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College Football Picks Against The Spread Early October 17

By Mike Marteny

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There are 48 games to play on Saturday this weekend after one on Tuesday, three on Thursday, and four on Friday. It’s a little lighter Saturday slate, but there are still plenty of picks to make! 16 of them make up the early games. Here they are, picked against the spread!

I need a good week since last week wasn’t all that great. It wasn’t as bad as I expected considering how poorly I did in pick em, but it still leaves something to be desired.

In case you don’t know what I do here, I pick every college football game of the season. Against the spread. Trust me, it’s not as easy as it sounds! I take the average of the odds from all of the Vegas casinos. I then round to the nearest half. There will be no ties here. Ties are for the other football (soccer).

In case you missed how the point scale works, here is a brief rundown:

5. A lock. I am comfortable making a sizable wager on this game.

4Pur. Very confident. Not quite a lock, but I am comfortable making a decent sized wager on it.

3. Middle of the road. Good enough that I would make a small wager on it.

2. Could go either way. So much so that I wouldn’t bet on it.

1. Stay away from these.

Take note that any games that involve 1-AA teams will NOT be picked. There simply is not enough information to get an accurate spread.

All of the picks for the Saturday games will be up at least two hours before the noon kickoffs for those of you parlayers out there!

Here are my college football picks against the spread early October 17:

Western Michigan at Ohio(-4.5)(3): The Bobcats are 5-1 against the spread. The only one they lost was by a half point against Akron. Give me Ohio at home. This is too low.

Eastern Michigan at (22)Toledo(-28.5)(3): That half has caused me to knock this down a point. Will Toledo run Kareem Hunt until he pukes against the worst run defense in football? I doubt it, since they want to do everything in their power to keep him healthy. That said, the Rockets offense was still successful with other backs in the backfield. Give me Toledo.

South Florida at Connecticut(-2.5)(2): UConn looked really good last week against a surprisingly bad Central Florida team. USF looked good against an average Syracuse team last week. Who wins? Likely UConn at home.

Tulsa at East Carolina(-13.5)(3): Tulsa’s defense is a mess and they are missing top WR Keevan Lucas. Keyarris Garrett is a suitable replacement, but who will replace his production? Too many questions. Give me ECU.

Purdue at Wisconsin(-23.5)(2): This line is up three points, and could rise more by morning. Vegas never sleeps, you know. Purdue got punished by Minnesota last week. Joel Stave is a better quarterback than Mitch Leidner, but Minnesota didn’t rely on the passing game. They ran. A lot. Give me Wisconsin, though I have this sinking feeling that they won’t cover.

Marshall(-4.5) at Florida Atlantic(3): Too low. Marshall shouldn’t have any problems covering this one.

Florida International at Middle Tennessee State(-11.5)(2): Is FIU really this bad? They have only been covered twice, by Indiana and UMass. I don’t really think MTSU will for that big of a line. Give me FIU.

Texas Tech(-32.5) at Kansas(4): There is nothing here that says Kansas can keep up. Just pitch and catch for the Kliffies.

West Virginia at (2)Baylor(-20.5)(4): This looks low. WVU lost to Oklahoma by 20 in Norman, and there is no way that Oklahoma is anywhere near as talented as Baylor on offense. Baylor covers this by at least a TD more.

(17)Iowa(-1.5) at (20)Northwestern(3): This is going to be a very low scoring game. I think I would rather bet the under on 41 than pick against the spread. This might only be a one point game, but I’m certainly not betting that. Iowa is the safe pick, so give me Iowa.

(13)Mississippi(-10.5) at Memphis(3): I don’t like the half, but Memphis has been so awful in pass defense. I have to take Ole Miss here. Here’s hoping for a 35-24 score!

Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State(-13.5)(2): Louisiana Tech has a high powered offense. High powered enough to keep this around two touchdowns, but that half is going to swing it in Mississippi State’s favor. Mississippi State by 14.

Louisville at (11)Florida State(-7.5)(5): Way too low. Home field advantage is supposed to be worth seven points on its own, and these two teams are not even on a neutral field. Give me Florida State.

Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech(-3.5)(3): Tech has been an absolute mess on offense, and Pitt’s defense has been strong over the last month or so. I like Pitt straight up.

Buffalo at Central Michigan(-6.5)(1): I really don’t want to pick either team. Buffalo has been one of the most inconsistent teams around. The Chippewas haven’t been a whole lot better. Since I have banned my not-so-lucky quarter, I will go about this the old fashioned way. Give me the home team.

Stay tuned for the rest of the picks against the spread!

Next: ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 7

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