchup well against Eastern Michigan, but I just liked what I saw from EMU last week. I think they made some adjustments on offense and should have success against Northern Illinois. I’m taking EMU to cover at home.
QUICK HITS
Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech (+7) – My pick is Pitt
Arizona State at Arizona (+11) – My pick is Arizona
Akron at Buffalo (-32.5) – My pick is Buffalo
Rutgers at Maryland (-7.5) – My pick is Rutgers
Illinois at Northwestern (-14) – My pick is Illinois
Wake Forest at Louisville (-1.5) – My pick is Wake Forest
Navy at Army (-7) – My pick is Army
Central Michigan at Toledo (-11) – My pick is Toledo
North Carolina at Miami (FL) (-3) – My pick is Miami (FL)
LSU at Florida (-22) – My pick is Florida
BONUS PICKS!
Florida Atlantic at Southern Miss (+8.5) – My pick is FAU
North Texas at UTEP (+10.5) – My pick is UTEP
Nevada vs San Jose State (-2.5) – My pick is San Jose State
Western Michigan at Ball State (-2.5) – My pick is Western Michigan
Miami (OH) at Bowling Green (+24) – My pick is Miami (OH)
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: 147-140-2
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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.