Michigan divination at Penn State, Oklahoma Baylor and more – The Athletic

Every week during the college football season, The Athletic‘s college football writers make their choice against the spread of schedule in the biggest games. Our detailed coverage of each team is linked below the selections.

Last week, Wake Forest and Michigan State dropped out of the unbeaten, but sports betting was not shocked by the results. Wake Forest was, in fact, an underdog in North Carolina, and Michigan State was popular with just a field goal in Purdue.

This week, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Wake Forest are among the top 12 in the College Football playoff rankings, but are favored under the touchdown. There are four matches in the game with a score of the top 25 teams. More chaos and movement could be seen in the national headline.

As for our selections here, right after I had laughed at our pickers because everyone was under 0.500 last week, Jason Starrett and Ari Wasserman had a big 7-2 weeks. As Ari said on our Slack channel, it’s hard to pick all the biggest games of the week, so she celebrates that she has a season winning record. We are not allowed to choose our places. Nevertheless, you may still want to fade Chris Vannin and me.

All differences listed are locked when we selected them and may not reflect the most recent line items. Live college football odds are available here. All start times are Eastern and all games are on Saturday unless otherwise stated. The rankings are from the Rankings in the playoffs of College Football.

North Carolina at No. 21 Pitt (-6)

7:30 PM Thursday, ESPN

North Carolina-Pitt stories
• Can Pitt capitalize on this year’s success in a higher position?

• Wake Forest (and ACC) crush hopes crashed in North Carolina in a game ghostly similar to last year

North Carolina is everywhere this season. Win Virginia at 20, then lose to Georgia Tech at 23. Lost in Florida State 10 and then beat Miami. Tar Heels have not won consecutive wins since the second and third games of the season, and one of them was against Georgia South. An everyday game at home and Pitt has to cover under a touchdown? That was enough to convince the three of us.

Well. 6 Michigan, Penn State (-1)

Noon, ABC

Michigan-Penn State stories

• Jim Harbaugh and Michigan have the opportunity to do something special. Can they stop it?

• Jahan Dotson delivers to Penn State and his family in ways that will soon be forgotten

We chose Penn State as a favorite, but the line has since moved to Michigan as a favorite. The three of us went with Michigan. I like Penn State with a healthier Sean Clifford, but I’m alone. * looked at the records * Maybe I shouldn’t be the one you’re listening to.

Well. 8 Oklahoma (-5.5) at No. 13 Baylor

Noon, Fox

Oklahoma-Baylor stories

• ‘Why doesn’t Kennedy run hard?’ Harassed by teammates and suspected by coaches, Kennedy Brooks only does production

• TCU upset No. 12 in Baylor’s first game after shooting Gary Patterson

This separates us. Oklahoma has looked better in the attack with Caleb Williams, but also struggled in Kansas as Williams ’quarterback. Baylor loses in the TCU but may be able to stay in the Big 12 with a win.

Well. 19 Purdue at No. 4 Ohio State (-20.5)

15:30, ABC

Stories of Purdue and the State of Ohio

• Fortuna: Purdue’s giant assassin QB Aidan O’Connell and coach Jeff Brohm enjoy the moment, facing the “hardest” in the state of Ohio.

• The last thoughts of the state of Ohio: about a crime that can be fixed, and defense will save it

• Kravitz: David Bell has helped Purdue “change culture” after his latest heroic deeds against the state of Michigan

Purdue has knocked out Iowa and Michigan State, but also lost to Minnesota and blew up Wisconsin. Boilermakers have not been so consistent, but David Bell gives them a chance against almost anyone. Bell already has 1,000 reception yards and more than 200 in both big wins against Iowa and MSU. I don’t think any of us expect Purdue to win at Columbus, but we all take nearly three touchdowns from Purdue.

No. 1 Georgia (-20.5) in Tennessee

15:30, ABC

Stories of Georgia and Tennessee

• “Cookie Monster”: Alontae Taylor’s unique, lucrative deal that leads to sweet treats for Vols fans

• The gap is real, but what are the weaknesses in Georgia and how vulnerable is it to Tennessee?

The same difference in the Purdue-Ohio State is related to the second of the top four to face an inconsistent but dangerous team. The biggest difference is that Georgia has looked almost unbeatable and Tennessee is at home. On paper, Tennessee may be Georgia’s best attack. Can the Vols make more than 14 points? It’s hard to believe given how dominant the Bulldogs have been, but we’re all involved in the Wals when they get nearly three touchdowns.

Well. 11 Texas A&M (-3) at No. 15 Ole Miss

at 7 p.m., ESPN

Texas A & M-Ole Miss Stories

• Texas Tech Hires “Huge Personality”, It’s Time to (Really) Believe in Texas A&M: This Week in Recruiting

• Texas A&M’s first thoughts: A shot at the SEC West, no longer asleep with this defense, lets Zach Calzada glide

The Aggies dominated Auburn last week, but the Ole Miss attack is very different from the Tigers. Can Aggies shut down Matt Corralin? We disagree about this, but guys with winning records like Ole Miss.

Well. 9 Notre Dame (-5.5) in Virginia

19:30, ABC

Notre Dame-Virginia stories

• Notre Dame’s Last Thoughts: Replacing Avery Davis, Appreciating Mike Elston, and Playing Bowls

• Shutting down the Notre Dame fleet shows that the team is thinking about how to meet its own standard regardless of the opponent

Does Notre Dame still have a chance to get into the playoffs? The Irish need help, that’s for sure. Virginia is probably the best remaining team on schedule. If only Notre Dame would play at the conference and could enhance his resume in the conference title game. We all like Virginia here, so maybe the Irish don’t have to worry about it anyway.

Well. 16 North Carolina State at No. 12 Wake Forest (-2)

19:30, ACC network

Stories of the State of North Carolina and Wake Forest

• Wake Forest (and ACC) crush hopes crashed in North Carolina in a game ghostly similar to last year

Wake Forest is not breathing after the defeat in North Carolina. Demon Deacons returns home but faces a huge game of ACC in the Atlantic. Wake Forest’s win would make it two games away from all the other players in the division and two games left. Remember, the UNC game was technically a non-conference game. NC State’s victory would give Wolfpack control over its own destiny after two home games.

Wake Forest is popular this time around, hardly. Our three pickers like NC State to cover a small spread.

Washington State at No. 3 Oregon (-14)

10:30 PM, ESPN

Stories of Washington State and Oregon

• Mandel’s Last Thoughts: “Slip‘ N Slide Saturday ”works when many College Football playoff contestants do just that

• College Football Playoffs: Georgia remains in 1st place, Ohio State 4th best, Cincinnati 5th.

The Ducks have two Pac-12 wins with a difference of more than 14 points. Against them came Arizona and Colorado, the two worst teams in the league. Washington State is above these teams, which is why three of our pickers went with the Cougars to stay within the two touchdowns.

Nevada at No. 22 San Diego State (-2)

10.30pm, CBS Sports Network

Stories of Nevada-San Diego State

• San Diego State’s Matt Araiza is spreading one 80-yard pound at a time

This is a huge game in Mountain West. Both have a 4-1 conference record. This can decide the winner of the Western Division. SDSU is a small favorite, though it hasn’t scored more than 20 points in each of the previous four games. Punter Matt Araiza can easily reverse the field. It’s weird that the bettor (and also the kicker) might be the star of the series, but he’s so good.

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(Picture Hassan Haskins: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)