Four weeks into the season and we are 7 games over .500. Not bad, not bad at all! But it is time to take it to the next level. This week we have a full slate of 14 games on the ticket, but before diving in, lets take a quick glance at last weeks picks.
Week 4 Record: 6-7-2
Overall Record: 30-23-3
Last Weeks Picks:
FAU @ UCF Over 77: Win
Iowa State -18.5 vs. Akron: Loss
Buffalo -6 @ Rutgers: Win
Ole Miss -28.5 vs. Kent State: Loss
Georgia -14 @ Missouri: Push
Miami Ohio -5 @ Bowling Green: Win
Ohio State -35 vs. Tulane: Win
Baylor -7 vs. Kansas: Win
San Diego State -10.5 vs. Eastern Michigan: Loss
Virginia Tech -27.5 @ Old Dominion: Loss (Really Va. Tech?)
TCU -3 @ Texas: Loss
North Texas -13.5 @ Liberty: Win
Texas Tech @ Oklahoma State Over 77.5: Loss (thanks for showing up Cowboys!)
Arkansas State -7 vs. UNLV: Push
Oklahoma -31.5 vs. Army: Loss
Oregon +2.5 vs. Stanford: Loss (nice choke job Ducks!)
Week 5 Picks
Syracuse +24 @ Clemson: Yes, Trevor Lawrence is under center of the Tigers, but something tells me the Orange back-door cover this game. While Syracuse is not ready for primetime despite their 4-0 record, they did knock off the Tigers last year in the Dome. A 40-20 type of score seems fitting here. So give me the ‘Cuse to get a late score and cover.
West Virginia -3.5 @ Texas Tech: Two prolific offenses in what should be a shootout in Lubbock. Both Will Grier and Andy Bowman will easily top 300 yards with probably 8 or more touchdowns between them. But give me the Mountaineers, who have a better stockpile of receivers to go on the road and cover. T.J. Vasher is likely OUT for the Red Raiders in this one.
Oklahoma -23.5 vs. Baylor: No Rodney Anderson, no problem, as Trey Sermon has come in and done an admirable job. Yes, the Sooners barely snuck by Army last week, but that is a unique offense to prepare for. Now they get Baylor, who they are familiar with and this should turn into a rout.
Ohio State -3.5 @ Penn State: Miles Sanders last week looked like the second coming of Saquon Barkley. But that was against Illinois. Dwayne Haskins and the Buckeyes have rolled each week and with the fresh memory of what happened to them a few years ago, in primetime, in Happy Valley, OSU wins this by double digits and continues their march towards the playoff.
Stanford +4.5 @ Notre Dame: Everyone is sold on the Fighting Irish…but me. Outside of their win against Michigan, who I do not think is that impressive, their other wins have come against Vanderbilt (by 5), Ball State (by 8) and Wake Forest. Stanford on the other hand has beaten San Diego State (with a healthy Juwan Washington by 21), USC and Oregon. I like how they are battle tested, just came off a huge road win and are motivated to win the Pac-12 and advance to the playoff. Cardinal cover.
Washington -17.5 vs. BYU: Yes, BYU is ranked in the Top 25. Yes, BYU has gone on the road and already beaten a Top 25 team (Wisconsin). But if the early season has shown anything, it will be hard for the Cougars to make it a second large win on the road as they travel to Washington. They won a close game against Arizona (who does not have close to the talent Washington does) and also lost to California (who does not have close to the talent Washington does). What that tells me is that Washington would win this game handily at home.
Oregon -3 @ California: Put up or shut up time for the Ducks. This team was a few terrible plays/decisions away from being a Top 10 team this week. They have too much talent and pride to let this happen two weeks in a row. Justin Herbert shows why he is the best quarterback west of the Mississippi, as he leads the Ducks to a double-digit road win.
Colorado -9 vs. UCLA: UCLA is 0-3. They lost by 24 AT HOME to Fresno State and by 9 to Cincinnati AT HOME. Now they go to Boulder, where the Buffs are 3-0 and yet to score under 33 points in a game. Buffs win this by 15+.
Boston College -13.5 vs. Temple: Smells like a massive bounce-back game for A.J. Dillon and the Eagles. After a complete letdown against Purdue on the road, where they were blown out from start to finish, they destroy a Temple team that is riding high after victories against Tulsa and Maryland. BC possesses one of the best ground attacks in the country and I think that is the recipe to beat Temple.
ECU vs. ODU over 62: What a week for ODU. A throttling of Virginia Tech after losses to Liberty, FIU and Charlotte to open the season. Who knew? Not me. ODU showed last week that they could score in bunches thanks to Jeremy Cox and Blake LaRussa, while ECU is a team known for their up-tempo style starring wide receiver Trevon Brown. With two games already cancelled/postponed this year, we do not know much about the Pirates. But in what should be a defense optional contest, give me the over 62. Remember, 33-30 either way gets us home.
Washington State +2 vs. Utah: The Cougars lost a heartbreaker at USC last week, but as they return to Pullman, the home-cooking will come in handy against the Utes. Last year they won by 8 at Utah, while this year, having them on their home turf should be an advantage. While the Utes always play solid defense, will they be able to slow down the Cougars and transfer quarterback Gardner Minshew? Doubtful. Utah only scored 17 points in a win against Northern Illinois a few weeks ago, which tells me they may struggle to keep up. Give me Wazzu to win outright.
FAU -3 @ MTSU: Lane Kiffin and the Owls have lost the two games I expected them to lose during 2018 (at Oklahoma and at UCF). Now it is time to run the table. That starts with a game at Middle Tennessee. Last year they crushed MTSU by 18 at home and with Devin Singletary back, I expect the Owls to dominate possession and the scoreboard, in a double-digit win.
Hawaii -12 @ San Jose State: In their only road game to date, Hawaii lost at Army. A game in which they flew 12 hours to the main-land and still covered the spread. Now they only travel 6 hours to take on San Jose State. A team that is 0-3 and has given up 44, 31 and 35 points in those games. Hawaii can score at will and should put up 45+ again this week. Hawaii wins by 15+.
North Texas -7.5 vs. Louisiana Tech: Until Mason Fine does not cover a spread for me, I will continue to pick the Mean Green every week. They have yet to win a game by LESS than 23 points, while scoring over 44 points in each contest. North Texas won a one point squeaker in this game last year, in Louisiana and with the Bulldogs down this year, expect the Mean Green to win this one handily.
As a reminder, check out the Fantasy Forum for all game picks, fantasy advise, breaking news and for the All-Out Blitz show every Sunday morning at 11:45am ET.
Read more at WatchFantom: https://www.watchfantom.com/week-4-college-football-picks/
