While Kevin Sumlin continues to mess with me, I’m coming off my best week yet. I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I’m just a college student who watches too much college football and places bets he can’t afford — like most of y’all. This weekly column is where I will give you my best bets for the week in college football. I am not responsible for any money lost.
Last Week: 3–1
Total: 7–5
#6 Georgia (-9) vs #9 Kentucky
Kentucky, I love y’all. It’s been amazing to watch a basketball school like yourself start off 5–0 and reach the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings. But I hate to break it to you. Y’all are not a top 10 team. Georgia, on the other hand, is a top five caliber team that just smashed another top 10 team into oblivion. Jake Fromm is starting to play like Jake Fromm from 2017. Georgia is going to expose Kentucky as a team that is good, but not good enough to compete with the best.
Pick: Georgia (-9)
#4 Notre Dame (-9.5) vs Northwestern
This pick will either make me look like a genius or a hater. Yes, the Irish have beaten three ranked opponents, but two of those (Stanford and Virginia Tech) are not ranked anymore and have since shown their true colors. Traveling from San Diego back to Illinois to face a Northwestern team that is in a groove screams trap game to me. Pat Fitzgerald picked up his second win over a ranked opponent last week against Wisconsin and gets the Irish at home on Saturday. The Wildcats haven’t lost by more than a touchdown since Week 2 against Duke. Nine-and-a-half points is way too high. If you look at the four teams currently in the playoff, which coach would I trust the least in a must-win game? Brian Kelly.
Pick: Northwestern (+9.5)
Georgia Tech (-5) vs North Carolina
The line has already jumped a full point since its release and by the time this publishes, Georgia Tech will likely be a touchdown favorite. After a rough start, Paul Johnson has his Yellow Jackets running all over the place. Larry Fedora? Not so much. The Tar Heels look nothing like a quality
football team following their fourth straight loss to Virginia this past Saturday that dropped them to 1–6. Back-to-back losing seasons for Fedora might sign his death warrant, and Mitch Trubisky ain’t walking through that door on Saturday.
Pick: Georgia Tech (-5)
Marshall (-3) vs Southern Mississippi
It’s evident Las Vegas either has no idea what to think of the Conference USA or simply doesn’t care. I would go with the latter, but by all means, use their inattentiveness to your advantage. You can separate the CUSA into two classes: ‘the contenders’ and the ‘good lord, how does this school have a football program?’ Marshall is a contender, and coming off a bye week, the Thundering Herd are looking like a snack with the line only at -3. Southern Mississippi just lost to Charlotte, a school that didn’t get a college football program until I was in high school. Southern Mississippi has yet to beat a team with a winning record this year, and their best win might be against FCS Jackson State.
Pick: Marshall (-3)
