Week 5 College Football Lines and Picks

Well, the Canes may not being doing well, but here at State of the U, the picks segment is doing just fine. After a 5-2 week last week, my season mark sits at 18-9-1 (66.67%). Hey, that’s a better percentage than Manny Diaz has right now (oof).

As always, there are some interesting matchups and spreads this week, so let’s get to work (all lines per VegasInsider.com)....

Arkansas (+18) at Georgia. Wow. Vegas REALLY doesn’t believe in the Hogs, who’ve shown they belong every week this year. I think the Dogs win, but the Hogs cover, thanks to this huge number.

Texas (-4) at TCU. Texas’ run game has found a rhythm since the Arkansas disaster, and TCU just got clipped at home by SMU. That trends towards the Longhorns by 7+.

USC (-7.5) at Colorado. USC’s defense has been a mixed bag this year, most recently getting obliterated at home by Oregon State. That said, Colorado’s offense has been M.I.S.E.R.B.L.E. They’ve scored 20 points over the last 3 games against Texas A&M, Minnesota, and Arizona State. USC will get theirs; Colorado won’t get enough.

Syracuse (+5.5) at FSU. I know the Cuse is down, but I don’t think they’re THAT down. They’re 3-1 with a win over an OK Liberty team, so I don’t know what I’m missing here. Give me the points.

Oklahoma at Kansas State (+11.5). Yeah, I’m really not a big Oklahoma believer right now, and why should I be? Close calls against West Virginia, Nebraska, and Tulane leave a ton to be desired for a supposed CFP contender. K State has given the Sooners fits over the years in Manhattan (and last year in Norman), so why not this year? OU may snap into form at some point, but until they do, I’m picking against them.

Iowa (-3.5) at Maryland. File this one under the “what am I missing here” folder, like the Syracuse-FSU game. Iowa sort of sleepwalked through their win against Colorado State last week, but that defense should keep the Terps in check enough for them to lay 3.5 and cover.

Boston College (+15) at Clemson. Clemson could win this in a blowout, or Boston College could win. Neither would surprise me, given how poor Clemson has been, especially as far as their offense. With that being said, I’ll take two-plus touchdowns in this spot all day, every day.