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Our 7 best bets for Week 9 of the college football season
We've made good money betting against Michigan State this year, but this week, it's time to play the Spartans. Purdue is coming off a huge win over Ohio State and is due to fall back to reality a bit. Michigan State is going to be hungry to get a victory at home after losing two straight in East Lansing.
Penn State is another team coming off two straight home losses and will look to bounce back with a big win for the Nittany faithful. Iowa is known in the Big Ten as an upset specialist — a team destined to spoil the season of playoff contenders. But since Penn State has already had its playoff hopes dashed, the Hawkeyes feel like much less of a threat this year.
Georgia and Florida meet every year for one of the biggest parties in the South. While the Gators have already proven themselves as capable giant-slayers, and possibly even giants themselves, Georgia is coming off an embarrassing performance against LSU and is in need of a big win to prove they're still playoff contenders. Bulldogs roll.
Clemson made N.C. State look like pushovers last weekend, and N.C. State is better than Florida State this year. Tigers are cruising to the playoff. Until then, Dabo and company could sleepwalk through the ACC.
We've bet against a few teams that are set up for a let-down game, and after Washington State's big win over Oregon last week, you might think the Cougars fit into that category as well. But Wazzu looked dominant enough to make me a believer, and as the only one-loss team remaining in the Pac-12, they likely represent the conference's best-remaining hope to make the playoff. A big win over Stanford would be a solid addition to their resume.
If Navy can just score twice in this game, I think they can steal a cover from Notre Dame. Thanks to their run-heavy (almost run-exclusive) offense, the Midshipmen are capable of drives that take up entire quarters. Take it the length of the field twice, and the Irish won't have time to cover a 24-point line.
Before I elaborate on this pick, allow me to concede that Kansas is terrible.
That said, this is a sharp play based on where the money is coming in so far. As of Friday, TCU is receiving 63% of the bets on this game, but just 28% of the money according to the Action Network. That means that while the small bettors believe in the Horned Frogs, the professional bettors putting big money on the game are backing the Jayhawks. Trust the pros and bet the dog.
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