Takes on College Football: Against the Spread, Week Six

Let’s be clear: we are not experts. If you go by these picks, you’re bound to be lose money or it’s possible that you’ll finally be able to pay off all those student loans! You never know! Each week, two crazy, lazy writers at The Alabama Take give their best guess at the best bets with the lowest stress. It’s our college football picks of the week!

2018 ATS Record
Blaine Duncan: 10-4 (Week Five: 2-1)
T.D. Wood: 8-7 (Week Five: 2-1)

Blaine Duncan
Seems to be the case that each week I’ll go 2-1. Going against the spread and getting double the wins than losses? I’ll take it.

Oklahoma at Texas (+7): Texas feels like it’s playing much better football that earlier this year and aren’t even the same team as this time last year. I almost want to say that they pull the outright upset, but Kyler Murray is too good. I do think that the Longhorns have enough fire and confidence under them that they will keep this one very close with the Sooners. Oklahoma wins, but it may be by a field goal or less.

Arizona State (+2) at Colorado: Colorado is getting the nudge here because they’re at home, but they’ve no quality wins. Arizona State does, convincingly taking down a good Big Ten team in Michigan State. The Sun Devils held it together against a strong Washington Huskies team, too. I think that Herm Edwards also has a few more big wins in this team before the end of the year. Taking down Colorado on the road would come as no surprise.

Kentucky at Texas A&M (OVER: 50.5): I’m not quite brave enough to say that Texas A&M gets a win here at home because Kentucky could be the real deal or could be the classic flash-in-the-pan SEC East team, but I feel good about the over for the game. Both of these teams have shown capability of putting up points against good opponents. (The Aggies themselves scored 23 points in a loss to Alabama.) I think this one gets into a high-scoring affair with both trying to outdo the other late into the night at Kyle Field.

 

T.D. Wood
Another 2-1 weekend, and we may have to accept the reality that Notre Dame is good. Not sure if I’m ok with that. This week I tackle a few of rivalries hoping to regain past glory.

Oklahoma vs. Texas (+7): I’m extremely hesitant to take Texas at first-glance, but when I give them a second look I like their wins over TCU and USC. Oklahoma has looked mighty impressive, but their competition has been lackluster. This is always a better game when both teams are good, and while the Longhorns’ offense is hit-or-miss, the defense is solid enough to keep this close.

Florida State (+13.5) at Miami: Neither of these teams has done anything remarkably impressive this season, but this should be a good one nonetheless. The Hurricanes ended a seven-year Seminoles winning streak last year, and are heavy favorites to make it back-to-back Miami wins for the first time since they won six-in-a-row from 2000-2004. FSU will keep it close, but the Canes are the better team here.

LSU at Florida (+2.5): Ask any LSU fan and they’ll bitch and moan about… well, anything, really, but they especially don’t like the fact that Florida is their permanent cross-division rival (although it’s been much easier since Urban Meyer left Gainesville). The Tigers look the better team so far this season, but the Gators got a big road win in Starkville last week, and the LSU pass defense leaves something to be desired, for sure.

Note: All games are Against the Spread. Odds are taken from the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.