Well, I’m back to my old ways with another week where I go about .500 and break even. Breaking even is never a bad thing in gambling though, so we’ll take it. I’ve learned my lesson and will never bet on Texas A&M again though. Those guys just don’t have it this year. Anyways, let’s move on to Week 9, which is our last week before the best thing in college football happens — MACtion baby. So let’s try to win some money to bet more on MACtion this week.

Old Dominion vs. Georgia State: Old Dominion ML — 1u to win 1.45

We will start off with some Fun Belt action, which has been a wild ride so far this year. Old Dominion has been on a bit of a  roller coaster this year, but I like it to go back up here against a Georgia State team that has been struggling lately. Georgia State has had one of the worst defenses in the country, so I expect the nation’s leading receiver, Ali Jennings III, to have a field day. Outside of Jennings, junior running back Blake Watson is coming off back-to-back 100 yard games, including 260 in an upset win against Coastal Carolina. So the Monarchs have what it takes to beat Georgia State on the air and the ground.

Boise State vs. Colorado State: Under 43 — 1.1u to win 1u

This comes down to the Boise State offense in my opinion. We know the Broncos defense is phenomenal, and I’d be surprised if it allowed more than one touchdown. But with the spread being at 27, Vegas is projecting the Broncos to score 35. That seems extremely unlikely with Boise’s run first strategy. The only way I see this game coming close to the total is if the Rams turn the ball over on their own side of the field a few times. Now this is entirely possible, but I expect the Broncos to be salting this game away early with Taylen Green’s legs.

Ohio State vs. Penn State: Ohio State -15.5 — 1.1u to win 1u

This feels like a mismatch in terms of talent. Penn State has been better than expectations this year, but there is a large firm gap between the best of the best, and the rest of the top teams. We saw that gap when the Nittany Lions faced Michigan, and they were thoroughly outclassed. I expect the same to happen here. No one has really slowed down the Buckeyes offense since Week 1 with Notre Dame, and while Penn State has had one of the better defenses in the Big Ten, I don’t think it will be either. C.J. Stroud has only improved from last year, and I think he still handles his business against a very good Nittany Lions secondary.

Wake Forest vs. Louisville: Wake Forest -3.5 — 1.1u to win 1u

This is a scary line, and it feels like Vegas knows something. Simply on merit, if you put this team on a neutral field, it feels like Wake Forest should be favored by double digits. Louisville has shown very little outside of Malik Cunningham to threaten the Demon Deacons. Yet, here we are with a 3.5-point spread. Now, the Cardinals are getting healthier, with Tiyon Evans being close to full health, but I still don’t see them being able to touch Wake Forest. Wake went toe to toe with Clemson this year, while Louisville couldn’t hang with Boston College. This just feels like a total misread by Vegas, so I’m hoping to take advantage of it.

Notre Dame v.s Syracuse: Syracuse -2.5 — 2.2u to win 2u

Syracuse has been a surprise this year and has done it behind its lockdown defense. Its defense has been phenomenal this year, and I expect that to continue against a weak Notre Dame offense. If I’ve done my math right, the Irish only scoring 14 against Stanford means they shouldn’t move the ball past the 50 on Syracuse. Don’t let the offensive explosion against UNLV last week fool you. This offense stinks, and it will continue to do so this week against a stellar Syracuse defense. 

Last Week:

3-2-0 — -.3u

Year:

18-22-0 — -10.55u