College Football Picks

It rarely makes sense to look at a contest two seasons ago as a predictor for NCAA football but this is game is setting up much like the 2016 contest between these two. Wisconsin was good, but imperfect on offense with an inconsistent Alex Hornibrook in his first season as a starter. Michigan was a contender in the Big Ten and beyond but would be up against a tough test that could match size and strength. The result then was a 14-7 grinder that Michigan won. Sportsbooks have the spread at 7.5 meaning the same score would favor the dog. Ted Walker looks ahead to this Saturday night play.

Both teams come into this rivalry game on a bye, so there is no edge on rest. TCU comes in off a 17-14 nail-biter when they hosted Iowa State as an 11-point favorite. The Frogs of War had lost two games leading up to this and it was against teams ranked in the top-ten in Texas and Ohio State. Keith Franks looks at how both 3-2 teams have grown this season and offers his football pick.

The last time that we saw Penn State take the field, Senator James Franklin fell asleep at the wheel and crashed Penn State’s upset bid into the Chappaquiddick. Botching a 12-point 4th quarter lead versus your #1 rival is one thing, but in front of Beaver Stadium’s largest crowd ever… that’s painful. Can Penn State keep it together long enough to cover the 2 TD spread?

Notre Dame comes into this one fresh of a monster victory at Virginia Tech which now sets the Irish up for a strong run at a BCS playoff spot. They should find themselves favored in every game the rest of the way. Is that single game inflating this 21 point spread? Mike Mann takes a look and gives his prediction.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers visit the Ohio State Buckeyes and bring their whopper of a 29.5 point spread with them. Is 29.5 too much for Ohio State to cover? Do betting sites have the right market price? Franks has his prediction on the betting market and free football pick.

Those who saw the San Diego State Aztecs in their week one flop to Stanford might find this hard to believe… Their defense has really been the key part of this 4-game win streak! Will they have enough resistance to cover the 10 spot versus Army? Loot Levinson is your handicapper with the analysis.

The Arizona Wildcats are in Salt Lake City on Friday for a Pac-12 Conference matchup against the Utah Utes. Both teams were successful in-conference last week. Arizona was able to beat Cal at home, 24-17, as a big second half enabled them to get the win as well as the cover. Utah is also starting to show signs of a competitor, coming off one of the more surprising results in a 40-21 road win over Stanford. Which 3 win team is most equipped to handle an ATS win in week 7? Loot Levinson breaks down the game and gives his football prediction.

Iowa State is coming off a 48-42 shootout win against the No. 24 Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater. Iowa State got the upset as a 10-point underdog. The Cyclones could very well be the best team in America with a 2-3 record with the losses from Oklahoma, Iowa and Texas Christian. Will the 5-0 Mountaineers take the Cyclones seriously?

Do not lie… when you heard that Chip Kelly was headed to UCLA, you thought “These guys are about to become a contender!” We did but but we didn’t expect them to come out of the gate and score 50 points a game and run the table, But we also didn’t think we would be questioning if the offense would show signs of life versus a 20+ point spread. Here is our college football prediction on this 3 TD line and game.

The Wolverines come into this game off a 20-17 win against the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston last week. In that game the Wolverines scored 20 unanswered points to erase a 17-point deficit against the Wildcats. Will Michigan be able to impose its will on Maryland on Saturday? Keith Franks has his week 6 football pick!

Online sportsbooks have Auburn as a field goal better than Mississippi State. These teams do have some similar characteristics with a struggling offense and a solid defense. The Bulldogs offense has been especially dogged by poor play at the quarterback position. Nick Fitzgerald is completing just 49% of his passes and does not look like the player he was before last year’s leg injury. Can a little… Fitzmagic, yea we said it, be all Miss State needs to cover the spread against the Tigers?

Notre Dame heads down to Blacksburg to battle Virginia Tech in a primetime Saturday night game on ABC. This is only the second all time meeting between the teams, with the Hokies having won the only prior matchup 34-31 back in 2016 as a 2 point road dog. The spread is inside a touchdown once again for Saturday’s matchup. Mike Mann looks at the game and predicts if we will see another close game from these two teams.

No one is going to confuse Indiana with being a top team in the Big Ten but coach Tom Allen has done well to make sure the Hoosiers have no glaring weaknesses. Indiana comes into the week ranked in the 60’s in passing, rushing and total yards. Is that kind of output good enough to stay within the 25 point spread versus Ohio State? Ted Walker gives his free pick.

If you look back at the few games where this match-up of Florida-LSU yielded a high scoring final, both teams had big name offensive talent that came through under the lights. This year’s version of the rivalry does not offer those offensive headliners. If a bettor looks at the rosters on paper, they may gravitate to the under but is that where the betting value is? Jay Horne gives his prediction.

After losing a shocker to Maryland to kick off 2018, the Texas Longhorns are looking like the team that was talked about as a contender for the Big 12 title. A win versus 5-0 Oklahoma, whose favored by 7, would put Texas right back in the mix but is that too tall an order? Keith Franks gives his prediction.

Bulldog Nation enjoyed a 38-12 victory over one of their biggest rivals, the Tennessee Volunteers last Saturday. Bookmakers assigned a spread that were weren’t used to seeing in this matchup. Georgia closed as a 30.5 favorite. Bulldog/Volunteer games are often known as hard-fought thrillers settled by one play or possession. Sportsbook’s and bettor respect Georgia and rightfully so. This week they are looking at a 26.5 spread and Keith Franks explains why Georgia is his pick to beat it.