Each week, I will use this space to tell you what I think are a few of the best bets heading into the weekend. I will also throw in an upset of the week, which will be a team that is at least a touchdown underdog that I am picking to win outright.
I will also give you picks on other games involving potential College Football Playoff teams. Considering most teams only played a few games, just about everybody is technically a CFP candidate right now, so I’ll go with the top 12 teams in the AP Top 25 poll until things settle down.
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Here are the best bets for Week 6 with odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
Week 6 Picks
No. 21 Texas vs. No. 6 Oklahoma
Featured Game | Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma Sooners
There is some juice in the Red River Rivalry this season. Both teams are undefeated in conference play and look to stay in contention for the Big 12 regular season title. For the Sooners, it also means trying to stay in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Both teams can light up the scoreboard, and Texas in particular has been playing high-scoring games. The Sooners will be perfectly happy to run up and down the field with the Longhorns. I think Texas could win, but I like the over better. Pick: Over (63.5)
Maryland at No. 7 Ohio State
Featured Game | Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Maryland Terrapins
It is hard to say for certain if the Buckeyes have figured things out defensively yet, but they have allowed just 20 points to their last two opponents, which were Akron and Rutgers. Maryland comes in off a seven-turnover performance against Iowa in a 51-14 loss. That was not the worst loss for the Terrapins. They also lost star WR Dontay Demus Jr. for the season with a knee injury. The Buckeyes will keep on rolling. Pick: Ohio State (-21)
UCLA at Arizona
Featured Game | Arizona Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins
The Bruins season had gotten off to such a good start, which included a win at home over LSU. Things have gone south a bit now as UCLA has lost two of its last three games, including an ugly, penalty-filled 42-23 loss at home to Arizona State. Nothing like a trip to Tucson, Arizona, to fix what ails you. The Wildcats have been dreadful this season and should not threaten UCLA. Pick: UCLA (-16)
Upset of the Week
Wisconsin at Illinois
Featured Game | Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin has one of the top defenses in the nation. The Badgers are third in total defense and No. 1 in rushing defense. Despite that, Wisconsin is sitting at 1-3, 0-2 in the Big Ten and looks bad doing it. The biggest problem, of course, is turnovers. Wisconsin is dead last in FBS in turnover margin at -2 per game. Unfortunately for them, the Illini are one of the most opportunistic defenses in the nation and have a +1 turnover margin. That is why I like Illinois to not just cover this counterintuitive line, but win outright. Pick: Illini (+310)
Other CFP candidates
- No. 1 Alabama at Texas A&M Pick: Alabama (-18)
- No. 2 Georgia at No. 18 Auburn Pick: Georgia (-15.5)
- No. 4 Penn State at No. 3 Iowa Pick: Iowa (-1.5)
- Temple at No. 5 Cincinnati Pick: Temple (+29)
- No. 9 Michigan at Nebraska Pick: Under (50.5)
- Boise State at No. 10 BYU Pick: BYU (-5.5)
- No. 11 Michigan State at Rutgers Pick: Michigan State (-5.5)
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 6, and which national title contender will go down hard? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,400 in profit over the past five-plus seasons — and find out.
