Top 25 match ups feature a plethora of scoring; complete breakdown of this week’s college football odds and predictions
Friday Night Slate:
7:00pm: FAU @ #16 UCF (-13.5); O/U +73.5
After a week off due to Hurricane Florence last week, UCF takes the field in front of a raucous home crowd against a team they didn’t need to rest up for.
Prediction: UCF by 15
9:00pm: #10 Penn State (-28.5) @ Illinois; O/U +58
Trace McSorley has been on a tear lately and that certainly won’t be coming to a halt this week. Penn State puts work in on Illinois and does them in at home.
Prediction: Penn State by 33
Saturday’s Slate:
12:00pm: Nebraska @ #19 Michigan (-18.5); O/U +50
To put it simply, Jim Harbaugh needs to let Shea Patterson do his thing. Michigan finding their offensive balance is the key to them winning this matchup.
Prediction: Michigan by 17
12:00pm: #8 Notre Dame (-7.5) @ Wake Forest; O/U +57.5
Regardless of who starts under center for Wake Forest, this on-again, off-again Notre Dame squad should have enough to hold them off.
Prediction: Notre Dame pulls out an ugly win by 15.
12:00pm: #2 Georgia (-14.5) @ Missouri; O/U +64.5
On one side of the ball, Georgia’s high tempo attack will overwhelm Missouri’s weak defensive unit. On the flip side, Missouri’s offense led by Drew Lock, will attempt, with limited success, to find holes in Georgia’s vaunted defense.
Prediction: Bulldogs by 12
12:00pm: #23 Boston College (-6.5) @ Purdue; O/U +65.5
Boston College maintains residency in the Top 25 by delivering Purdue their fourth loss of the season. There won’t be a phase of this game that Boilermaker fans will be able to cling to for hope.
Prediction: Boston College by 14
3:30pm: Kansas State @ #12 West Virginia (-16); O/U +61
Will Grier is going to put up absurd numbers in this game. End of story.
Prediction: West Virginia by 23
3:30pm: #22 Texas A&M @ #1 Alabama (-27); O/U +61
Alabama is steam rolling opponents this year. Big surprise, right? The first head coaching matchup between Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban might take a couple interesting turns, but Alabama will take this one handily.
Prediction: Alabama by 24
3:30pm: #13 Virginia Tech (-28) @ Old Dominion; O/U +49.5
Look for Virginia Tech to dominate a porous Old Dominion defense on the ground and through the air. ODU is just flat outmatched in this contest.
Prediction: Virginia Tech with a 32-point win
3:30pm: #3 Clemson (-17) @ Georgia Tech; O/U +50.5
Although Georgia Tech will reach the end zone a couple times, Clemson isn’t about to let them derail bigger plans.
Prediction: Clemson by 18
3:30pm: FIU @ #21 Miami (FL) (-26.5); O/U +58.5
Florida International will not be able to stop the endless stream of Hurricane defensive linemen and linebackers piling sacks on top of turnovers. Look for Miami to handle business in this sizable mismatch.
Prediction: Miami by 31
3:30pm: Tulane @ #4 Ohio State (-35.5); O/U +67
Urban Meyer will be looking to make a continuous statement this season after returning from his suspension. Don’t expect the Buckeyes to take their foot off the gas against Tulane.
Prediction: Ohio State beats Tulane by 40+
4:30pm: #17 TCU (-3.5) @ Texas; O/U +48.5
This will end up being one of the more competitive tilts this weekend. Texas is still keyed up from their win over USC; meanwhile, TCU looks to erase the memory of their hard-fought loss to Ohio State. Look for both offenses and both defenses to make highlight plays.
Prediction: TCU by 2
6:00pm: McNeese @ #25 BYU; Odds Unavailable
After their surprise win over Wisconsin, BYU defends their recent ranking in the Top 25 against an underwhelming McNeese.
Prediction: BYU outpaces McNeese State in the second half and wins by 20
7:00pm: Army @ #5 Oklahoma (-31.5); O/U +63
Look for Kyler Murray to carve up Army’s defensive squad on almost every possession. This one will have quite the stat line as Army finds themselves outmatched in Norman.
Prediction: Oklahoma by 40
7:00pm: Texas Tech @ #15 Oklahoma State (-13); O/U +78.5
Defense? Forget about it. Erase it from your memory for the duration of this matchup. The only reason either of these teams have defensive players is because the rulebook mandates that someone lines up when the other team has the ball.
Prediction: Oklahoma State forces a few gut-wrenching turnovers and converts at least two of them into points. Oklahoma State wins this one by 9
7:00pm: #14 Mississippi State (-10) @ Kentucky; O/U +54
Kentucky has been impressive against the bottom of the SEC barrel lately. Their competition amps up a notch as Mississippi State comes into town. Look for both defenses to make key plays down the stretch, but not before they allow a surprising back and forth slugfest.
Prediction: Mississippi State by 7 in 2OT
7:00pm: Louisiana Tech @ #6 LSU (-20); O/U +50.5
Louisiana Tech might put up a touchdown or two in the early moments of this game, but LSU will gain traction as Tech’s energy fades in the second half.
Prediction: LSU by 20
7:30pm: Arkansas @ #9 Auburn (-29.5); O/U +56.5
Arkansas is beginning a three-game stretch against Auburn, Texas A&M and Alabama. That stretch is not going to start well as Auburn forces continuous turnovers and converts them into touchdowns.
Prediction: Auburn by 38
7:30pm: #24 Michigan State (-4.5) @ Indiana; O/U +47.5
The back and forth between these two teams won’t make for earth-shattering news out of Bloomington, but you can expect Indiana to continue to utilize high-percentage play calls.
Prediction: Either team could take this contest, but recent trajectories say Indiana by 2
8:00pm: #7 Stanford (-2) @ #20 Oregon; O/U +56
The Pac-12 is perennially unpredictable. Bryce Love returning to the field after missing last week’s yawner against UC Davis provides a needed jolt for Stanford as they travel up to Duck country.
Prediction: Stanford by 4
8:30pm: #18 Wisconsin (-3.5) @ Iowa; O/U +43.5
Playing Iowa in Kinnick Stadium is an unenviable task for any opposing team, particularly a team coming off a shocking upset loss to BYU. The Hawkeyes continue what the Cougars started as Wisconsin lacks the on-field confidence to beat Iowa under the lights.
Prediction: Iowa by 7
10:30pm: Arizona State @ #10 Washington (-17.5); O/U +49
Arizona State will be looking for a repeat of last year’s result. Washington will be looking to erase that sour memory. Expect Washington’s defense to stifle ASU’s relatively predictable offensive schemes on all but a couple possessions.
Prediction: Washington never clearly pulls away but takes this one by 15
[Odds provided by SportsLine]
