I went 14-11 against the spread last week.

I killed it in the early games on Saturday (again), but the late games really beat me up. I was 8-2 after the early games, so the late ones spanked me around.

We are seeing more conference games this week. The Big Ten and SEC are well underway with the conference portion of their schedule.

Can Wisconsin rebound from their embarrassing blowout loss last week?

Can Cincinnati knock off Notre Dame in South Bend?

We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 5 of the 2021-22 NCAA Football season (October 2nd, 2021).

Iowa at Maryland (+3) – My pick is Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa and Maryland are both 4-0 outright and 3-1 against the spread. Iowa is coming off a 24-13 win at home against Colorado State. The Hawkeyes were down 14-7 at halftime, but came back to win. Iowa may have been guilty of overlooking the Rams. Maryland is coming off a 37-16 win at home against Kent State. The Terrapins had full control the entire game. Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa has been great so far, but he hasn’t been tested. Iowa has an outstanding defense and should corral Tua’s little brother this week. I’m taking Iowa to cover on the road.

Michigan vs Wisconsin (-1) – My pick is Michigan Wolverines

Michigan is 4-0 outright and 3-1 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 20-13 win at home against an improved Rutgers team. Michigan just played efficient football, but a strong Rutgers second-half made the final score closer than the game should dictate. Wisconsin are 1-2 outright and against the spread. Wisconsin was on the worse end of a 41-13 loss against Notre Dame at Soldier Field. Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz was awful in the game as he failed to complete 50% of his passes and threw four interceptions. I think it could be time to think about a change at the position. I don’t have much faith in Mertz at the moment, so I’m taking the point here.

Texas at TCU (+5) – My pick is Texas Longhorns

Texas is 3-1 outright and against the spread this season. The Longhorns are coming off a 70-35 win at home against Texas Tech. Texas QB Casey Thompson had his best game of the season by eclipsing 300 yards passing and throwing five touchdowns (and running in another). Texas Christian is 2-1 outright and 0-2-1 against the spread on the year. They are coming off a 42-34 home loss to SMU. TCU could stop SMU’s rushing attack. The Mustangs just continued drives and put up points. Texas needs their defense to step up in this game. I think they can win and cover if they can make a few late stops, so I’m taking the Longhorns to cover.

Arkansas at Georgia (-18.5) – My pick is Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas is 4-0 outright and against the spread this season. They are coming off a 20-10 win at home against Texas A&M. Razorbacks QB K.J. Jefferson is playing like a winner right now. He’s a little banged up after getting hit in the knee last week, but is expected to play. Georgia is 4-0 outright and 3-1 against the spread. The Bulldogs are coming off a 62-0 drubbing of Vanderbilt. The Commodores are short on overall talent this year and Georgia took advantage of that. Georgia will most likely win this game, but Arkansas has been playing well above preseason expectations. I think they will keep this within two touchdowns and I’m taking the points.

Cincinnati at Notre Dame (+2.5) – My pick is Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Cincinnati is 3-0 outright and 2-1 against the spread. They are coming off a bye week. The Bearcats are one of the best non-Power Conference teams in the country. Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder has the skills to play at the next level. Notre Dame is 4-0 outright and are 2-2 against the spread this season. They are coming off an impressive 41-13 win over Wisconsin at Soldier Field. The game was neck-and-neck until the fourth quarter. The Irish outscored the Badgers 31-3 in the final quarter. Notre Dame scored two pick-six touchdowns and a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to seal the win. ND QB Jack Coan suffered an ankle injury in the game. His status is currently listed as probable. This game should be a fun one to watch. I think it will be tight and I’ll take the points.

Oklahoma at Kansas State (+10.5) – My pick is Kansas State Wildcats

Oklahoma is 4-0 outright and only 1-3 against the spread. They have yet to cover a game against an FBS team. They are coming off a 16-13 home win over West Virginia. The crowd started to get restless at points and boos were directed at QB Spencer Rattler. Kansas State are 3-1 outright and 2-2 against the spread. They are coming off a 31-20 loss on the road against Oklahoma State. The Wildcats have had trouble at quarterback after QB Skylar Thompson went down with a leg injury that has kept him out for most of the season. Their ground game has stepped up to keep them in games. I think they will do that again and keep up with Oklahoma’s slow-moving offense. I’m taking the points.

Mississippi at Alabama (-14.5) – My pick is Alabama Crimson Tide

Ole Miss is 3-0 outright and 2-0-1 against the spread this year. They are coming off a bye week. They currently average the most yards from scrimmage per game in the entire country. Their offense is fun to watch. Alabama is 4-0 outright and 2-2 against the spread on the year. They are coming off a 63-14 win at home over Southern Miss. Bama QB Bryce Young is fantastic and might be their most promising NFL-level talent at quarterback. I’m impressed by him that much. Ole Miss may put up crooked numbers against teams like Tulane and Austin Peay, but I don’t see them scoring at-will against Alabama. I’m taking the Crimson Tide to cover at home.

Oregon at Stanford (+8) – My pick is Oregon Ducks

Oregon is 4-0 outright and just 1-3 against the spread. Their only cover was in their 35-28 upset win over Ohio State. They are coming off a 41-19 home win against Arizona. They need a strong fourth quarter to pull away from the Wildcats. Stanford is 2-2 outright and against the spread. They are coming off a 35-24 home loss against UCLA. The Bruins are a tough team to defend, so it’s not a bad loss. Cardinal QB Tanner McKee had his best game of the year. He threw for 293 yards and rushed for another 42. He has been careful with the ball as he hasn’t tossed an interception yet this season. This line could be close, but I’m taking Oregon to sneak out a cover in this game.

Florida at Kentucky (+8.5) – My pick is Kentucky Wildcats

Florida is 3-1 outright and 2-2 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 38-14 blowout win over Tennessee. The Gators played a complete game in that one. QB Emory Jones had the best game of his college career. Kentucky is 4-0 outright and 3-1 against the spread. They are coming off a 16-10 road win over South Carolina. The Wildcats haven’t been winning pretty, but that hasn’t been their style under head coach Mark Stoops. They lean on their defense more than most in the SEC. Kentucky is 3-0-1 versus Florida against the spread since 2017. I doubt Kentucky will get the outright win against Florida, but they should keep it much closer than their 34-10 defeat last season. I’m taking the points.

Army at Ball State (+7.5) – My pick is Army Black Knights

This is the section where I pick a smaller conference game. Army is 4-0 outright and 2-2 against the spread. They are second in the country in rushing yards per game (344.5). They are coming off a 23-10 home win over Miami of Ohio. Ball State is 1-3 outright and are winless against the spread this season. It saddens me to see my alma mater so damn bad. They were horrible when I attended and it looks like we are headed for some lean years. They are coming off a 22-12 home loss to Toledo. The Cardinals are prone to give up some big plays on the ground and Army is the absolute worst opponent for them right now. Army should easily cover this one in Muncie.

QUICK HITS

BYU at Utah State (+8.5) – My pick is BYU

Minnesota at Purdue (-2.5) – My pick is Purdue

Tennessee at Missouri (-3) – My pick is Missouri

Baylor at Oklahoma State (-3.5) – My pick is Oklahoma State

Boston College at Clemson (-16) – My pick is Boston College

Mississippi State at Texas A&M (-7) – My pick is Mississippi State

Indiana at Penn State (-12.5) – My pick is Indiana

Western Kentucky at Michigan State (-10.5) – My pick is Michigan State

Washington at Oregon State (-2.5) – My pick is Oregon State

Arizona State at UCLA (-3.5) – My pick is UCLA

BONUS PICKS!

Air Force at New Mexico (+10.5) – My pick is Air Force

Liberty at UAB (-2) – My pick is Liberty 

Marshall at Middle Tennessee (+10) – My pick is Marshall

Appalachian State at Georgia State (+10) – My pick is App State

Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois (-2.5) – My pick is Eastern Michigan

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: 170-160-5
2021: 51-47-2

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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.