I had a dismal week, going 4-8 against the number to drop me to two games under .500 for the season against the spread. The good: picking Mizzou to knock off the Tennessee. The bad: picking Tulane to blow out Tulsa. The ugly: picking Texas to thump TCU.
Here are this week’s guesses.
Check out Stewart Mandel’s picks.
(All point spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kickoff times Eastern and on Saturday unless otherwise listed.)
No. 3 Michigan (-19.5) at Maryland, noon (Fox)
No Jim Harbaugh. No problem. The Wolverines are too physical for the Terps.
Michigan 35, Maryland 20
The pick: Maryland +19.5
No. 10 Louisville at Miami (pick ’em), noon (ABC)
The Canes showed a lot of grit giving Florida State all it can handle in Tallahassee last week. The hunch here is they get after the Cardinals, who get back on the road for the first time since their dud of a showing at Pitt.
Miami 20, Louisville 17
The pick: Miami
No. 22 Utah at No. 17 Arizona (-1), 2:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Jedd Fisch has the Wildcats playing with a ton of confidence. They have a more dynamic offense and should be potent enough to get the Utes playing away from home.
Arizona 24, Utah 17
The pick: Arizona -1
No. 1 Georgia (-9.5) at No. 18 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
UT got smoked last week by Mizzou. I think they’ll be more ready for Georgia, but the Dawgs are still too physical for them. The Vols run game has been explosive in non-conference games averaging over 7.2 yards a pop, but that average drops almost three yards per carry in SEC play and Mizzou, Florida and Bama all bottled them up.
Georgia 37, Tennessee 17
The pick: Georgia -9.5
No. 21 Kansas State (-9.5) at No. 25 Kansas, 7 p.m. (FS1)
The Jayhawks are banged up right now and they’re facing a team that pounded them last year. Expect KU to keep it a little closer than in 2022.
Kansas State 28, Kansas 17
The pick: Kansas State -9.5
Florida at No. 9 Missouri (-11.5), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
The Tigers offense is playing with a ton of confidence right now and RB Cody Schrader is really cranked up. The hunch here is the visiting Gators who have been really bad on the road this season (1-3 with only a 41-39 win at a bad South Carolina team) won’t be able to slow down the Mizzou attack. UF has allowed 555 rushing yards the past two games and now they face the top RB in the SEC in Schrader.
Missouri 31, Florida 17
The pick: Missouri -11.5
No. 5 Washington at No. 11 Oregon State (-2), 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
The Beavers are really tough at home and they have a punishing 1-2 rushing attack. OSU gives opposing quarterbacks major problems in Corvallis. This year, visiting QBs are completing under 50 percent of their passes and have a 4-to-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Over the past three seasons, that number is a woeful 14-to-25.
Oregon State 30, Washington 24
The pick: Oregon State -2
No. 7 Texas (-7.5) at Iowa State, 8 p.m. (Fox)
The young Cyclones have been a pleasant surprise and their defense could slow down all of UT’s speed. I was tempted to pick the outright upset, but I think the Horns are tough enough in the trenches to get out of Ames with a win.
Texas 24, Iowa State 20
The pick: Iowa State +7.5
Feldman’s upset special
Colorado at Washington State (-4), 10:30 p.m. Friday (FS1)
Both teams are reeling. I’m tempted to pick the home team as this game is expected to be a sellout and will be the Cougars’ last Pac-12 game in Pullman, but I think Shedeur Sanders can light up a defense that has given up 38 points or more in four of its last five games.
Colorado 42, Washington State 40
The pick: Colorado +4
(Photo of Rocco Becht: Chris Gardner / Getty Images)
Source link
credite