Week 5 was an excellent slate, but one where we failed to get over 0.500. With Week 6 comes new opportunities, especially in the Pac 12. What are the best college football bets this weekend?
Week 6 College Football Picks and Predictions
Last Week: 3-4-0 (0.429)
This Season: 20-22-0 (0.476)
Overall Record: 101-106-3 (0.488)
For all current betting odds surrounding the college football season, check out our live betting odds and make your plays today!
All lines are via Draft Kings Sportsbook. You can find the best available odds from sportsbooks all over the country below as well.
Kansas State -11.5 (-110) vs. Oklahoma State +11.5 (-110)
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Kansas State comes off of a bye week hopefully healthier. Treshaun Ward missed the game against UCF with an injury but it didn’t matter much.
DJ Giddens was a monster, rushing for 207 yards and four touchdowns while also catching eight passes for 86 yards. He looked like the lead back for Kansas State, which is going to help them a lot moving forward. The Wildcats love dominating on the ground (3rd in the country in EPA/rush) and having two featured backs once Ward is healthy will be a dynamic element for the Wildcats.
Oklahoma State on the other hand is a borderline dumpster fire. Mike Gundy has lost a lot of talent going into the year and they have not looked good so far this season, losing back-to-back games to South Alabama and Iowa State.
The offense has a rotating cast of quarterbacks and it hasn’t been helping them whatsoever. The way to beat the Wildcats defense is through the air, but they are 116th in EPA/pass and the Wildcats are 6th in the nation against the run. This could get ugly fast in Stillwater.
Bet: Kansas State -11.5 (-110)
Washington State +3.5 (-110) vs. UCLA -3.5 (-110)
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After a bye week, Cam Ward returns in an intriguing matchup. Ward has been lighting up defenses all season to the tune of nearly 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns with zero interceptions.
The offense under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle (who came from Western Kentucky) has been not just electric, but also efficient in not turning the ball over. Lincoln Victor, Josh Kelly, and Kyle Williams have been excellent all season long.
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Head coach Jake Dickert has led this team well through the first two full seasons of his tenure and his name has already started being linked to other college jobs. His defense isn’t flawless, but they are aggressive and attack the football.
The UCLA offense is not as explosive as it was with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the helm, but Dante Moore is going to have this unit flying high next year. Their inconsistencies are just too much right now, and they were exposed majorly against Utah.
The line is fair considering this game is in Pasadena, but the potency of the Cougars’ offense with the inconsistency of the Bruins unit will seal this one for the Cougars.
Bet: Washington State +3.5 (-110)
Texas State +1 (-110) vs. Louisiana -1 (-110)
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Our Texas State Bobcats are one of the best teams against the spread this season. One garbage time touchdown away from being 5-0.
G.J. Kinne is my coach of the year for how he has turned the Bobcats around in just one year. They have been excellent all season and were competitive in the one game they lost against UTSA.
The catalyst for the offense is quarterback T.J. Finley. He has all the tools and excellent size that you want, but the consistency hasn’t been there. When he has streaks of being consistent, the Bobcats offense is explosive. That’s the issue though, it’s far from consistent.
The Ragin’ Cajuns sit at 3-2 with their only losses to Old Dominion and Minnesota in relatively close games. They have a dual-threat quarterback in Zeon Chriss who is playing well in the offense and the running game has already accumulated 1,126 yards and 13 touchdowns. They will need that to slow the game down to take down the Bobcats.
The big issue with the matchup is the defense for the Ragin’ Cajuns. They don’t have the firepower on defense to stop the Bobcats enough to get the win. The Bobcats should improve to 5-1 ATS on the year.
Bet: Texas State +1 (-110)
UTSA -13.5 (-110) vs. Temple +13.5 (-110)
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UTSA is in an unfortunate position. They were in a position to make some noise in their first season in the AAC, but Frank Harris has been hurt.
He has had knee issues for years and it nearly forced him into retirement this offseason. It took him out of the game against Texas State and prevented him from playing in those games. They are hoping to have him back for Saturday’s game, but it’s uncertain whether or not he can play.
If Harris and De’Corian Clark (torn ACL) make their returns, it could be good for the Roadrunners.
The Owls, like UTSA, haven’t had the best start to the season. They are 2-3 on the season with only one win ATS.
Quarterback E.J. Warner, the son of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, has taken a positive step forward in his second season. The passing game has been consistent and ranks 45th in the nation, but they aren’t generating big plays well enough.
That could change against the Roadrunners, who are allowing 0.084 EPA/pass (82nd in the nation). If this becomes a passing shootout, which it easily could be, the Owls are in good position with how poor the Roadrunners’ defense has been. The game will likely be close, especially if Harris and Clark don’t play.
Bet: Temple +13.5 (-110)
Colorado -4.5 (-110) vs. Arizona State +4.5 (-110)
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How many different ways can we speak highly of Shedeur Sanders? He continues to be great when his team needs him to.
Against USC, the Buffaloes were down 48-21 and Sanders started exploiting Alex Grinch’s defense. This season, he has thrown for at least 348 yards in four of five games and distributed the ball around to multiple weapons.
The defense has allowed 35+ points in the last three games, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. They haven’t had star cornerback Travis Hunter since the first half against Colorado State and that has hindered their performance.
Arizona State is in major rebuilding mode, but injuries have still hurt them. They are down to their third quarterback in Trenton Bourguet who nearly led them to a win over Cal last week.
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The team has struggled this season, including against FCS Southern Utah to start the season. The lynchpin for this offense is running back Cameron Skattebo. The Sacramento State transfer has been excellent with touchdowns in four of five games.
This spread is honestly too close. The Sun Devils don’t have the offense to take advantage of the poor Buffaloes’ defense to keep up with Sanders and company.
Bet: Colorado -4.5 (-110)
TCU -6.5 (-110) vs. Iowa State +6.5 (-110)
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The TCU Horned Frogs have had quite the up-and-down season thus far. After losing to Colorado in shocking fashion, they rattled off three conference wins in a row before falling to West Virginia in disappointing fashion.
The key to the Horned Frogs is the rushing game. Emani Bailey has emerged as the lead back and has shown to be explosive. Chandler Morris is the team’s second-leading rusher at the quarterback position but has been an inconsistent passer.
Overall, the TCU offense has been efficient and has found a way to score consistently, except for the game against West Virginia.
Last week, we faded Iowa State against Oklahoma for good reason. They aren’t a good football team, nor are they consistent. They are 131st in offensive success rate and they are going up against a Horned Frogs defense that has held four of their five opponents to 24 points or less.
The inconsistencies on both sides of the ball will be the downfall of Iowa State and give TCU an easy win.
Bet: TCU -6.5 (-110)
Arizona +21.5 (-110) vs. USC -21.5 (-110)
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This game is a fair spread if quarterback Jayden de Laura is unable to go. He is questionable with an ankle injury, but they should be fine with backup Noah Fifita.
Against Washington, it was obvious that they missed de Laura, but Fifita acquitted himself well. He threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns, but there were points left on the board when he barely missed Jacob Cowing and Tetairoa McMillan on passes in the end zone.
They are lucky enough to go against a Grinch-led defense. They have allowed a lot of points including 41 to Colorado and 28 to both Arizona State and San Jose State. The Wildcats offense is better than the latter two.
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Will it matter with USC? Their offense is a juggernaut led by Caleb Williams. They can hit you with an explosive play, in the running game, and a slow methodical drive. They can adjust to take down anyone. When the defense is on, they also capitalize quickly on turnovers.
This looks to be a very high-scoring affair, but the second start for Fifita or a healthy de Laura will be the difference in covering the spread, which is just over two touchdowns.
Bet: Arizona +21.5 (-110)