I went 13-11-1 against the spread in Week 9 of the 2024-25 College Football season.
Unlike the NFL, there appears to be a ton of teams out on bye this week. We still have some massive games on the schedule, but it just feels light overall.
Georgia vs Florida and Oregon vs Michigan would normally be ‘championship or bust’ sort of games, but both have double-digit point spreads this year. At least one traditional matchup does have College Football Playoff implications when Ohio State travels to Penn State on Saturday afternoon.
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 10 of the 2024-25 NCAA Football season (November 2nd, 2024).
Florida Gators at Georgia Bulldogs (-14.5) – My pick is Georgia Bulldogs -14.5
The Florida Gators (4-3, 4-3 ATS) are coming off their bye week, and in their previous game, beat Kentucky 48-20 at home. QB DJ Lagway is still a raw quarterback, but you can see his upside. As long as he doesn’t turn the ball over, the Gators should be in most games. Although, his defense will need to play above expectations every week.
The Georgia Bulldogs (6-1, 2-5 ATS) are coming a bye week, and in their previous game, they beat Texas 30-15 on the road. It’s hard to believe that QB Carson Beck threw three interceptions and Georgia still beat Texas by more than two touchdowns. They made the Longhorns play catch-up from the start, which is exactly the gameplan to stop a dynamic offense.
I expect Georgia will come into this game with an offensive gameplan that will boost Beck’s confidence. I expect a lot of quick throws to move the ball down the field. They will be able to keep Florida’s defense on the field for a long time. I am picking Georgia to cover at home.
Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan State Spartans (+7.5) – My pick is Indiana Hoosiers -7.5
The Indiana Hoosiers (8-0, 7-1 ATS) are coming off a 31-17 home win over Washington, which covered the -5 spread. The Hoosiers had to start backup QB Tayven Jackson due to a nailbed injury to star QB Kurtis Rourke. The offense kept chugging along and they continued their hot streak.
The Michigan State Spartans (4-4, 4-4 ATS) are coming off a 24-17 road loss to Michigan, which was a few points shy of the +3 betting line as the underdog. QB Aidan Chiles had a safe game and completed a lot of short passes. They leaned heavily on RB Nate Carter to help drives going, but Michigan just had the talent advantage.
The Hoosiers are slated to get QB Kurtis Rourke back this week, and that will be the difference in this contest. I love the way the Hoosiers are playing right now, and they are a top-four team in the Big Ten. I’m taking Indiana to cover on the road.
Oregon Ducks at Michigan Wolverines (+14) – My pick is Oregon Ducks -14
The Oregon Ducks (8-0, 4-4 ATS) are coming off a 38-9 home win over Illinois, which covered the large -23 betting line. The Ducks continue to roll and stay perfect on the year. They are a tier above Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana at the moment. I didn’t think much of QB Dillon Gabriel‘s transfer to Oregon when it happened, but it was a great addition.
The Michigan Wolverines (5-3, 2-6 ATS) are coming off a 24-17 home win over Michigan State, which covered the -3 point spread. Michigan still has issues at quarterback, but QB Davis Warren did enough to get the win at home. If Michigan wins games, it will be these type of games. They can’t hang with top offenses, so they will need their defense to make some plays to give their offense a shot.
Oregon impressed me in their win over Ohio State. It was a coin-flip game, but they’ve been untouchable since that win. The Ducks have a solid defense, which hasn’t always been the case with that school. They are a complete team and I’m taking them to cover on the road.
Wisconsin Badgers at Iowa Hawkeyes (-3) – My pick is Wisconsin Badgers +3
The Wisconsin Badgers (5-3, 3-5 ATS) are coming off a 28-13 home loss to Penn State, which was a shy of the +6.5 point spread as the underdog. Wisconsin were within a point of Penn State heading into the fourth quarter, but the Nittany Lions scored fourteen unanswered points to seal the win. QB Braedyn Lock had a rough outing and wasn’t very accurate in the loss.
The Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3, 4-4 ATS) are coming off a 40-14 home win over Northwestern, which easily covered the -16.5 point spread. Iowa saw QB Cade McNamara suffer a concussion in the win, and he has been ruled out of this week’s game. RB Kaleb Johnson found the endzone three times in their blowout home win against Northwestern.
I expect the game will be close, but Wisconsin is an underrated team. Their defense does a solid job on third-down and I think Locke’s experience is what Wisconsin needed this year. I’m taking the points in this game.
Texas A&M Aggies at South Carolina Gamecocks (+3) – My pick is Texas A&M Aggies -3
The Texas A&M Aggies (7-1, 3-5 ATS) are coming off a 38-23 home win over LSU, which easily covered the -2 point spread. LSU weren’t able to stop A&M backfield. There weren’t many long runs, but they were able to move the chains down the field. Their defense played a huge role in the win by picking off LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier three times.
The South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3, 5-2 ATS) are coming off their bye week, and in their previous game, beat Oklahoma 35-9 on the road. I realize that the Sooners aren’t a powerhouse this year, but I didn’t expect the Gamecocks to run up the score like that. I hope the offense threw a pizza party for their defense, because they are the reason this game got out of hand.
I expect a strong defensive showing from both teams in this game. A&M is on quite the run, but South Carolina is going to be a tough opponent. This will be a close one, but I’m taking the Aggies to cover on the road.
USC Trojans at Washington Huskies (+2.5) – My pick is USC Trojans -2.5
The USC Trojans (4-4, 5-3 ATS) are coming off a 42-20 home win over Rutgers, which covered the -14 betting line as the favorite. The Trojans snapped a three-game losing streak with this win. They’ve had a rough go in the Big Ten thus far, but this was a solid win against a good Big Ten team.
The Washington Huskies (4-4, 3-5 ATS) are coming off a 31-17 road loss to Indiana, which was a loss against the +5 point spread. I was expecting more from QB Will Rogers after their last-minute win against Michigan. He’s been a below-average quarterback since. He threw two picks in the loss against Indiana.
It appears that we overrated Washington coming into the season. The same can be said about USC, but I believe the Trojans have more depth. USC QB Miller Moss has a lot of upside and I’m taking the Trojans to cover on the road.
Kentucky Wildcats at Tennessee Volunteers (-17.5) – My pick is Tennessee Volunteers -17.5
The Kentucky Wildcats (3-5, 4-4 ATS) are coming off a 26-10 home loss to Auburn, which wasn’t close to the -2 as the betting line favorite. Kentucky has a quarterback problem, as I don’t think they have one ready to contribute positively right now. They’ve looked awful of late, especially against Auburn.
The Tennessee Volunteers (6-1, 5-2 ATS) are coming off a bye week, and in their previous game, beat Alabama 24-17 at home. Tennessee continues to be a sneaky SEC team that hasn’t been given much love with Georgia and Texas in the conference. They are a complete team that can hang with any team in the country.
Kentucky’s defense is the reason they’ve been a yearly staple in the bowl game schedule for the last decade. That unit is failing them right now and they don’t have the offense to keep up on the scoreboard. I’m taking Tennessee to cover at home.
Vanderbilt Commodores at Auburn Tigers (-7.5) – My pick is Vanderbilt Commodores +7.5
The Vanderbilt Commodores (5-3, 6-2 ATS) are coming off a close 27-24 home loss to Texas, which was easily a win against the +17 spread. Vandy nearly pulled off another upset in the SEC. They never had a lead outside of the first quarter, but they just hung around and matched scores throughout the game. They defense even forced a few turnovers.
The Auburn Tigers (3-5, 4-4 ATS) are coming off a 24-10 road win over Kentucky, which covered the +2 betting line as the underdog. The Wildcats scored ten points right away, but Auburn controlled the game from the second quarter on. RB Jarquez Hunter torched them for nearly 300 yards on the ground. They just couldn’t stop the young man.
The Commodores have the 28th-best rush defense in the country, so Hunter won’t have as easy of a time on Saturday. I just can’t bet against Vandy at the moment, so I’m taking the points.
Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions (+3) – My pick is PSU Nittany Lions +3
The Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 3-4 ATS) are coming off a 21-17 home win over Nebraska, which wasn’t close to the -25 point spread. QB Will Howard has played as advertised since he transferred to Columbus this year. He’s been making smart decisions and the Buckeyes have been able to win nearly every game, but haven’t been as kind to bettors.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are coming off a 28-13 road win over Wisconsin, which covered the -6.5 point spread. QB Drew Allar injured his knee in the win, and will be a game-time decision for this week’s game. I really like backup QB Beau Pribula, who was fantastic in relief. Penn State’s defense made some big plays to conserve the win against the spread.
I lived in Columbus, Ohio for over a half of a decade, and there’s lore when Ohio State and Penn State meets…anything can happen, and the weather will be a factor. I believe Penn State is the deeper team this year and the home-field advantage will be key, so I’m taking the points.
Toledo Rockets at Eastern Michigan Eagles (+10) – My pick is Eastern Michigan Eagles +10
This is the section where we pick a smaller conference game.
The Toledo Rockets (5-3, 4-4 ATS) are coming off a 41-26 home loss to Bowling Green, which wasn’t near the -2 betting line as the favorite. They went back-and-forth with scores, but QB Tucker Gleason made too many mistakes. Bowling Green dominated the second half of the game.
The Eastern Michigan (5-3, 6-2 ATS) are coming off a 25-21 road loss to Akron, which was a loss against the -2.5 point spread as the favorite. QB Cole Snyder continues to throw and throw, as they get very little from their running game. Snyder will need to throw 300+ yards per game to keep them within the spread every week.
This game could be an ugly one, and the MAC is very hard to handicap this season. The points are just too enticing to pass up, especially as a home underdog. I’m taking the points in this game.
QUICK HITS
Georgia State at Connecticut (-9) – My pick is UConn -9
Virginia Tech at Syracuse (+4) – My pick is Va Tech -4
Minnesota at Illinois (+3) – My pick is Illinois +3
Duke at Miami (FL) (-20.5) – My pick is Duke +20.5
Air Force at Army (-21.5) – My pick is Army -21.5
Arizona at UCF (-6) – My pick is Arizona +6
North Carolina at Florida State (+2.5) – My pick is UNC -2.5
Navy at Rice (+10.5) – My pick is Navy -10.5
Pittsburgh at SMU (-7.5) – My pick is Pitt +7.5
TCU at Baylor (-3) – My pick is Baylor -3
BONUS PICKS!
Memphis at Texas-San Antonio (+7) – My pick is UTSA +7
Tulsa at UAB (-2.5) – My pick is Tulsa +2.5
Old Dominion at Appalachian State (+3) – My pick is Old Dominion -3
Louisiana-Monroe at Marshall (-10.5) – My pick is Marshall -10.5
Coastal Carolina at Troy (+3.5) – My pick is Coastal Carolina -3.5
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: 167-151-8
2022: 185-150-5
2023: 155-144-10
2024: 121-98-6
Follow us on X (formerly 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 X at @Sweetbob