BYU did not do me any favors as one of last week’s picks in a 31-0 loss to Michigan as a 4.5-point road underdog, but with the right call in my other two games I got back to .500 on the year at 6-6. With the help of 5Dimes’ posted college football betting odds, I have zeroed-in on my top three picks for Football.US for this Saturday’s college football slate.
Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech (-5.5)
The Panthers are coming off a bye following a 2-1 start both straight-up and against the spread. They struggled to get by Youngstown State in their season opener and their last time out on Sept. 19 they lost to Iowa 27-24 as four-point road underdogs. Pittsburgh has had its issues moving the ball through the air behind quarterback Nate Peterman and it is currently ranked 104th in the nation in average passing yards per game.
Virginia Tech fell to 2-2 (SU and ATS) with a stunning 35-28 loss to East Carolina this past Saturday as a 10-point road favorite. The reason I like them in this situation is the way this team has been able to bounce back from a bad loss. The Hokies have a solid running game behind Travon McMillian and quarterback Brenden Motely has thrown for 770 yards and six touchdowns in three games. Take Virginia Tech to once again bounce-back at home to cover the 5.5 points.
Minnesota at Northwestern (-6)
Minnesota survived a major scare this past Saturday in a last-minute 27-24 home victory over Ohio University as a 7.5-point favorite. The Golden Gophers will open play in the Big Ten with a 3-1 SU mark in nonconference play, but they are just 1-3 ATS this year. It also does not help that they are just 8-15 SU in their last 23 road games.
The Wildcats have failed to cover in their last five home games against Minnesota, but this time around is going to be different behind a team that has jumped-out to a 4-0 SU start while going 3-1 ATS. Northwestern has already beaten Stanford and Duke as underdogs and its defense is now ranked third in the nation in points allowed (8.8).
West Virginia (+7) at Oklahoma
The Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games after scoring more than 40 in their previous outing, which should be considered a good sign following this past Saturday’s 45-6 victory against Maryland as 17-point home favorites. They are now 3-0 SU on the year with a 2-1 record ATS.
The Sooners are also off to a 3-0 SU start while going 2-1 ATS after beating Tulsa 52-38 as 31.5-point favorites at home on Sept. 19. They come into this Big 12 tilt with a 4-8 record ATS in their last 12 games and they are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games at home. There is no doubt that Oklahoma can put some points on the board behind a potent passing game, but its defense has been suspect at times in the early going. Take the Mountaineers to keep this game closer than the seven-point spread.
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