College football picks against the spread: Bowl season, week 3

Nov 26, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Billy Price (54) during the first overtime against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nov 19, 2016; Starkville, MS, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Austin Allen (8) and Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema react after the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium. Arkansas defeated Mississippi State 58-42. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

Belk Bowl (Dec. 29, 5:30 pm ET) – Arkansas (+7) over Virginia Tech

Bret Bielema and his crew are 13-5-1 in their last 19 games as an underdog and that is a big reason for this pick. While I’m not utterly convinced that Arkansas pulls what would be an upset here, I’m not a big believer in Virginia Tech covering this type of number. In the end, I just think the number is 3-4 points too high and that is more than enough to entice us to the side that we always want to take anyway.

Sun Bowl (Dec. 30, 2:00 pm ET) – Stanford (-2.5) over North Carolina

Neither team has its starting running back in this game. All of the headlines surround Christian McCaffrey’s absence, but Elijah Hood is (very) good in his own right and that matters. Stanford is a team that I don’t love backing as a big favorite, but in something of a coin flip, I’m confident David Shaw will have his team ready. UNC has real issues in stopping the run and Stanford will be ready for Mitch Trubisky and company. Lay the small number.

Next: Orange Bowl and Citrus Bowl

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