College Football Wagering Trends to Know for Week 9 (Trust Chris Klieman and Justin Wilcox at Home)

Trends are a tricky thing to nail down in sports betting.

Use trends blindly, you can be walking into a buzzsaw and be misguided. Pair a smart trend with context to a game and explain why this exists, then you can create an edge and make some smart wagers. Here's three coaching trends that can help you get ready for Week 9 of college football:

For more college football betting insights for Week 9, check out The Early Reed

Justin Wilcox is a Big Underdog Again

I've ranted about Cal as an underdog with Wilcox as the head coach, it's one of the best trends in the sport. The team is 23-9-1 against the spread (ATS) as a dog and that number reaches 17-3 as an underdog of a touchdown or more.

Last week, Cal cashed as a 7.5-point underdog against Washington at home, and now faces Oregon in Berkley catching 17! Cal's defense is top half of the country in defending explosive plays and will be going up against an Oregon defense that is 127th in success rate this season, the fourth worst in the country, according to GameOnPaper.com

While Oregon's offense has scored 40 points or more in every game since Week 1, their defense can prevent them from covering big numbers like this on the road.

Wilcox has thrived in this situation, and the Oregon defense should aid them in covering this massive spread.

Pick: Cal +17

Chris Klieman, Lining Bettors Wallets

Since making the jump from FCS to FBS, Klieman has been money against the number with Kansas State, going 26-14-1 ATS. Further, Klieman is 12-4-1 ATS as a favorite, which he is (albeit a small one) at home against Oklahoma State at home.

Nobody overachieves more than Klieman, who has a ground first attack with star running back Deuce Vaughn, who is rushing for over five yards per carry and 100 yards per game.

It's worth noting that starting quarterback Adrian Martinez may sit, keeping this number down and inside of a field goa, but the Wildcats have a capable backup in Will Howard, who has seen playing time in the past three seasons, including a strong showing against TCU last week.

Pick: Kansas State -1.5

Don't Trust Service Academies as Big Favorites

Navy has thrived as an underdog this season, but now enters as a rare double digit favorite against Temple at home on Saturday. However, this has been a losing bet over the past 15 seasons.

Service academies are 38-54-2 ATS as favorites of 14 or more since 2007, which makes a ton of sense considering they milk the clock and keep the ball on the ground often with their triple option offense. It's worth noting that Temple has an above average defense in terms of success rate, which could lead to some offensive trouble for the Midshipmen.

Pick: Temple +13.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.