College Football Picks Against The Spread Early October 7, 2017

NORMAN, OK – SEPTEMBER 16: Fullback Dimitri Flowers #36 of the Oklahoma Sooners after the game against the Tulane Green Wave at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Tulane 56-14. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

College Football Picks Against The Spread Early October 7, 2017

I had a solid week again in week 5 of the college football season. I am now 26 games above .500 on the season and 70 betting points to the good. Things are looking up, but there is a lot of college football left with conference play in full swing.

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For those of you that are new here, I put myself out there every week. For the last six years, I have picked every single college football game. Sounds easy, right? I thought so too. So I have picked them all against the spread. That significantly increases the degree of difficulty.

I take the average of the odds from the six major Vegas casinos and round that to the nearest half point. There will be no ties here. Ties are for the other football.

Some sites will sell you top ten picks for a fee. Some will even give you a couple of free picks to lure you in. This is every game picked, all for free.

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. I am up 27 points after the first two weeks so far.

I cannot be responsible for you losing any of your worldly possessions, significant others, or limbs to a loan shark. This is for entertainment purposes only! I am a simple person. I cannot have that on my conscience.

There are 58 games this weekend with only Indiana stepping out of the FBS ranks this weekend. That leaves me 57 games to pick, the most of the season so far. 15 of them kick off by 3pm eastern. Let’s get to those first!

SYRACUSE, NY – SEPTEMBER 09: Eric Dungey #2 of the Syracuse Orange passes the ball during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals on September 9, 2016 at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Iowa State at (3)Oklahoma(-31.5)(3): The Sooners have outscored Iowa State by an average of 45-8 in the last four games in Norman. With the news that Jacob Park is out, this line has jumped four points. I see why, but there are some that think the Cyclones are better off without Park. This line looks high, but going by the recent history of the Cyclones in Norman, I have to take Oklahoma here.

Wake Forest at (2)Clemson(-21.5)(2): This has the look of a letdown for Clemson. That was a big win in Blacksburg last week, and this is an early game. Wake is a solid, but not spectacular team. If Clemson plays like they did last weekend, they won’t have problems covering. I just don’t know if they will be that far up again. I think this stays close. Wake won’t win, but they wont get covered either.

(4)Penn State(-13.5) at Northwestern(4): I’m glad that one book has this at 13, because every other one I’ve seen has it right where it opened: at -14. Northwestern is a tough and gritty team, but the lack of playmakers on offense will make sure Penn State pulls away. Give me Penn State.

(5)Georgia(-17.5) at Vanderbilt(3): Vandy has looked pretty good at home, but Middle Tennessee State and Kansas State don’t have particularly good offenses. The Commodores wont roll over like Tennessee did, but at some point Georgia is going to overwhelm them. I’ll take the Bulldogs.

Mississippi at (12)Auburn(-22.5)(3): Wow, this is a lot of points. However, Auburn is clearly capable of covering this and they are at home. War Eagle!

Temple(-2.5) at East Carolina(3): Where did that come from? Temple beats UMass and stays close to Houston, and all the sudden they can win in Greenville? I don’t buy it. ECU straight up.

Tulsa at Tulane(-4.5)(4): This is another head-scratcher. I know Tulsa isn’t as good as last year, but I could argue that their defense is better, and D’Angelo Brewer is still the best player on the field. Tulsa straight up.

Eastern Michigan at Toledo(-13.5)(4): Again? Logan Woodside is a solid quarterback, but I would argue that Brogan Roback is at least as good and more tested. EMU almost beat Kentucky in Lexington last weekend. No way Toledo wins by double digits. If they win, it’s a one score game. Give me the Eagles.

Illinois at Iowa(-16.5)(2): This is a tough one. Nebraska covered this in Champaign last week, but this young Illinois team is also very inconsistent. I don’t think I can pick against Iowa here, but I am definitely lowering the bet.

Texas Tech(-15.5) at Kansas(3): Kansas is usually pretty good at home, and they look better this year than last year. The Jayhawks played Texas Tech to within ten two years ago in Lawrence. Still, Kansas lost to two MAC teams, one of which was not very good. Give me Texas Tech.

Duke at Virginia(-2.5)(1): This one really could go either way, so I’m not touching it. Duke opened as the favorite, and if I had a guess, the Hoos are going to be more than a field goal favorite by kickoff. Duke getting trashed by Miami is skewing this line. I still think they are the better team. Give me Duke.

Pittsburgh at Syracuse(-3.5(4): Syracuse has impressed me. Well, as much as a 2-3 team can. They hung with an overrated LSU squad and nearly toppled new ACC darling North Carolina State in Raleigh. They should be able to put a hurting on struggling Pittsburgh. These two teams combined for 137 points in last year’s chaotic game. Don’t expect Pitt to score even a third of their 76 points from last year. Take Syracuse and bet the under.

Central Michigan at Ohio(-10.5)(3): This line has been earned. The Chippewas have struggled a lot this year. Michigan transfer Shane Morris has done a solid job, but this defense has not given up less than 27 points in a game. Need I remind you that they played Boston College, Rhode Island, and Kansas already. I don’t see Ohio having any issues running off with this, especially with Rourke playing well.

Bowling Green at Miami(OH)(-15.5)(1): Ouch. Bowling Green is 0-5 against the spread, including a straight up loss to South Dakota. The Falcons also have scored just 80 points combined in those games. Give me Miami, I guess.

Louisiana-Monroe(-6.5) at Texas State(2): Aside from getting blown off the field by rival UTSA, the Bobcats have played well at home. That said, they still have not scored more than 20 points in a game or more than 14 against a FBS team. I don’t care how bad Monroe’s defense is. This offense is awful. Give me Monroe.

Florida International at Middle Tennessee State(-9.5)(2): I’m more than a little surprised that the Blue Raiders are two score favorites here without Brent Stockstill. I see why they are, I was just hoping they wouldn’t be. Still, FIU has been almost as impotent as Texas State on offense. Give me MTSU.

Next: ESPN College Pick em Picks Week 6

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