I went 17-8 against the spread last week.

I had my best betting week of the college football season. I started the season with a couple rough-to-average weeks, but have been racking up wins more down the stretch.

The Big Ten has some big games this week. Michigan at Michigan State, Penn State at Ohio State and Iowa at Wisconsin are all must-watch games.

I’m keeping an eye on Florida State at Clemson. It’s a must-win for Clemson as they’re struggling right now. I think Florida State has a shot at the upset.

We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 9 of the 2021-22 NCAA Football season (October 30th, 2021).

Michigan at Michigan State (+4.5) – My pick is Michigan State Spartans

Michigan is 7-0 outright and 6-1 against the spread this season. They are coming off a dominant 33-7 home win against Northwestern. The Wolverines are much better than last year, but their overall record has been helped by a light schedule. We will know more about the talent level of this team over the next few games. Michigan State is 7-0 outright and 5-0-2 against the spread. They are coming off a bye week, and in their previous game, they beat IU 20-15. MSU RB Kenneth Walker III didn’t have a great game against the Hoosiers, but should bounce-back this week. The Wolverines defense looks great on paper, but Walker will be the best running back they’ve faced so far this year. If Walker can crack 150+yards, I think the Spartans have a shot to win this game outright, so I’m taking the points.

Texas at Baylor (-3) – My pick is Baylor Bears

Texas is 4-3 outright and against the spread this season. They are coming off a 32-24 home loss to Oklahoma State. It was the second-straight game the Longhorns lost after having a double-digit lead in the second-half. I really don’t know what to say about them or than their defense needs to step up this week. Baylor is 6-1 outright and 5-2 against the spread. They are coming off a 38-24 home win against BYU. OSU RB Abram Smith carried the team with 188 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Bears can hang with any team in the country when their defense stuffs the run. I think Baylor will limit Texas RB Bijan Robinson and cover at home.

Iowa at Wisconsin (-3) – My pick is Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa is 6-1 outright and 5-2 against the spread. They are coming off a bye week, and in their previous game, they were upset 24-7 at home against Purdue. Iowa QB Spencer Petras threw four interceptions and no touchdowns, by far his worst performance at Iowa. Wisconsin is 4-3 outright and 3-4 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 30-13 road win against Purdue. The Badgers have turned into a run-first team since some early disastrous games from QB Graham Mertz. It has been a smart decision and have turned their season around. Iowa has maybe the best defense in the Big Ten and their run defense is among the best in the country. Purdue upset them with an up-tempo passing offense, which exploited some cracks in their defense. Iowa will bounce-back and could win this game outright, so I’m taking the points.

Georgia vs Florida (+14) – My pick is Florida Gators

This game is being played at a neutral site, TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Georgia is 7-0 outright and 5-2 against the spread. They are coming off a bye week, and in their previous game, they beat Kentucky 30-13. QB J.T. Daniels is still dealing with a bank injury and his status is in the air. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart will have a difficult decision if Daniels is healthy enough to start. Backup QB Stetson Bennett has been great in his absence. My gut says that Bennett will get the start in this game. Florida is 4-3 outright and 3-4 against the spread this season. They are coming off a bye week, and in their previous game, they lost to LSU 49-42. The Gators have been a little too loose with the football lately. Florida has a pair of talented quarterbacks, but they combined for four interceptions against LSU. Georgia may have the best defense in the country and those kinds of mistakes will destroy any shot of keeping this game close. Georgia is the better team, but I think Florida will keep it within 14 points with a garbage-time score. I’m taking the points.

Minnesota at Northwestern (+7.5) – My pick is Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota is 5-2 outright and 4-2-1 against the spread. They are coming off a 34-16 home win over Maryland. The Gophers started the year a bit rough with losses to Ohio State and Bowling Green, but they’ve fixed their issues on offense. They’ve been able to move the ball better in their last two games. Northwestern is 3-4 outright and 2-5 against the spread. They are coming off a 33-7 road loss to Michigan. The Wildcats haven’t been able to hang with good teams this year. They were embarrassed in their 56-7 loss to Nebraska earlier this month. Minnesota should be able to run the ball through Northwestern’s front-seven all day. I’m taking Minnesota to cover on the road.

Florida State at Clemson (-10.5) – My pick is Florida State Seminoles

Florida State is 3-4 outright and against the spread this season. They are coming off a 59-3 blowout home win against lowly UMass. The Seminoles have won three-straight games for the first time in a few years. FSU QB Jordan Travis is mobile and can make throws when needed. Clemson is 4-3 outright and 0-7 against the spread. They are coming off a 27-17 road loss to Pitt. Their offense just seems broken right now. They benched QB D.J. Uiagalelei in that game, but backup QB Taisun Phommachanh wasn’t much better. Clemson may squeak out a win here, but Florida State could upset them outright, so I’m taking the points.

SMU at Houston (-2) – My pick is SMU Mustangs

SMU is 7-0 outright and 5-2 against the spread. They are coming off a 55-26 home win over Tulane. Southern Methodist QB Tanner Mordecai is putting together a pretty good season. He has thrown 29 passes with just 7 interceptions. Houston is 6-1 outright and 4-3 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 31-24 overtime home win against East Carolina. If you can force Houston to become one-dimensional, they are beatable. Houston has also given up a couple big passing games to opposing quarterbacks this season. SMU matches up well against Houston and I think they could win outright, so I’m taking the points.

Kentucky at Mississippi State (+1) – My pick is Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky is 6-1 outright and against the spread this season. They are coming off a bye week, and in their previous game, suffered their first loss of the year losing 30-13 at Georgia. Most thought Kentucky would be in the running for a secondary SEC bowl game this year, but they have been better than even the loftiest of expectations. Their defense is among the best in the conference, but they are usually a bit overmatched on offense. Mississippi State is 4-3 outright and 3-4 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 45-6 road win over Vanderbilt. They live and die by the pass under head coach Mike Leach. It’s not unusual for QB Will Rogers to throw the ball 50+ times in a game. Kentucky’s pass defense is outstanding and could force Rogers into some bad throws. I’m taking Kentucky to cover on the road.

North Carolina at Notre Dame (-3.5) – My pick is Notre Dame Fighting Irish

North Carolina is 4-3 outright and 3-4 against the spread. They are coming off their bye week, and in their previous game, they beat Miami (FL) 45-42. The Tar Heels offense was expected to be pass-heavy this season with star QB Sam Howell expected to forego next season to enter the NFL Draft. That may still happen for the young man, but they’ve handcuffed him a little since their loss to Florida State. They are running the ball more and I expect RB Ty Chandler and Howell to combine for 200+ yards on Saturday. Notre Dame is 6-1 outright and 4-3 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 31-16 home win over USC. Irish QB Jack Coan played smart football against the Trojans. Also, RB Kyren Williams had his best game of the season. I expect this game will have a similar outcome. I could see the Irish winning by ten points at home.

Hawaii at Utah State (-5.5) – My pick is Utah State Aggies

This is the section where I pick a smaller conference game. I usually pick a MAC conference game here, but I changed it up and went out West. Hawaii is 4-4 outright and 3-5 against the spread. They are coming off a 48-34 home win over New Mexico State. The Rainbow Warriors had their best game on the ground which saw RB Dedrick Parson rushing for 161 yards and three touchdowns. Utah State is 5-2 outright and 4-3 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 26-24 home win over Colorado State. They’ve had a knack for winning close games, but other than their 48-24 win over North Dakota, their biggest victory has only been four points. These teams are close on talent, but Hawaii hasn’t played great on the road this year. I’m betting on the their road issues affecting their play on Saturday and I’m taking Utah State to cover.

QUICK HITS

Indiana at Maryland (-5) – My pick is Maryland

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (-4) – My pick is Georgia Tech

Missouri at Vanderbilt (+16) – My pick is Missouri

Boston College at Syracuse (-6.5) – My pick is Syracuse

TCU at Kansas State (-3) – My pick is TCU

Navy at Tulsa (-11) – My pick is Navy

Boise State at Colorado State (+2.5) – My pick is Colorado State

Penn State at Ohio State (-18.5) – My pick is Ohio State

UCLA at Utah (-6.5) – My pick is UCLA

Fresno State at San Diego State (-1) – My pick is SDSU

BONUS PICKS!

Bowling Green at Buffalo (-13.5) – My pick is Buffalo

Virginia at BYU (-2.5) – My pick is Virginia

Iowa State at West Virginia (+7) – My pick is Iowa State

Wyoming at San Jose State (-3) – My pick is San Jose State

Cincinnati at Tulane (-11) – My pick is Cincinnati

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: 107-90-4

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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.