Week 6 College Football Best Bets

Peter Cornell (6-6-3 record)

Washington State +13.5 @ USC

I will not get off of this bandwagon that I believe the USC Trojans are one of the most overrated teams in the country. A team that has benefited from opposing teams QB injuries in the middle of the game and extreme turnover luck. Washington State has proven that they can go on the road and win in a big game like they did earlier this year @ Wisconsin. I think this is a classic look ahead spot for the Trojans as they have their biggest game of the year @ Utah. Give me the Cougars to keep this close but ultimately drop the game 35-27. Take Wazzu.

Miami (FL) -3.5 vs North Carolina

This year has gotten off to just about as bad a start as anyone could imagine for the Hurricanes. Tyler Van Dyke has been absolutely abysmal and got benched half way through the MTSU loss. What better way to get this train back on track than a bye week that leads into a matchup against one of the worst defenses in the country in UNC. The Hurricanes will have to put up some points to keep up with the high powered offense but I think the bye week will help this offense get back on track like everyone thought in the preseason. I like Miami to win this one 38-31. Take the U.

LSU +3 vs Tennessee

Tennessee is coming off a bye week riding high with a 4-0 start and National Championship aspirations. I think those aspirations come to an end this weekend in Death Valley. I think the worst thing for this Tennessee offense was to have an early bye week. They needed to keep the hot start momentum rolling. LSU is coming into this game off a come from behind win in a crazy environment as always, Jordan-Hare Stadium where the Tigers took down the Auburn 21-17. Tennessee has shown that their defense is pedestrian and I believe the Tigers can run the ball well enough to open up the play action passing game. I expect the Vols offense to struggle in this hostile environment and come out flat. I like the Tigers to win this one in a tight 24-23 final. Take the Bayou Bengals.

Henry Porter (8-7 record)

East Carolina +3.5 @ Tulane

ECU is coming off a 20-point victory over South Florida in a game they were up 41-7 at halftime. Veteran signal caller Holton Ahlers threw for over 450 yards, six touchdowns, and no picks in the victory. The Pirates utilized all of their weapons a week after a lackluster performance in a disappointing loss to Navy. When this offense is rolling, they are rolling; and when you throw in their solid defense - this team can be tough to beat. Tulane pulled off a remarkable OT win at Houston last week using their 2nd and 3rd string quarterbacks to knock off the Cougars. We are still unsure if starting QB Michael Pratt will be able to go this week but signs are pointing to him being active. I think that Tulane could be in a letdown spot here and they have already shown their vulnerability to a letdown game when they lost to Southern Mississippi at home the week after upsetting Kansas State. East Carolina is the better overall team and I like them to cover and win outright this week, 32-27.

Georgia State/Georgia Southern over 66.5

This is an underrated rivalry that pits these two Georgia schools against each other. Both schools hate when they are confused with the other but I don’t care what you call them, I just want points in this one. Georgia State ranks 113th in the nation in total defense and Georgia Southern ranks 116th. On the other side of the ball, these teams combine to average 66 points per game. I always like taking overs in rivalry games and this is no exception. This game will be close throughout which is indicated by the Panthers being 3 point favorites. I like Georgia State to pull out a close one because of the home field advantage, 42-38.

Washington State +13.5 at USC

USC is off to a hot start this season which is leading some people to project them to a College Football Playoff appearance. Despite the undefeated start, they have been involved in some closer games. QB Caleb Williams is as good as advertised but the pressure will only grow on him and Lincoln Riley as the wins hopefully continue. One has to wonder what the line would be had Wazzu not blown that game to Oregon and we’d be talking about a matchup between two 5-0 teams. That would’ve been a tough call for the College Gameday location between this game and Kansas-TCU. I think that Washington State has enough on both sides of the ball to keep this one within a score for the majority of the game. Although USC knows they have to take care of business this week, I’m sure they are subconsciously looking at their trip to #11 Utah next week. Give me the Cougars to cover but USC to win, 34-27.

Roger Murdock (9-6 record)

Alabama vs Texas A&M over 51

One of the most hyped games of the preseason has lost all of its shine. But that doesn’t mean that Saban has forgotten all of the off-season talk, or what happened in this matchup last year. He won’t hesitate to run up the score in this game if he gets a chance. This matchup has played to totals of 79, 76, 75, and 68 over the last four years despite Bama being heavily favored in each game. I expect more of the same this year.

TCU -6.5 @ Kansas

At this point it’s impossible to not acknowledge that Kansas is much improved and a legitimate power 5 team. But you know the hype is getting out of control when College Gameday shows up to Lawrence for the first time ever. TCU is the best team Kansas has faced and I don’t think they are quite ready to compete on the TCU level, which is legitimate Big 12 contention. TCU by two scores.

Georgia -29.5 vs Auburn

Georgia narrowly escaped an awful Mizzou team last week and lost their #1 ranking to Alabama. But now they head home with a little extra motivation to face an abysmal Auburn team. It’s a perfect get right spot and a chance for Georgia to run up the score on one of their biggest rivals. Brian Harsin doesn’t make it to the end of the weekend after an embarrassing 50 point loss.