College football betting afternoon picks October 19:
(2)LSU(-17.5) at Mississippi State(4):
The entire country is expecting Gator hangover on the road in StarkVegas. Or not. 79% of the money is on the Tigers, which is a huge amount. I’ll tip it to 80%. I really don’t know how Mississippi State keeps it close unless the bus carrying Joe Burrow and those LSU receivers get lost on the way to the stadium.
(12)Oregon(-2.5) at (25)Washington(5):
Many are expecting a close game. I’m not one of them. Oregon’s defense is every bit as good as Washington’s and as good as Jacob Breeland is, Oregon has three more receivers that are almost as good. Ducks by double digits.
Temple at (19)SMU(-8.5)(1):
The Ponies are 6-0 for the first time since 1982. Eric Dickerson was the running back on that team. For those of you youngsters, go watch some Eric Dickerson on YouTube. The video quality sucks, but is shows how great Dickerson was.
Nostalgia aside, there is no way I would bet this game. Temple is so aggravating. I think this stays a one score game, so I’ll go Temple. As for who wins outright? Don’t ask me. I’m a spread guy.
(20)Minnesota(-28.5) at Rutgers(5):
With Blackshear and Sitkowski both redshirting for next year, Rutgers went from really bad to historically bad. I just hope the Gophers don’t let up. They might win by 50!
Tulsa at (21)Cincinnati(-17.5)(2):
Tulsa just got blown off the field by Navy at home in an even odds game. I don’t really think that Tulsa is all that great, but I really don’t like the half either. I was much more comfortable when this opened at -13. I’m still taking the Bearcats though. There’s too many things on offense for the Dust Devils to stop.
Louisiana-Monroe at (24)Appalachian State(-15.5)(3):
If you are a trend player, then you are probably going the opposite way here. The Sun Belt has been FBS for 18 years now and has had two ranked teams: Troy in 2016 and Appalachian State in 2017. Both lost by double digits the week after achieving said rank. So is App State going to do that again? I don’t see them falling on their face here. Appalachian’s only loss since the beginning of the 2018 season was in overtime at State College last year. Give me the Mountaineers.
South Florida at Navy(-14.5)(3):
The Bulls are still without Blake Barnett. This line looks low. I’ll take Navy.
Buffalo(-17.5) at Akron(2):
Akron has proven time and again how bad they are. Give me the Bulls.
North Carolina(-3.5) at Virginia Tech(2):
Hendon Hooker makes the Virginia Tech offense better, and the last FBS game for the Hokies was on outright win in Miami. I don’t get why the Heels are favored here. They peaked against Clemson. I’ll go Hokies at home.
Southern Mississippi at Louisiana Tech(EVEN)(3):
Brett Favre is on the sidelines, not in uniform. I’ll take the Bulldogs at home.
Indiana(-5.5) at Maryland(3):
The only Maryland player that looked like he belonged on the field last week was Tyrrell Pigrome. McFarland may not play. Indiana made a bad Rutgers team look worse last week. This looks like a sizeable win for the Hoosiers.
Duke at Virginia(-3.5)(3):
The Virginia offense looked terrible against Miami, and I tend to think that Duke’s defense is as good as Miami’s. Bryce Perkins looks shook right now. Quentin Harris does not. Duke straight up.
(18)Baylor at Oklahoma State(-3.5)(3):
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this is that 81% of the money is still on the Pokes at home for more than a field goal. Baylor’s schedule is a who’s who of who not to play if you are looking for a playoff berth. SaRodorick Thompson trample Baylor last week, but Texas Tech beat this same Oklahoma State team. Is being home that important? I still like Baylor here, which means they’ll lose.
(22)Missouri(-21.5) at Vanderbilt(3):
I don’t like the half, but I really don’t like Vandy. I mean, come on. They got rolled by UNLV at home last week! Mizzou rolls!.
Middle Tennessee State at North Texas(-7.5)(2):
This was a game I would usually put a decent wager on, but the lack of talent around Mason Fine is starting to take its toll. Fine had possibly the worst game of his college career against Southern Miss. MTSU isn’t that good, but North Texas is reeling. I’ll take the Mean Green, but not for much green.
Old Dominion at UAB(-16.5)(3):
I don’t usually take lines this big involving mid major schools, but this is an exception. I know UAB is a solid team. I know that Old Dominion is not.
Charlotte at Western Kentucky(-9.5)(4):
The only question I have here is whether the Hilltoppers can score enough. This defense is a lot better than most thought. Just look at what they did to Army. WKU looks safe here.
Kentucky at (10)Georgia(-24.5)(3):
I know that Georgia is going to come out mad here, but this is still a ton of points. Especially since this Kentucky team is likely better than the team that beat the Bulldogs last week. Georgia wont lose this outright, but I doubt they win by four touchdowns either. Give me Kentucky.
(17)Arizona State at (13)Utah(-13.5)(3):
This looks a touch high. I wouldn’t be surprised if Arizona State won this outright. Give me Sparky.
Rice(-4.5) at UTSA(2):
This looks a little bit low. The Rice offense has stalled out, but the defense is still good enough to get this done. I’ll take Rice.