I went 14-11 against the spread last week.
I had another rough stretch during the early games on Saturday, but the Pac-12 pulled me above .500 and above.
Iowa had the worst defeat of the week when they were smoked by Purdue at home. It was surprising and few really had that one which would have been a huge moneyline win.
There aren’t any championship-altering games this week. We have some rivalry games like USC vs Notre Dame, which should be a fun watch.
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 8 of the 2021-22 NCAA Football season (October 23rd, 2021).
Clemson at Pittsburgh (-3) – My pick is Pittsburgh Panthers
Clemson is 4-2 outright and 0-6 against the spread. They are coming off a close 17-14 road win against Syracuse. It’s clear that Clemson is falling far from expectations as they haven’t covered a single game this season. Their offense is sluggish and haven’t scored more than 21 points in five of their six games. Pitt is 5-1 outright and against the spread this season. They are coming off a 28-7 road win against Virginia Tech. Their defense has really turned it up since their upset loss to Western Michigan last month. Clemson will probably cover a game this season, but they don’t match up well against Pitt. I don’t see them cracking 21 points in this one either. I’m taking Pitt to cover at home.
Mississippi State at Vanderbilt (+20.5) – My pick is Vanderbilt Commodores
Mississippi State is 3-3 outright and 2-4 against the spread. They are coming off a 49-9 blowout home loss to Alabama. They have struggled to compete against other SEC teams so far this season. MSU QB Will Rogers threw 300+ yards, but threw three picks in the loss. He also injured his shoulder in the loss. Vanderbilt is 2-5 outright and against the spread. They are coming off a 21-20 road loss to South Carolina. They were 19-point underdogs in that game. I think Vandy will be competitive against average SEC teams, but since they start their SEC schedule against Georgia and Florida, they are undervalued right now. I’m taking the points in this one.
USC at Notre Dame (-6.5) – My pick is Notre Dame Fighting Irish
USC is 3-3 outright and against the spread. They had last week off and lost 42-26 to Utah in their previous game. They had trouble stopping the run against the Utes. They’ve had issues with that this season. Notre Dame is 5-1 outright and 3-3 against the spread. They also had last week off and they beat Virginia Tech 32-29 in their last game. They need to figure out their quarterback situation (they just named QB Jack Coan the starter). They have three quarterbacks that have shown signs of being a solid starting option, but they’ve all also struggled at times. I don’t know the answer to their situation as all three quarterbacks have their faults. I’m expecting a big game from Irish RB Kyren Williams. I’m taking Notre Dame to cover at home.
Ohio State at Indiana (+20) – My pick is Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State is 5-1 outright and 3-2-1 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 66-17 home win against Maryland. They’ve been consistently blowing out opponents since they lost to Oregon in Week 2. Buckeyes QB C.J. Stroud started the year slow, but he has thrown ten touchdowns in the last two games. Indiana is 2-4 outright and 1-5 against the spread. They are coming off a 20-15 home loss to Michigan State. The Hoosiers started QB Jack Tuttle in place of injured Michael Penix Jr. He didn’t impress many in the outing as he barely completed over 50% with two interceptions. It looks like they will need to go with Tuttle again in this game. I expect the Hoosiers will struggle to move the ball on Saturday. Michigan State could have extended a big lead if they were able to convert a few third downs. Ohio State will cover this one in Bloomington.
Kansas State at Texas Tech (-1) – My pick is Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State is 3-3 outright and against the spread. They are coming off a 33-20 home loss to Iowa State. The game was more of a blowout than the final score would suggest since KSU scored two touchdowns late in the game. Texas Tech is 5-2 outright and 4-3 against the spread. They are coming off a 41-14 road win against Kansas. The game was out-of-hand early as the Jayhawks are one of the worst teams in a Power Five conference. This game should be a close one. They are both a middle-of-the-road Big 12 team with flaws on defense. I like Kansas State QB Skylar Thompson and think he will be the difference, so I’m taking the points here.
LSU at Mississippi (-9) – My pick is LSU Tigers
LSU is 4-3 outright and 3-4 against the spread. They are coming off a 49-42 home win against Florida. They also made news the day after the win when head coach Ed Ogeron and LSU came to a agreement to part ways after the season. It was odd timing after an upset win. Ole Miss is 5-1 outright and 3-2-1 against the spread. They are coming off a 31-26 road win against Tennessee. Ole Miss QB Matt Corral is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is listed as doubtful. If Corral can’t play, true freshman Luke Altmyer will start in his place. Corral is the reason Ole Miss is a bowl team this season. The offense will take a huge step backwards with Altmyer under center. I’m taking the points in this game.
Wisconsin at Purdue (+3) – My pick is Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin is 3-3 outright and 2-4 against the spread. They are coming off a 20-14 home win against Army. They’ve decided to turn to a run-first offense as QB Graham Mertz struggled early this season. He is only throwing the 15-20 times a game now. The Badgers are having some success with this change. Purdue is 4-2 outright and 3-3 against the spread. They are coming off a surprise road win against #2 Iowa. Purdue forced Iowa QB Spencer Petras into throwing four interceptions. The Boilermakers defense is underrated and the under has hit in all six of their games. Purdue doesn’t stop the run well and haven’t faced any strong running teams. This will be a huge test and if the Badgers spam the run, I think they will keep it close and cover on the road.
Oregon at UCLA (-2) – My pick is UCLA Bruins
Oregon is 5-1 outright and 1-5 against the spread. They are coming off a 24-17 home win against California. Oregon RB Travis Dye had his best game of the season with 149 rushing yards in the win. UCLA is 5-2 outright and against the spread. UCLA is coming off a 24-17 road win against Washington. UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson has really excelled in head coach Chip Kelly’s offense. We saw glimpses last season, but he has put it all together in 2021. This will be a close game, but UCLA has been the more impressive team of late, so I’m taking the Bruins.
Oklahoma State at Iowa State (-7) – My pick is Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State is 6-0 outright and 4-2 against the spread. They are coming off a 32-24 road win against Texas. It was the second game in-a-row that Texas shit the bed in the second-half. Oklahoma State’s running game is among the best in the Big 12. Iowa State is 4-2 outright and 3-3 against the spread. They are coming off a 33-20 road win against Kansas State. They dominated the first three quarters and gave up some garbage time points in the fourth. This point spread is a little bloated. This will be a close one, so I’m taking the points.
Miami (OH) at Ball State (-6) – My pick is Miami (Ohio) RedHawks
This is the section where I pick a smaller conference game. Miami (Ohio) is 3-4 outright and 2-5 against the spread. They are coming off a 34-21 home win against Akron. They have struggled against the spread this season and are 1-4 in their last five games. Ball State is 4-3 outright and 3-4 against the spread. They are coming off a 38-31 road win against Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals struggled to open the year, but QB Drew Plitt has thrown seven touchdowns and no interceptions in his last three games. If this spread was -3 or less, I’d probably take Ball State, but it’s a tad bloated after three-straight covers. These teams are really close in talent level. I’m taking the points in this one.
QUICK HITS
BYU at Washington State (+4.5) – My pick is BYU
Western Kentucky at FIU (+14.5) – My pick is Western Kentucky
Georgia Tech at Virginia (-7) – My pick is Georgia Tech
Wake Forest at Army (+3) – My pick is Wake Forest
Oklahoma at Kansas (+38) – My pick is Oklahoma
Colorado State at Utah State (+3.5) – My pick is Utah State
Nevada at Fresno State (-3) – My pick is Fresno State
NC State at Miami (FL) (+3) – My pick is NC State
West Virginia at TCU (-4.5) – My pick is West Virginia
Tennessee at Alabama (-24.5) – My pick is Alabama
BONUS PICKS!
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan (-5) – My pick is Northern Illinois
San Diego State at Air Force (-3.5) – My pick is San Diego State
Texas-San Antonio at Louisiana Tech (+7) – My pick is UTSA
Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green (+3) – My pick is Eastern Michigan
Colorado at California (-8.5) – My pick is Colorado
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: 90-81-4
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.