Another week of top 25 college football games is upon us and here our the college football predictions to bring you to glory. These picks, from the Wannamakeabet.com staff for this week’s action, are generated from a combination of our machine learning behavioral algorithms combined with our 30 years of handicapping experience. Make sure you get into our free September betting league and put in your imaginary wagers, we’re giving away 50 bucks to the winner this month.
There are five matchups between AP Poll top-25 teams this week, including No. 4 Ohio State at No. 9 Penn State, No. 7 Stanford at No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 12 West Virginia at No. 25 Texas Tech, No. 19 Oregon at No. 24 Cal and No. 20 BYU at No. 11 Washington. Without further delay, here our the top college football predictions for this week. Take these to the bank with your units!
Virginia Tech at No. 22 Duke (-3.5)
It’s been a rough week for Va Tech. The Hokies are not only coming off a bad loss to Old Dominion, but also lose quarterback Josh Jackson with a fractured leg. Duke, meanwhile, enters the game allowing only 15.3 points per game, tied for second-best in the ACC. Virginia Tech will rally after the loss to the Monarchs, but Jackson’s absence will be the difference in the loss. Duke gets there easy and covers the number.
South Carolina at No. 17 Kentucky (-1.5)
Kentucky will feature a heavy rush attack against South Carolina on Saturday. The Wildcats average an SEC-best 269 rushing yards per game; South Carolina’s defense ranks 75th nationally by surrendering 163 per contest. Benny Snell Jr., who leads the conference with 540 rushing yards and seven touchdowns will be just too much. Kentucky wins tough and goes 3-0 in SEC play for the first time since 1977.
Florida at No. 23 Mississippi State (-7.5)
Joe Moorhead said his team wasn’t looking ahead to Florida after getting beat down by Kentucky, but there’s no doubt Dan Mullen’s return to Starkville will be a sore topic for a lot of his former players. The Gators quarterback is tied with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa for an SEC-leading 12 passing touchdowns. It’s close, but a motivated Bulldogs team gets it done against Florida, and covers the line which will likely move to 7 by gametime.
No. 20 BYU at No. 11 Washington (-18)
BYU has been the surprise of the season this year, beating Wisconsin and losing only one game to still-undefeated Cal. That said, the Cougars may not catch Chris Petersen or Washington off guard in Seattle. The Huskies are coming off two hard-fought wins in Pac-12 play and can’t afford to lose again if they want to make the Playoffs. Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin lead a balanced attack but BYU keeps it close like they have all year.
No. 19 Oregon (-3) at No. 24 Cal
The Ducks were one touchdown away from winning an otherwise-dominant game against Stanford on Saturday, something Cal will be keenly aware of this week. Justin Herbert will have a tough time against a Golden Bears defense that has seven interceptions on the year, but he makes enough plays while the Oregon defense — which limited Cardinal running back Bryce Love to 89 yards on Saturday — keeps the offense in check. Oregon gets there for bettors this week.
No. 12 West Virginia (-4) at No. 25 Texas Tech
This matchup pits the Big 12’s top scoring offense (Texas Tech, 52 points per game) against the country’s top scoring defense (WVU, 12.3 ppg). The Red Raiders are coming off a convincing 41-17 win over Oklahoma State and will look to keep that going at home in Lubbock. The difference in this game will be Will Grier, who looks like a Heisman contender early this season. TT keeps it close right down to the wire and loses but can’t get the outright win.
No. 7 Stanford at No. 8 Notre Dame (-5.5)
Credit Stanford for its unlikely comeback win over Oregon, but David Shaw can’t expect the Cardinal to pull off the same feat twice if they fall behind early to this week. The Irish finally got it going offensively on Saturday with Ian Book at quarterback, but that came against a bad Wake Forest defense. We think Stanford is the overall more complete team, the difference in a close game with Playoff implications and getting more than a FG.
No. 4 Ohio State (-4) at No. 9 Penn State
The energy surrounding this game will be incredible, as arguably the Big Ten’s two best teams square off in Happy Valley. Trace McSorley (1,258 total yards, 14 touchdowns) will get the huge stage again to prove his doubters wrong against a Buckeyes defense minus Nick Bosa. Dwayne Haskins (1,194 passing yards, 16 touchdowns) will need a big game as well. This one has game of the year potential, but we think the Nittany Lions — who have played down to lower competition at times this year — fall just short of the upset. Ohio State has a way of winning these games when it’s all on the line and they’re on the road.