NCAAF: QUICK HITS
A pair of points away from the winning weekend that he’d been searching for to get his college season on track, Cras looks to build on his 2-2 effort last weekend.
It’s been another crazy year on the college fields but there are plenty of winning opportunities and we had Cras pick four games for this Saturday.
Here’s what he likes:
Syracuse Orange @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The rapid deterioration of the Syracuse program has been the topic of conversation in many college circles but they pulled the pieces together for a 28-21 win over Louisville as 11-point underdogs last week. The win was particularly impressive because Louisville had beaten Top 25 team South Florida the previous week.
Rutgers has dominated this series, covering the last three matchups but this Scarlet Knights team isn’t as good as the teams that took the cash in those meetings.
Rutgers covered their last game against an injury-riddled Pittsburgh team but the points are the way to go in this game. The Orange have covered three of their last four games and at times they can show signs of being a good football team, albeit sporadically.
Pick: Syracuse +14
Oklahoma State Cowboys @ Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Oklahoma State Cowboys may have a loss to Texas counting against them in the Big 12 standings but they’re a perfect 8-0 against the spread (ATS). Last week, I expected a letdown that would allow Iowa State to grab the cash but the Cowboys scored 24 points in the third quarter to help their backers.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders need to put their emotional, last-second win over then #1 Texas behind them and take on another Top 10 opponent. Texas Tech is vulnerable and they proved that as they almost let an early 22-3 lead evaporate against Texas. This has the feel of a game down the stretch last season when a team would come up with a huge win but get knocked out of the Top 5 with a loss the following week.
Pick: Oklahoma State +3.5
Penn State Nittany Lions @ Iowa Hawkeyes
With big wins and a perfect record, Penn State has been money in the bank as they’ve gone 6-1 ATS with three-straight covers. That has an incredible 89% of Sportsbook.com members backing them this weekend and I can’t say I blame them.
The Nittany Lions are in the hunt for the national title game but keep getting looked over thanks to big wins by teams in other conferences. You can’t blame the pollsters for looking down on the Big Ten and that’s why Penn State needs to win big with just two games remaining after this contest. You’ve got to back the team that’s out to make an impression.
Pick: Penn State -7.5
Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ Boston College Eagles
These two programs reignited their passionate rivalry last season with Boston College winning 27-14 but dropping the payday as 13 ½-point favorites. With the Irish showing improvement this season and the Eagles losing quarterback Matt Ryan, the spread has dropped to just three-points in favor of the hometown team.
The Eagles haven’t been profitable this season, covering just three of seven spreads in an up and down season. Despite their inconsistencies, I expect a strong effort from Boston College this weekend. They’re playing at home, under the lights on national television against a rival school that hasn’t visited Chestnut Hill since 2003.
Pick: Boston College -3.5
