College Football Picks: Our Staff's Best Bets for Week 5
Looking for some picks for Week 5 of the college football season? Our staff has you covered with our best bets of the week!
So far this season we’re 8-10, with last week's 2-3 slate pushing a little further away from .500.
For even more previews, predictions and analysis, check out our BetSided college football homepage.
All odds are courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.
Michigan at Wisconsin (-2.0) | Total 43.5
THE PLAY: Wisconsin -2.0 (-110)
I’m back on the Badgers this week, if they can cover for me I’ll forgive them for what they did against Notre Dame last week because that was ugly.
When you’re looking at this game against Michigan, your immediate thought based on what these two teams have done so far this season is that Michigan would be an obvious bet. I am here to tell you that is not the case because 73.71 percent of Michigan’s plays this season have been running plays, that’s the fourth-highest rate in the country. In addition, 63.94 percent of their yards gained on offense have come on the ground, that’s the fifth-highest rate in the country.
Well, what school has the No. 1 rushing defense? That is the Wisconsin Badgers. Teams are only getting one yard per carry against the Badgers. That’s it. Michigan’s not going to be able to move the ball, they’re going to get stuffed at the line almost every time they try to and they try a lot. -- Iain MacMillan
Iowa at Maryland (+3.0) | Total 48.0
THE PLAY: Iowa -3.0 (-110)
I picked against Iowa earlier this season when it faced Iowa State and the Hawkeyes made me look real stupid.
I’m not making that mistake again. Iowa is 3-1 against the spread this year and I really like it in this game.
The Hawkeyes have a great defense, they have a great rushing attack and Maryland’s two games against Power Five schools this season it's only won by one possession. Iowa has won every game by at least double digits, it is showing that it is dominant, they average over 150 yards per game on the ground.
This is going to be a ground and pound type of game if it goes Iowa’s way, and Iowa is going to pull it out. -- Donnavan Smoot
Ole Miss at Alabama (-14.5) | Total 79.0
THE PLAY: UNDER 79.0 (-110)
I’m super excited for this game just purely for the Bryce Young versus Matt Corral matchup, but this total is just way too high for my liking.
I understand why it’s that high. Ole Miss averages the most points per game in the country with 52.0 and Alabama is third with 46.0 points per game. It makes sense in theory to take the over but if you look at these two teams defensively, Ole Miss allows just 22.5 points per game and Alabama is even better at 18.7.
I don’t see both teams creeping up near that number of 40 in this game. Since 2003, there have been nine games that have closed with a total of 79.0. The under is 6-3 in those games. Nick Saban prides himself on his defense and I don’t think this is going to be a crazy enough shootout to reach over 79 points. -- Peter Dewey
Cincinnati at Notre Dame (+1.5) | Total 50.5
THE PLAY: Cincinnati -1.5 (-110)
I agree with the spread here, I think Cincinnati should be favored even on the road.
This is pretty much a College Football Playoff elimination game in my opinion, maybe the biggest game in Cincinnati’s school history. Let’s talk off field really quick. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator, left Cincinnati to take the same position at Notre Dame. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame’s head coach, left Cincinnati and went to Notre Dame. There’s a big chip on the Bearcats’ shoulder with the team becoming almost like a pipeline for the Fighting Irish now.
Now let’s look at the on field. Jack Coan, the starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish, didn’t finish the game last week against Wisconsin after hurting his ankle. Maybe he can play, but he’s going to be a little banged up behind a patchwork offensive line. They have not been able to get any push up front, leading to nothing in the rushing game.
This is a Cincinnati defense that limits explosive plays. They’re going to put Notre Dame behind the stick, make it go downfield. The Bearcats are top-30 in havoc, they’re top-30 in explosive pass defense, so I like Cincinnati to force a few big plays and win this game. -- Reed Wallach
Mississippi State at Texas A&M (-7.0) | Total 46.0
THE PLAY: Texas A&M -7.0 (-115)
I’m going to go with a team that didn’t look particularly good last week for an opportunity for a bounce-back and that’s Texas A&M. Remember, the Aggies entered this year with the fourth-lowest odds to win the national championship.
Right now, it’s not been an ideal start. They barely scraped by in Week 2 against Colorado, who got blown out this past week, and lost 20-10 going up against Arkansas. They’re at home this week against Mississippi State. I haven’t been particularly impressed by Mississippi State so far this season so I think this is an opportunity for Texas A&M to get right.
They’ve had two blowout wins so far this year where they have covered the spread. Maybe it’s a little bit of a trap by the oddsmakers to only list it at seven but I expect this number to move, probably to 7.5 or 8.0 over the course of the week, so I’d rather take the Aggies at seven now before that line moves. -- Ben Heisler
College Football Best Bets Record
LAST WEEK: 2-3
SEASON RECORD: 8-10
WynnBET Promo: Bet $1, Win $100 if any NFL or college football team scores. Claim your offer now.