College Football Betting: Week 6
The following article contains information that’s not representative of the opinions of CommRadio. It solely expresses the opinions of Jameson Kramer.
The sixth week of the college football season is upon us, and it brings with it a few highly anticipated matchups. The matchup between former friends Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban has been circled on the calendar since their offseason feud over NIL deals.
Texas A&M was ranked No. 6 in the preseason AP Poll and had defeated Alabama a season ago at Kyle Field, but they have already lost twice this season, dropping them out of the rankings completely. While this showdown has lost some of its luster, you better believe both coaches will be getting their teams ready to go for this one.
This week brings three matchups between teams ranked in the Top 25 by the AP poll. No. 25 LSU will play host to the eighth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, and No. 18 UCLA will try to keep rolling by taking down conference foe Utah, who is ranked No. 11.
The most fun matchup of the week includes two teams that didn’t receive a single vote in the preseason poll. The No. 19 not-just-a-basketball-school-anymore Kansas Jayhawks are hosting 17th-ranked TCU, as well as College Gameday.
While this week should provide plenty of intrigue, we’re here to focus on winning money. Here are some of my best bets for this week’s college football slate.
Auburn Tigers @ No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs (UGA -29.5)
The Auburn Tigers have not exactly gotten off to a great start, sitting at 3-2 on the year after getting blown out by Penn State and losing a close game to LSU last week.
The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are ranked No. 2 in the country and are 5-0 in the year. Georgia started its season defending a national championship scorching hot, blowing out Oregon 49-3 in Atlanta.
The Bulldogs have kept winning but have struggled much more in recent weeks. Georgia only beat Missouri by four and let Kent State hang around for much longer than many thought they would. The Georgia offense has struggled a bit in the last two weeks, and I see that continuing this week.
Auburn played LSU very close last week, and they seem to have found a bit of a defensive groove these last two weeks, albeit against lesser opponents than Georgia.
I think it will take Georgia a bit to get going in this one, and I would take Auburn to cover in this one. Georgia will come out on top, but 29.5 is just too many points to cover in this one.
My Pick: AUB (+29.5)
#11 Utah @ #18 UCLA (Utah -3.5)
UCLA is sitting at 5-0 coming off a dismantling of Washington, who was ranked No. 15 in the nation. UCLA gets to play this one at home, which doesn’t come with a big home-field advantage, but Utah will still have to hit the road on Saturday.
In their one test so far this season, the Utes fell to Florida, as they’ve proven to be an average team this season. Utah has gained some momentum since their week one defeat, but I think UCLA will be too much in this one.
UCLA’s Heisman candidate, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet have led this offense, putting up at least 32 points in every game so far. I'm taking UCLA straight up in this game, forget the points.
My Pick: UCLA Moneyline (+145)
#16 BYU @ Notre Dame (ND -3.5)
Now, of course, Vegas knows best, but this is a line that makes no sense to me.
Notre Dame has been better since dropping out of the rankings after being ranked 5th overall, but they have shown me nothing that leads me to believe they can beat a ranked team.
The Fighting Irish started the season 0-2, losing to Ohio State and Marshall. Their two wins have come against Cal and North Carolina, two teams that have won some games, but not in convincing fashion.
BYU, on the other hand, is 4-1 and has won a ranked matchup against Baylor. The Cougars’ lone loss is to Oregon, and the Ducks have been rolling since Week 2. BYU is putting up 34.4 points a game this year, and I think it will be enough to at the very least keep it close.
Give me the Cougars to cover in this game between independents in Las Vegas.
My Pick: BYU (+3.5)
Bonus Picks:
Rutgers (+3) vs. Nebraska
Washington (-14) vs. Arizona State
Kansas (+6.5) vs. TCU
LSU (+3) vs. Tennessee
Washington State @ USC (Under 66 total points)
Oklahoma (+9) vs. Texas
Ohio State (-27) vs. Michigan State
Northwestern (+10) vs. Wisconsin
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Jameson Kramer is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jek5650@psu.edu.
