Turner Skehan (11-9-1)
Preamble – Ok, the Maryland bet was terrible. Do I get credit for building in my “it might be (probably is) a trap,” and my “I could be (am most definitely) a fool” nuances on the front end? I didn’t think so. In any event, 2-1… again. Distancing myself (in the right direction) from the .500 mark never felt so blah… let’s try again.
Texas A&M (-6.5) vs. Ole Miss
I thought Ole Miss should have beaten Cal. I watched Ole Miss play my Tide. I took them as a lock last week and won. But I am betting against them this week. A&M has a few too many playmakers and is still the better-coached team. I don’t love how A&M has played in big games, and they have disappointed this season, but I think they will be too much for Ole Miss. TAMU -6.5.
Wake Forest (-2) vs. FSU
Funny how quickly everyone can jump ship. Newman is playing exceptionally and they run the ball really well. Is Wake Forest explosive? It seems that way. Wake doesn’t have an iron curtain, but their defense is much better than FSU’s, who is 118th in total D. I like Wake to bounce back and beat FSU handly.
Michigan (+9) vs. Penn State
Let’s face it. The win against Iowa is Penn State’s only solid win. Wait, Iowa is Michigan’s too… Oh well, I get it’s at Penn State, I get it’s at night. I like Michigan +points, not Michigan. Harbaugh tends to blow it in the big ones, blow out teams in the little ones, and hang around in the important ones. To me- this is an important one. Wisconsin is legit, Penn State is good. Harbaugh has every excuse to get blown out, which means Harbaugh won’t. Michigan +9.
Chase Irle (11-11-1)
Standford (-6.5) vs. UCLA
Get this one while you can. If you’ve followed my locks this year, you know I love fading UCLA. They are just a god awful football team. I don’t think Stanford is great, but they are well-coached and a much better team at home than on the road. Plus, this game is on a Thursday night. I see UCLA getting routed in this one.
LSU (-18.5) at Mississippi State
Vegas must think a letdown is coming because this line is WAY too low, and I understand that after the Tigers played in an electric atmosphere at home against Florida. But I love what Joe Burrow has done for this team, and if you listened to him after the game, LSU isn’t taking anyone lightly. They want to light up the scoreboard and are currently scoring touchdowns on a ridiculous 85% of their possessions. Unless Mississippi State, who just put up ten points on Tennessee, can put up 30 on Saturday, I don’t see how they can cover this number.
Mizzou (-21) at Vandy
Jump on the Mizzou bandwagon because they are legit. They’ve won five straight since losing to Wyoming in Week one and have covered in four of those games. Vandy, well, they are one of the worst teams in the FBS and are 0-6 ATS. I don’t expect the Commodores to put up much of a fight.
Wisconsin (-31) at Illinois
Vegas hasn’t been able to make the lines high enough to affect the Badgers. They are 5-1 ATS, and this week, almost 50% of the public is on Illinois. That alone is enough for me to lay the points on a Badgers squad that might be the best in the Big 10, or dare I say it, the country.
Florida -6 vs South Carolina
South Carolina pulled off a magical upset against UGA, but I am not sure that they can have the same type of success two weeks in a row. Florida has looked pretty strong this year, and after losing to a great LSU team, they should come out ready to take some heads off.
LSU -18.5 vs. Mississippi State
Two words: free money.
Arizona State +13 vs. Utah
Utah has looked very good this year, but the Sun Devils are not getting much love from Vegas here. Herm Edwards has a couple of playmakers on offense that I think will go a long way in helping them cover this large spread on the road.
Alabama -35 vs. Tennessee
Alabama’s offense is at an all-time high, and Tennessee has had a year to forget. Alabama will continue their dominance over the Volunteers and cover the spread in the late-night matchup.
Jake Gordon (7-14)
Auburn -18.5 at Arkansas
I’m still a believer in Auburn, and I feel like this line is too low because of a lackluster performance their last time out against Florida. Expect them to roll.
LSU (-18.5) at Mississippi State
I’m riding with my boy Chase’s alma mater here. LSU is legit, and this line is only so low because it has the potential to be a trap game. I’m not buying Joe Burrow letting this team lose focus, though. They’ve taken care of business in every game against the terrible teams they have faced
App State (-14.5) vs. ULM
If you don’t know about App State, learn about them. They are 5-0 on the year, with a win over UNC. They should roll by more than two scores over a good but not great ULM squad.