College Football Betting Lines – Five Games That Have National Title Implications
By Charles Jay
The top ten in the college playoff rankings were released this Tuesday. These are similar to the BCS Standings, in that they are the basis upon which the four teams that participate in the national championship playoff will be selected. Here are the top ten:
- Mississippi State
- Florida State
- Auburn
- Ole Miss
- Oregon
- Alabama
- TCU
- Michigan State
- Kansas State
- Notre Dame
Our Fab Five matchups involve some of these teams. Let’s take a look at these week 10 college football match ups:
Notre Dame -15 at Navy
Notre Dame, the #10 team, had a bye week after giving Florida State all it could handle in Tallahassee. The Irish thought they had scored a late touchdown to win the game, but got called on a pass interference penalty. They impressed a lot of people nonetheless. And now they take on a Navy team that got a terrific performance last time out out of quarterback Kennan Reynolds, who rushed for 251 yards against San Jose State. The last time these teams met, Navy and its option attack ran for 331 yards, but Notre Dame is improved on defense this season (ranked 12th nationally against the run) and they have Everett Golson back at quarterback after his year-long suspension. Golson has thrown 19 touchdown passes and shown incredible poise. And Navy does not rush the passer (only one sack against Division I competition). Notre Dame finds itself laying 15 points in the college football betting odds at BetAnySports (8 PM ET).
Arkansas +10.5 at Mississippi State
The top-ranked team is still Mississippi State, and the Bulldogs will play host to Arkansas on Saturday in a 7:15 PM ET start. Dan Mullen’s team is now 10-2 ATS over their its twelve games, and the ‘Dogs have one of the Heisman Trophy front runners in Dak Prescott (priced at +230 at BetAnySports). But that’s not all they have; the big weapon in the backfield is Josh Robinson, who averages 7.5 yards per carry. Arkansas is a run-oriented offense, but when stepping up in competition they were held to 89 yards on the ground against Alabama. Nonetheless, they have covered six of their last seven games. But the monkey on their back is the fact that they have lost 16 straight conference games in the SEC. Mississippi State is allowing just 3.4 yards per rushing attempt, so things could get difficult for the Razorbacks, who are a 10.5-point underdog in the college football odds at BetAnySports this week.
Auburn +2 at Ole Miss
The #3 and #4 teams hook up this weekend in a game that will unquestionably eliminate one of them from the national title picture. The Ole Miss Rebels play host to the Auburn Tigers, and a lot of people are probably surprised that Ole Miss is ranked to this high after losing a 10-7 decision at LSU. But the Rebels are difficult team to score against, allowing just 84 points in their eight games. That defense will be put to the test against an Auburn rushing attack that averages six yards per carry. And do not discount the fact that Nick Marshall has taken strides as a passer, with an 18-3 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. Mississippi is laying two points in the college football betting lines at BetAnySports in this 7 PM ET kickoff at Oxford.
TCU -3.5 at West Virginia
TCU, the #17 squad, which would have been undefeated had it not given up 24 points in the last five minutes of the game at Baylor, will take a trip to Morgantown for a date with the West Virginia Mountaineers. Both of these teams play wide-open football, and this is kind of a new development for the Horned Frogs, who have had great success under QB Tremane Boykin in moving the football. Of course, West Virginia is a dangerous bunch, as Clint Trickett has really been able to adapt to Dana Holgorsen’s offense. These two teams have gone to overtime the last two meetings, but TCU comes into this game with nine straight covers against the football odds. The Frogs are laying 3.5 points in the NCAA lines at BetAnySports for this 3:30 PM ET kickoff.
Oklahoma State +14.5 at Kansas State
Kansas State, which is a surprising #9 in the college playoff rankings, will play host to Oklahoma State at 8 PM ET in Little Manhattan. The Wildcats have suffered only one defeat this season, a home game against Auburn, and they are coming off a 23-0 shutout of Texas. Bill Snyder’s squad has covered five straight games, but it looks like Oklahoma State has been going in the opposite direction, with a 0-4-1 spread record in its last five contests. The last two games have been particularly painful, as they have been outscored by a combined 76-19 by TCU and West Virginia. Kansas State is a 14.5-point favorite in the college football betting lines at BetAnySports, where you can enjoy reduced juice betting on all of your college football action!