College Football Picks Against The Spread Afternoon September 24
By Mike Marteny
College Football Picks Against The Spread Afternoon September 24
It has been a rough start to the college football season for me. I have a huge hole to dig myself out of, but with 48 college football games on Saturday, I have a chance to do it!
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Sunday through Friday, I am the perfect husband. No really, I am. You can ask the boss a.k.a. my wife. I help with all of the household chores, walk the dogs, cook meals, all that good stuff that women love. Come Saturday, my wife hates me. This is MY day. I become one with the couch. Just another piece of immovable furniture. Why am I interested in so many games? Other than the fact that I love college football, here is why: I was possessed by Jimmy The Greek and Lee Corso at the same time!
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).
This contains the picks for FBS vs. FBS game only. It is too hard to get an accurate spread on teams that involve 1-AA teams.
I will assign a point value “bet” on each game, between one and five points. That way you can see just how confident I am in each pick. Look for those at the end of each line.
This is for entertainment purposes only! I cannot be responsible for you losing any of your worldly possessions (or limbs) because of my picks. These are a guideline that you can use to help you with your picks. I am a simple man. I can’t have that on my conscience.
17 of the 48 games kick off between noon and 3pm eastern time. I will pick all of those, against the spread of course, in this column. Stay tuned for the rest of my picks!
Just in case you missed any:
Thursday-Friday
Early Saturday
Next: Click Here For The Afternoon Picks!
Miami (OH) at Cincinnati(-17.5)(3): This looks low considering the Bearcats’ wealth of talent on offense. Give me Cincy.
Appalachian State(-5.5) at Akron(2): This has the potential to be a great game, and I think it stays close. Really close. In fact, I think I like the Zips straight up. Give me Akron.
Boise State(-13.5) at Oregon State(2): Well, the Beavers have been a wreck since Mike Riley left. I’m not a big fan of anything Boise State has done this year, but they will look better in this game than they have so far. Give me Boise.
BYU at West Virginia(-6.5)(4): Too low. Get it before it jumps more! It is already up 5.5 points!
Duke at Notre Dame(-20.5)(2): That’s a lot of points, but let’s recap: Duke lost to Wake Forest in a game that really wasn’t close, and they repeatedly got beat on defense by a team that lost to Western Michigan and Illinois State at home. This is warranted. Give me the Irish.
Mississippi State(-22.5) at Massachusetts(1): I know the Bulldogs are capable of covering this. I just hope they show up. Give me Mississippi State.
(19)Florida at (14)Tennessee(-5.5)(5): Yes, I realize that Luke Del Rio is out, but he doesn’t play defense. Florida also has Antonio Callaway back. Florida’s recent dominance of Tennessee has happened despite the quarterback play, not because of it. It has everything to do with the defense, and Florida’s defense is fine. The Gators own Tennessee lately, and the Vols haven’t exactly played like they can win this at any point this year. Gators straight up!
Pittsburgh at North Carolina(-6.5)(2): This line has not moved at all. Mitch Trubisky played a great game last week, and he has to be licking his chops after what Mason Rudolph did to the Pitt secondary last week. Give me the Tarheels.
UTSA at Old Dominion(-4.5)(4): Nope. I may have bought it last year, but not this year. Roadrunners straight up.
Penn State at (4)Michigan(-17.5)(3): Penn State would need a passing game to put a scare into Michigan. They don’t have one. Saquon Barkley can’t do it by himself, and this Michigan run defense is impressive. Give me the Wolverines.
Wake Forest at Indiana(-6.5)(3): Two words: Devine Redding.
Vanderbilt at Western Kentucky(-7.5)(2): I really don’t like that half. The Hilltoppers aren’t as explosive as last year, and the Vandy defense hasn’t really been the problem. That half have me taking the Commodores.
Tulsa(-14.5) at Fresno State(2): If I was picking this at 9.5 where it opened, or 13.5 where it was yesterday, I would feel much better about it. I’m still taking Tulsa because of the offensive firepower, but I don’t have as much confidence in it.
Colorado at Oregon(-10.5)(2): This line is impossible since both Colorado QB Sefo Liufau and Oregon RB Royce Freeman are game time decisions. Oregon is the safer pick, but if Liufau starts and is as mobile as usual, Colorado might win outright. Give me the Ducks for now, but this may change.
(18)LSU(-3.5) at Auburn(2): I feel bad for Auburn. They have played a really tough schedule so far, and it doesn’t get any easier. LSU is a better team with Etling at QB, but they are in trouble if Fournette is as hobbled as he was last week. I will take LSU, but I wont be surprised if Auburn puts a scare into them.
Ball State(-3.5) at Florida Atlantic(1): I hate the half. Is it enough to get me to take the Owls? No. Give me the Lettermans!
North Texas at Rice(-7.5)(1): I don’t like the half. I like North Texas even less. Give me Rice.
Next: ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 4
Stay tuned for the rest of my picks against the spread, and plenty of NFL advice for week 3!