We are around the halfway point of the 2018 college football season. Playoff time creeps ever closely. Let's get ready for another week of games with major postseason implications.
| If it's anything like last time, UCF-Memphis will be one to watch Saturday |
Record
Last Week: 11-9 vs. Spread: 8-12 Over/Under: 11-8-1
Season: 83-25 vs. Spread: 45-48 Over/Under: 43-48-2
(All Times Eastern)
Friday
#23 South Florida @ Tulsa (7:00 PM, ESPN)
Ranked for the first time this season, the Bulls of South Florida travel to Tulsa Friday night. The 1-4 Golden Hurricane have lost their last four games, and although Tulsa is at home (and only a seven-point underdog), I think USF wins in a rout.
Spread: USF -7 Over/Under: 61
Prediction: South Florida 42, Tulsa 20
Saturday
Minnesota @ #3 Ohio State (Noon, FOX)
Ohio State pulled away from an upset-minded Indiana team last Saturday, and now the Buckeyes host 3-2 Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have lost their last two (to Maryland and Iowa), and I just don't see them being able to hang with Ohio State.
Spread: OSU -29.5 O/U: 59.5
Prediction: Ohio State 48, Minnesota 14
#14 Florida @ Vanderbilt (Noon, ESPN)
The Gators are riding high following two straight wins over ranked teams (Mississippi State and LSU). They travel to Nashville to take on 3-3 Vandy on Saturday. The Commodores got routed by Georgia last week, and, while they might not get routed by Florida, they will lose.
Spread: FLA -7 O/U: 50.5
Prediction: Florida 31, Vanderbilt 17
Tennessee @ #21 Auburn (Noon, SEC Network)
Both of these teams are coming off of conference losses. Tennessee, a week after falling to Florida, got trounced by Georgia. Auburn stumbled against Mississippi State. Neither team has beaten anybody noteworthy, but Auburn is by far the superior team.
Spread: AUB -15 O/U: 45.5
Prediction: Auburn 35, Tennessee 17
Pittsburgh @ #5 Notre Dame (2:30 PM, NBC)
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish look like a legitimate National Title threat. After blowing out seventh-ranked Stanford two weeks ago, Ian Book and the Irish steamrolled 24th-ranked Virginia Tech last week. 3-3 Pittsburgh shouldn't be too much of a challenge.
Spread: ND -21 O/U: 54
Prediction: Notre Dame 44, Pittsburgh 21
#2 Georgia @ #13 LSU (3:30 PM, CBS)
We get a late-afternoon SEC delight this weekend, as Georgia travels to Baton Rouge to take on an LSU team that just suffered a tight loss to Florida. The Bulldogs haven't been tested thus far, but they'll be tested Saturday afternoon. I think they'll pass the test.
Spread: UGA -7.5 O/U: 50.5
Prediction: Georgia 32, LSU 28
#7 Washington @ #17 Oregon (3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN2)
The 3:30 time slot features a lot of intriguing games, including two between ranked teams. Last week, Justin Herbert and Oregon bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to Stanford with a win at Cal. Meanwhile, Washington only beat winless UCLA by seven. I'll take the Ducks in this one.
Spread: WASH -3.5 O/U: 57.5
Prediction: Oregon 38, Washington 31
Michigan State @ #8 Penn State (3:30 PM, Big Ten Network)
The late afternoon slate also contains a Big Ten matchup between teams coming off of losses. Penn State lost a nail-biter to Ohio State two weeks ago, while Michigan State lost by 10 to Northwestern last week. The Spartans have shown that they aren't a great team. I think Penn State is a great team.
Spread: PSU -13.5 O/U: 53
Prediction: Penn State 38, Michigan State 21
Baylor @ #9 Texas (3:30 PM, ESPN)
TEXAS IS BACK. I finally feel confident uttering that statement. The one-loss Longhorns prevailed in the Red River Shootout last week against Oklahoma, and they've also beaten USC and TCU. Baylor is improving, but the Bears, who lost to Oklahoma by 33 two weeks ago, won't beat Texas.
Spread: TEX -14 O/U: 59.5
Prediction: Texas 40, Baylor 21
#10 UCF @ Memphis (3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN2)
The last time these two teams met (last December), what transpired was a wild shootout that ended in a 62-55 Central Florida win in double overtime. Expect another offensive explosion this Saturday, as these teams rank 2nd (UCF) and 6th (Memphis) in yards per game. This is my upset special.
Spread: UCF -4.5 O/U: 81.5
Prediction: Memphis 48, UCF 45
#22 Texas A&M @ South Carolina (3:30 PM, SECN)
A week after South Carolina lost to red-hot Kentucky, Texas A&M cooled down the Wildcats, winning an overtime thriller. Now the Aggies and Gamecocks meet, and it could be tightly-contested. Ultimately, I think the Aggies (whose only losses came to Alabama and Clemson) are the better team.
Spread: TAMU -2.5 O/U: 52
Prediction: Texas A&M 34, South Carolina 24
Missouri @ #1 Alabama (7:00 PM, ESPN)
The Tide look to keep on rolling when they host Missouri Saturday. The Tigers have lost two in a row, and they'll be hard-pressed to keep it from stretching to three. Alabama's average margin of victory this season is 40.3(3333...). The good news is, I think Mizzou will stay within 40.3 (3333...).
Spread: ALA -28 O/U: 74.5
Prediction: Alabama 55, Missouri 24
#6 West Virginia @ Iowa State (7:00 PM, FOX Sports 1)
Iowa State scored a big win last week against Oklahoma State. The Cyclones will look to score an even bigger upset this week against West Virginia. The 5-0 Mountaineers have Will Grier, who ranks in the top ten (in FBS) in just about every passing statistic. I can't go against Grier here.
Spread: WVU -6.5 O/U: 56.5
Prediction: West Virginia 35, Iowa State 22
#16 Miami @ Virginia (7:00 PM, ESPN2)
The 'Canes still only have a Week 1 blemish on their record, but they got a Halloween-level scare from Florida State last week. I don't expect this weekend to be as scary. The best team 3-2 Virginia has played is NC State, and the Cavs lost to the Wolfpack by 14 last week.
Spread: MIA -7 O/U: 47.5
Prediction: Miami 32, Virginia 16
#15 Wisconsin @ #12 Michigan (7:30 PM, ABC)
This week's primetime game comes in the Big Ten, where one-loss heavyweights Wisconsin and Michigan square off. It should be a dogfight, but the deciding factor may be defense. While Wisconsin ranks 41st in the FBS in total defense, Michigan sports the number one defense.
Spread: MICH -10 O/U: 49
Prediction: Michigan 28, Wisconsin 24
#19 Colorado @ USC (10:30 PM, FOX Sports 1)
The Saturday of football ends how it usually does: with some #PAC12AfterDark. This week's installment features two-loss USC hosting 5-0 Colorado. The Trojans are Colorado's toughest test yet, and I'm not sure if the Buffs will pass it. It should be a fun game.
Spread: USC -7 O/U: 57
Prediction: USC 41, Colorado 38
Stats and Info via ESPN.com
Lines via OddsShark.com
Lines as of Friday Afternoon
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