My Week 6 picks in college football. Check out a writeup for each pick on Fansided.
Georgia Tech (+7) over Clemson
Tag Archives: Kansas State
Big 12 Games to Circle
The Big 12 were the bridesmaids of college football in 2014, and watched while the four other major conferences participated in the College Football Playoff. TCU and Baylor were left out by the committee as Ohio State earned the fourth and final spot. The Buckeyes proved that it was the correct decision by winning it all, but the Horned Frogs and Bears had legitimate cases to be playing in the Rose Bowl or Sugar Bowl on January 1. The Big 12 looks to be one of the more exciting leagues this season. Here are four games to keep an eye on when picking against the spread:
October 24- Kansas Sate at Texas: Kansas State plays four games in as many weeks with the stretch wrapping up in Austin. They play at Oklahoma State, and host TCU and Oklahoma before traveling to meet Texas. Tough spot for Bill Snyder’s team especially with Texas coming out of a bye week. Look to back the Longhorns at home.
October 31- Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: Oklahoma State is a team I think can be one of the biggest surprises in college football. Winning 10 games isn’t out of reach for Mike Gundy’s team. I think the schedule breaks nicely for the Cowboys, who avoid TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma until November and those three games are in Stillwater. Before playing conference favorite TCU, Oklahoma State has to play at Texas Tech. Always seems like a tricky trip for Big 12 teams and one that Oklahoma State might overlook.
College Football: Week 11 Picks
Here are my Week 11 college football picks and the rest of the pool plays:
Kansas State (+6) over TCU: A Bill Snyder team getting points is usually a safe pick. Kansas State’s only loss was against Auburn so both these teams are in contention for the College Football Playoff. I think Kansas State will try to control the ball to keep TCU’s explosive offense off the field. That’s why I also like the under in this game.
Under 58 in TCU vs Kansas State: See above
Under 45 in LSU vs Alabama: I can see LSU winning this game and because of that I like the under. It might be similar to the game two weeks ago when the Tigers upset Ole Miss 10-7. I don’t think Alabama’s offense will be as efficient on the road in Baton Rogue. Remember that these teams played a 9-6 game three years ago before meeting again in the National Championship.
Michigan State (-4) over Ohio State: Michigan State is the better team and are coming off a bye. The Spartans are playing at home in primetime, so I give the advantage to quarterback Connor Cook over Ohio State freshman J.T. Barrett.
Pool Plays
Kentucky (+10) over Georgia: The next two games are only pool plays but I was very close to making them official picks. I make most of my college football picks based on scheduling situations. Georgia is in a terrible scheduling spot this week. They just played Florida and play Auburn next week. So this Kentucky game is sandwiched between two big games for the Bulldogs. The matchup next week against Auburn is even more important because of how the Tigers beat the Bulldogs last season. Georgia also had their College Football Playoff dreams crushed last week when they lost to Florida. With no shot a winning the title and I think Georgia comes out flat in Lexington. That being said, the line has probably adjusted taking those factors into consideration. So I would lean towards Kentucky but would like this game a lot more if the spread was a few points higher.
Purdue (+17) over Wisconsin: The Badgers are one of four teams in the Big Ten West with one loss. The other three are Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. Those are Wisconsin’s three opponents after this game in West Lafayette. So this is a lookahead scenario against Purdue with bigger games on deck. Purdue has improved in conference play and even out gained Nebraska last week in a 21-point loss. The home team is getting a lot of points here but there’s going to be cold and rainy weather for an early kickoff on Saturday. That climate favors Wisconsin’s game plan of running of the ball and playing strong defense. That’s why I would only lean Purdue in this game.
College Football: Week 9 Picks
Here are my Week 9 college football picks and the rest of the pool plays:
Wisconsin (-10.5) over Maryland
Under 48 in Kansas State vs Texas
North Carolina (+7) Virginia
Under 49 in Michigan State vs Michigan
Oklahoma State (-1) over West Virginia
LSU (+4) over Ole Miss
Over 65 in Auburn vs South Carolina
Under 46 in Tennessee vs Alabama
Washington (+3) over Arizona State
Pool Plays
Oregon (-17.5) over California- Friday Night
Illinois (+6) over Minnesota
Auburn vs Kansas State Preview
I’ll start off by saying that I have had trouble this week researching college games to pick. I have tried to post picks as early as possible the last three weeks but there isn’t anything I love right now. I hope to post a few picks later in the week but I want to be very selective.
This is one game I was tempted to pick. Auburn makes a rare trip to Big 12 country to play Kansas State on a Thursday night. I would lean to the home team here who are a +9.5 underdog. I was high on Kansas State at the beginning of the season and didn’t expect Auburn to have another magical year. Bill Snyder is one of the best coaches in the country but so is Gus Malzahn and his offensive system that can seem unstoppable.
The Tigers have covered 12 straight games dating back to Week 3 of 2012. I’m going to pass picking against a team that is on that type of streak. I would pick Kansas State as a pool play, and also predict a high scoring game in Manhattan.
Big 12 Win Total and Standings Preview
Best Bets
Kansas State over 7.5 wins (-150): The Wildcats won seven regular season games in 2013 after two straight seasons where they won more than 10. Bill Snyder teams are always well prepared for games. I think the combo of quarterback Jake Waters and wide receiver Tyler Lockett will put up big numbers this season. Hosting Auburn and trips to Oklahoma and Baylor is where I see the losses. Kansas State will win the rest of their games and finish third in the Big 12. Continue reading
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