College Football Picks Against The Spread Early October 29

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O /

College Football Picks Against The Spread Early October 29

College football can be a fickle beast. It is still easier to pick against the spread than the NFL, but when you pick every game, it can get tough. I struggled a bit last week so I still have a big hole to dig myself out of.

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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 games only. It is too hard to get an accurate spread on games 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.

There are 52 college football games this week, making it another big week with a chance to make up some ground. 12 of those games kick off between noon and 1 pm eastern. Lets get to those games!

Oct 22, 2016; College Park, MD, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back LJ Scott (3) celebrates his touchdown run against the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports /

Kentucky at Missouri(-6.5)(1): I said last week that I just couldn’t see Missouri beating anyone by more than a touchdown right now. Well, this is less than a TD. Give me Missouri.

Central Florida at Houston(-9.5)(2): So….uh…..Houston got dismantled on the road by a poor SMU team. They are not on the road this week, but UCF is far from poor. I don’t see Houston winning this by double digits. They may not even win at all. Give me UCF.

Connecticut at East Carolina(-7.5)(1): I really don’t like that half. Give me UConn.

Duke at Georgia Tech(-6.5)(3): Duke isn’t as bad as they looked early on, but they aren’t good enough to hang with the Bees either. Give me Tech.

(5)Louisville(-33.5) at Virginia(2): Is Virginia really this bad? Maybe, but the Cardinals haven’t covered a spread like this on the road yet this season, and one of those games was against a bad Marshall team. Give me Virginia. This is too many.

Kent State at Central Michigan(-14.5)(3): That half is keeping me from being more bold in this pick. I like Central Michigan by at least two touchdowns.

Kansas State(-6.5) at Iowa State(2): The Cyclones have proven to be tough at home since the calendar flipped to October. I see a slow moving, low scoring game here. Give me Iowa State.

(10)West Virginia(-3.5) at Oklahoma State(5): ESPN’s FPI system really loves Oklahoma State in this one. I’m guessing that the Texas win and WVU’s close call with K-State are skewing this line. The fact remains that the Mountaineers held a very explosive Texas Tech offense to 17 points. I have to believe that can handle the Cowboys in Stillwater. I’ll take West Virginia.

Minnesota(-8.5) at Illinois(1): The only thing I know to expect is an ugly game. Minnesota has the far better offense, and a good enough defense, but that meant nothing at home against Rutgers last week. The Gophers are the only ones keeping themselves from being contenders. No one else did it to them. I think I have to take Minnesota though.

(2)Michigan(-25.5) at Michigan State(5): Yes, Michigan State has done nothing less than suck, but come on. This is still a rivalry game, right? Check. Still on the road, right? Check. I don’t care how big the chasm has looked between these two teams so far this year. Mark Dantonio is starting to turn this team around. I don’t expect a Michigan State win, but I sure don’t expect them to roll over either. This is way too many. Give me Sparty.

(24)Penn State(-13.5) at Purdue(4): You know, I thought this looked like a trap game, then I realized that it’s Purdue. A team that Nebraska made look much better than they are. The coaching change was overdue and has helped, but Saquon Barkley could run for two Benjamins on this defense in his sleep. Give me Penn State.

Boston College at North Carolina State(-15.5)(1): The Wolfpack are probably capable of covering this, but I don’t know. This seems high. Give me BC.

Next: ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 9

Stay tuned for the rest of the picks against the spread, and plenty of advice for week 8 of the NFL. Don’t forget about out DFS picks for the NBA and NHL!