Week 5 College Football Odds
Written September 30, 2009 by Rock Henderson
College football is in full swing as Week 4 started with an upset as South Carolina took out #4 Ole Miss and ended with an upset when the Iowa Hawkeyes took out the #5 Penn State Nittany Lions. The oddsmakers finally have enough statistical data to make sharp lines. Let’s take a look at some of the key match-ups this week.
Colorado travels to West Virginia Friday night to clash with the Mountaineers. The Buffaloes got their first win against Wyoming and have had two weeks to prepare for Jarrett Brown and company. West Virginia is a 17 point favorite. Get a $500 match bonus this football betting season with BetUS.
Pittsburgh @ Louisville would be much more intriguing on the hardwood, but we will take what we can get. The Panthers suffered their first loss of the season at North Carolina State last Saturday. Pitt is favored by 6.5 points.
The Michigan Wolverines hit the road for the first time this year, but it won’t be much of a trip to inter-state rival Michigan State’s house. Wolverine QB Tate Forcier has performed remarkably well as a true freshman. Michigan State has been one of the biggest disappoints in the Big Ten so far. This game is a toss up, with the Spartans favored by 1.5.
Florida State has taken the cake as this year’s Jekyll and Hyde team. They lose their opener to Miami, barely get by Jacksonville State, dominate BYU and then are defeated by a depleted South Florida team. Which Seminole team will show up against Boston College? The Eagles are 4.5 dogs.
Pretender or contender will be determined in Minnesota this weekend when the Wisconsin Badgers come to town. The Badgers have benefited from a light schedule that has been played completely on home turn. Minnesota is much more battle tested and has one of the best players in the nation in Eric Decker. Currently, the NCAA football odds have the Golden Gophers as a 3 point favorite.
No one will remember that Kentucky got drilled by Florida for a second year in a row. Most will remember they were the ones responsible for sending Tim Tebow away in an ambulance. Kentucky will look to rebound when the third ranked Alabama Crimson Tide roll into the Bluegrass State. Alabama is giving 17 points.
The Stanford Cardinal and UCLA Bruins have to be considered two of the more surprising teams in the Pac 10. Jim Harbaugh’s crew come off a 34-14 pounding of the twenty third ranked Washington Huskies. UCLA had a bye week to prepare for the Cardinal. Stanford is a 6 point favorite at home.
LSU hopes to avenge last year’s 52-38 drubbing that the Georgia Bulldogs put on em’ at Tiger Stadium. They will have to do it between the hedges in 2009 as Georgia has historically been extremely tough to beat at home. The Dawgs are favored by 2.5 points.
Joe Paterno’s Penn State Nittany Lions hope to bounce back after last week’s disappointing performance against the Iowa Hawkeyes that resulted in a loss. Illinois should provide plenty of opportunities for Daryl Clark and Evan Royster to make big plays on the offensive end. Penn State is a 6.5 point favorite at Illinois.
Oklahoma and Miami will renew their rivalry Saturday night in prime time. The story here is if Sooner QB Sam Bradford will return after missing a month with a shoulder injury. The U have the athletes on offense to make this game competitive, but can they stop the Sooner offensive machine enough to win? Miami is getting a touchdown at home.
Other games of note:
Washington (+13.5) Notre Dame
Oregon State (-4.5) Arizona State
Ohio State (-16.5) Indiana
Georgia Tech (-4.5) Mississippi State
Arkansas (-1) Texas A&M
Auburn (-1.5) Tennessee
USC (-6) Cal
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