I went 15-10 against the spread last week.
I had an alright week against the spread, but Purdue really let me down. They were playing so darn well and they just hit a wall against Ohio State. It was ugly and my hail may Purdue moneyline play was a lost cause by the end of the first quarter.
After a week of weak SEC games, there are a few solid games to watch this week. Arkansas at Alabama is one many are looking forward to, but the Razorbacks secondary could fold early.
Can Michigan State upset Ohio State on Saturday?
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 12 of the 2021-22 NCAA Football season (November 20th, 2021).
Iowa State at Oklahoma (-4) – My pick is Oklahoma Sooners
Iowa State is 6-4 outright and 4-6 against the spread. They are coming off a 41-38 road loss to Texas Tech. Iowa State defense couldn’t stop in Texas Tech in the first-half and QB Brock Purdy couldn’t complete the comeback. Oklahoma is 9-1 outright and 4-6 against the spread. They are coming off a 27-14 road loss to Baylor. OU QB Caleb Williams had a rough outing against an underrated Baylor team. Iowa State is a tough opponent for Oklahoma, but the Cyclones aren’t great on the road. Also, the Sooners have enough playmakers on offense to keep up with Purdy. I’m taking the Sooners to cover at home.
Florida State at Boston College (-1.5) – My pick is Boston College Eagles
Florida State is 4-6 outright and against the spread this season. They are coming off a 31-28 home win against Miami (FL). The Seminoles offense jumps up a few levels when QB Jordan Travis is in the game. He is dynamic and versatile at quarterback. Boston College is 6-4 outright and against the spread this season. They are coming off a 41-30 road win over Georgia Tech. Boston College also had an offensive improvement with a quarterback change. QB Phil Jurkovec came back from injury and the improved offense has led to back-to-back wins. Florida State has improved over the course of the season, but they are still inconsistent. The Seminoles could be a real player next season, but they are a few playmakers short this year. Boston College should cover at home.
Wake Forest at Clemson (-4.5) – My pick is Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest is 9-1 outright and 5-5 against the spread. The Demon Deacons are coming off a 45-42 home win over NC State. Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman is a very good quarterback and his passing offense is among the best in the country, but he has been a big reckless with the ball in his last two games. They have been one of the most surprising teams this year. Clemson is 7-3 outright and 2-8 against the spread this year. They are coming off a 44-7 home win against UConn. It was the first time since Week 2 that Clemson’s offense looked somewhat good. The Huskies are one of the worst teams in the country, so you can’t glean much from that win. Wake Forest’s offense is just so much better than Clemson right now. I don’t feel that QB D.J. Uiagalelei is the right fit for Clemson. I’m taking the points in this one.
Michigan State at Ohio State (-19) – My pick is Ohio State Buckeyes
Michigan State is 9-1 outright and 7-1-2 against the spread. They are coming off a 40-21 home win over Maryland. MSU RB Kenneth Walker III has racked up over 1,500 combined yards this season and 18 touchdowns. He should be invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony, at the very least. Ohio State Is 9-1 outright and 5-4-1 against the spread this season. They are coming off an impressive 59-31 win at home against Purdue. Many thought this game would be a lot closer, but the Boilermakers just weren’t in the game from the opening kickoff. OSU QB C.J. Stroud made some great throws to extend the lead in the second quarter. The Buckeyes should be able to throw on Michigan State, who has the 130th-ranked pass defense. That mismatch is just too large to deal with, especially on the road. I’m taking Ohio State to cover on Saturday.
Nebraska at Wisconsin (-8) – My pick is Wisconsin Badgers
Nebraska is 3-7 outright and 6-4 against the spread. They are coming off a bye, and in their previous game, they suffered a 26-17 home loss to Ohio State. It was a tight game and opened the eyes of many with that close loss. Wisconsin is 7-3 outright and 6-4 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 35-7 home win against Northwestern. They have covered five of their last six games. Their running game is prolific and will be too much for the Cornhuskers to handle. I’m taking the Badgers to cover at home.
SMU at Cincinnati (-11.5) – My pick is Cincinnati Bearcats
SMU is 8-2 outright and 6-4 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 55-28 home win against UCF. It was nice to see the Mustangs’ strong performance after they lost their two previous games. Cincinnati is 10-0 outright and 5-5 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 45-28 road win against South Florida. The game was closer than it should have been. The Bulls scored three touchdowns after Cincinnati got out to a 31-7 lead. This game will be the last test for Cincinnati until their conference championship game. If this game happened earlier in the season, SMU may have had a shot at keeping this close, but their pass defense isn’t up to par right now. I’m taking Cincinnati to cover at home.
Arkansas at Alabama (-20.5) – My pick is Alabama Crimson Tide
Arkansas is 7-3 outright and 5-4-1 against the spread this season. Arkansas is coming off a 16-13 road overtime win against LSU. The Razorbacks have been able to beat the mid-tier SEC teams this season, but they’ve laid a goose egg against the better teams in the conference. Alabama is 9-1 outright and 6-4 against the spread this season. The Crimson Tide are coming off a 59-3 home win against lowly New Mexico State. It was such a mismatch that it was basically a bye week for Alabama. The Razorbacks pass defense will struggle against Alabama. They just haven’t been able to stop teams through the air since mid-October. Alabama QB Bryce Young should have a banner day against Arkansas and cover this large spread.
UCLA at USC (+3) – My pick is UCLA Bruins
UCLA is 6-4 outright and against the spread this season. The Bruins are coming off a 44-20 home win against Colorado. It wasn’t an easy win as UCLA needed a big second-half after falling behind 20-10. They’ve been able to beat average to above-average Pac 12 teams this year, but they were coming off back-to-back losses to Utah and Oregon. USC is 4-5 outright and 3-6 against the spread this season. The Trojans are coming off a 31-16 road loss to Arizona State. USC QB Kedon Slovis suffered a leg injury in the game that will keep him out for awhile. USC will start freshman QB Jaxson Dart against UCLA. He hasn’t played well this season and it could be a tough opponent for the young quarterback. I’m taking UCLA to cover in this game.
Oregon at Utah (-3) – My pick is Oregon Ducks
Oregon is 9-1 outright and 4-6 against the spread this season. The Ducks are coming off a 38-24 home win against Washington State. They’ve been running the ball more lately and it is paying off. They have covered three of their last four games. Utah is 7-3 outright and 4-6 against the spread this season. The Utes are coming off a 38-29 road win against Arizona. Utah’s running game is deep and have been best when they can crack 200+ yards on the ground. It looks like they could be without RB Tavion Thomas, who is questionable with an undisclosed reason. They have a deep backfield, but the loss of Thomas was felt last week. The Utes needed a late touchdown to secure the win. If Thomas can’t suit up, I think Oregon could win this by double-digits, so I’m taking the points.
Appalachian State at Troy (+9) – My pick is Appalachian State Mountaineers
This is the section where I pick a smaller conference game. Appalachian State is 8-2 outright and 7-3 against the spread. They are coming off a 31-7 home win over South Alabama. Their defense has stepped up since their close win over Coastal Carolina a few weeks ago. Troy is 5-5 outright and 4-6 against the spread this season. They are coming off a 35-21 home loss to Lafayette. I thought they had a chance against ULL, but they just couldn’t stop the run, which will also be why they will fall to Appalachian State. I’m taking the Mountaineers to cover on the road.
QUICK HITS
Purdue vs Northwestern (+11) – My pick is Purdue
Rutgers at Penn State (-18) – My pick is Rutgers
Minnesota at Indiana (+7) – My pick is Minnesota
Syracuse at NC State (-11.5) – My pick is Syracuse
Washington at Colorado (+6.5) – My pick is Washington
New Mexico State at Kentucky (-36) – My pick is NMSU
Texas at West Virginia (-2.5) – My pick is Texas
Illinois at Iowa (-13) – My pick is Illinois
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame (-17) – My pick is Notre Dame
UL-Lafayette at Liberty (-4.5) – My pick is Lafayette
BONUS PICKS!
Air Force at Nevada (-2) – My pick is Air Force
Old Dominion at Middle Tennessee (-4) – My pick is Middle Tennessee
Florida Atlantic at Western Kentucky (-10) – My pick is Western Kentucky
Kent State at Akron (+13.5) – My pick is Akron
UAB at Texas-San Antonio (-4.5) – My pick is UTSA
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: 143-128-5
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.