Gear up for another awesome weekend of college football action with BettingPros! We’ll have you covered with all of our top picks for the week along with our projected spreads and totals to help guide your college football bets. Below are our top picks and predictions for Friday’s games.
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Top College Football Odds & Picks: Friday
Wisconsin vs. Purdue
Both of these Big Ten foes have started the season off in disappointing fashion. But it’s Wisconsin that’s been the more disappointing squad. The Badgers are 2-1, with unimpressive wins over Buffalo and Georgia Southern. And they only covered (by the hook) against Georgia Southern because of five interceptions. The Boilermakers are 1-2, but have played a tougher slate against Fresno State, Virginia Tech and Syracuse. Ultimately, I think Purdue will have success throwing the ball against a Badgers pass defense that just gave up 383 yards through the air to the Eagles. Wisconsin’s new, fast-paced aerial attack just isn’t clicking. And I don’t trust the Badgers laying points on the road in conference play.
Pick: Purdue +6
-Matt Barbato
NC State vs. Virginia
Virginia is one of the worst Power 5 teams in college football, and though NC State may be taking a step up in competition from their previous two wins, there is no reason they should struggle in this one. The Cavaliers are 0-3, and they were just shellacked by Maryland 42-14. They are averaging just 316.7 yards of total offense, including only 68 on the ground, while allowing 451.7 yards to opponents. The Wolfpack played tough against Notre Dame earlier this season before being outscored by 14 in the fourth quarter. This game is being played in Charlottesville, but it doesn’t matter. The Wolfpack are far and away the better team in this contest.
Pick: NC State -8.5 (-110)
-Phil Wood
Boise State vs. San Diego State
Each of these teams has beaten the teams they should while also losing to the teams everyone expects them to. So what is going to happen in what looks like a really even matchup? The Aztecs struggled to score in their two games against the Pac-12. They were outscored 61-19 in two games, though they gave Oregon State a great fight in Corvallis. Meanwhile, the Broncos were decimated by Washington, lost a heartbreaker to UCF, then demolished North Dakota. We’re going to learn a lot about who each team is this week, but the Broncos have done nothing this season to prove they should be road favorites. Don’t just look at final scores, look at how teams play. What the Aztecs did against Oregon State, even in defeat, is the most impressive thing either of these teams has done this season. Returning home, we expect them to battle with a team with stats that look much better on paper than on the field.
Pick: San Diego State +6.5 (-112)
-Phil Wood
Air Force vs. San Jose State
San Jose State may have a case for the toughest schedule in the country so far, already having played USC, Oregon State, and defending MAC champion Toledo on the road. That brutal start has them at a 1-3 record, but their 3-1 ATS record tells you how competitive they’ve been. QB Chevan Cordeiro has been pretty good despite being under pressure constantly, as their offensive line ranks outside the top 100 in success rate, though I attribute that more to being overmatched by superior PAC-12 talent than I do to the offensive line itself. On the other sideline, the Air Force Falcons hold a 3-0 record, though their games against FCS Robert Morris, FBS newcomer Sam Houston, and a Utah State team that many predicted to finish in the bottom half of the Mountain West don’t hold a candle to what the Spartans have faced. True to their form as a service academy, the Falcons will feature a run-heavy offensive game plan, which should limit offensive possessions and shorten the game. I like the more tested San Jose State team to keep this game inside the number, and I wouldn’t be shocked at all if they pull off the outright upset.
Pick: San Jose State +6 (-110)
-Austin MacMillan
Best Ways to Bet College Football for Beginners
Game Total
Bettors new to the hobby can be confused by spreads, but game totals are simple. Every football game has a total posted for the combined final score between the two teams. Bettors have the option to choose the OVER or UNDER, generally at -110 odds (risk: $110; win: $100). So if the total is 42 and you take the OVER, you need 43 points to win the bet. If you put a bet down on the over to win $100 and it goes over, you get back the money you initially risked, plus $100. If it stayed under, you would have lost your $110 and that’s it. If by chance the game ended with 42 total points, it’s called a push; when a game pushes, you get the money you risked back but nothing more.
ie: California vs. Illinois, Over 42 or Under 42
tip: Over bets can be a really fun social event with your buddies. Have everyone throw in a few bucks, then take the over together. Instead of getting pumped when one side scores, everyone is pumped for ANY score, all game.
Moneyline
The moneyline is the easiest way to test your college football knowledge: who will win the game? That’s it. The moneyline doesn’t use favorites or underdogs, it’s totally straight up. That said, the risk-reward can be challenging because they’re weighted. Instead of every game being around -110, like game totals and spreads, moneylines vary depending on the matchup.
For our example, California was favored by seven points over Illinois, meaning oddsmakers think the Golden Bears are a touchdown better than the Fighting Illini. If you took Cal on the moneyline, points don’t matter, they just need to win the game. But because it’s safer to take them straight-up without points, you’ll have to risk more when you make the bet €” remember, they’re seven points better than Illinois in the eyes of the oddsmakers. In this case, Cal is -280 on the moneyline, so if you want to win $100, you have to risk $280. On the flip side, moneyline bets can be valuable when taking the underdog because it’s a riskier bet €” they’re seven points worse than their opponent. In this case, Illinois is the underdog €” +220 on the moneyline. You’d win $220 on a $100 bet if you picked Illinois on the moneyline and they pulled off the upset.
ie: California (ML -280) vs. Illinois (ML +220)
tip: Check their history against one another. Keep an eye on the injury report and the weather.
Player Props
Player props are some of the most exhilarating bets you can place during a college football game, but they’re also easy to understand. For major conferences, you’ll have a wide array of options to choose from. Quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, and sometimes tight ends will have props to choose from. It’s simple, fun and easy to follow, and odds on player props don’t vary as much as moneylines. Generally, prop bets are in the -110 range like generic spread and total bets.
ie: How many passing yards will Brandon Peters have against California? Over 250 or Under 250
tip: Check how players have performed in the situation they’re going to be in. Use split stats on any reliable site to see their numbers at home, on a neutral-site, in December, etc.
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