College Football Betting Trends for Week 13: Should You Bet on Five Win Teams That are Bowl Eligible with Win?

Nov 11, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) rolls out
Nov 11, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) rolls out / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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It's the last week of the regular season and sometimes motivation can be brought into question across the nation.

There are a handful of games that feature College Football Playoff hopefuls, but there are also rivalry matchups where pride is most important. However, there are a handful of other teams one win away from bowl eligibility with five wins on the season. Is it worthwhile to bet on those teams to cover, and potentially win, in the last game of the year?

Here are a handful of trends to know ahead of the final week of the regular season:

If you want to use any of these trends to your advantage and bet on it, do it at FanDuel Sportsbook, which is giving all new users $150 in bonus bets when their first $5 wager on ANY moneyline wins! Sign up below to get started.

Should You Bet on Teams That Need a Win For Bowl Eligibility?

There are a handful of teams with five wins that need a sixth win to ensure the team will qualify for a bowl game this season. To some, that implies that the team in question will try much harder and are that much more likely to cover.

However, that's not necessarily the case. Teams that have five wins in Week 13 are covering at a 53% clip, according to Stuckey from The Action Network (this is accounting for the opponent not having five wins). So, there is a slight edge to teams covering against the number, but nothing that isn't baked into the market. I'd say look a little deeper into particular matchups to find an edge rather than blindly trusting the following teams to cash come this weekend.

For what it's worth, Eastern Michigan already won outright to go bowling! Let's see who else can this weekend.

Iowa's Lowest Total Yet

Every week the Hawkeyes continue to play in games with totals lower and lower, and as we approach the final game of the regular season, we have hit a new low!

Iowa and Nebraska are playing on Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska with a total of 26 as of this writing, the lowest mark in college football history.

Iowa's offense has been poor all season, constantly playing in low total games. The last five Iowa games have featured totals of: 34.5, 30., 32, 27.5, and 33.5; in those five games Iowa is 5-0 to the under.

Trust Jonathan Smith, Oregon State in Civil War?

Jonathan Smith has rebuilt the Oregon State football program in short order, a constant threat to cover at all times.

I've noted in this column that Smith is a cash cow covering at home, but he is particularly adept as an underdog, going 14-6 against the spread catching points.

Since arriving in Corvallis in 2018, Smith has lost by 14 or less in the last four games after a 55-10 loss in his first Civil War meeting. This includes two outright wins as an underdog against in-state rival Oregon.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!