UNLV entered this week undefeated and ranked No. 23 in the Coaches Poll. However, quarterback Matthew Sluka left the team Tuesday over unmet NIL promises. Welcome to the NIL era.
On top of that, the Rebels are pondering joining the Pac-12, which would give the league eight teams after Utah State became the fifth Mountain West team to jump ship. The battle between the two conferences is now headed to court.
At least we can distract ourselves from that with the first top flight on-field battle of the season. No. 2 Georgia visits No. 4 Alabama with College Football Playoff seeding and SEC title hopes on the line.
Each week, I will use this space to tell you what I think are a few of the best bets heading into the weekend. I will also throw in an upset of the week, which will be a team that is at least a touchdown underdog that I am picking to win outright.
I will also give you picks on other games involving potential College Football Playoff teams. Since just about everybody is technically a CFP candidate at the moment, I’ll go with the current top 12 teams in the AP Top 25 poll. With the expanded playoff this season, I’ll go deeper into the rankings once we get a few games under our belts.
Games against FCS opponents are not considered.
This week’s picks include a top-ten team and a big tilt in the Mountain West. Also, there is a familiar face in the upset of the week.
Odds via SportsLine consensus
Week 5 picks
Kentucky at No. 6 Ole Miss (-17.5): Kentucky’s defense has done a reasonably good job this season, even holding the mighty Georgia Bulldogs to just 13 points. However, the one team to unlock them was South Carolina, which scored 31 points. Regardless, all of their previous games have been at home. I do not expect the Wildcats to have much luck on either side of the ball against the high flying Rebels. Pick: Ole Miss -17.5
Nebraska (-10) at Purdue: I have been following Purdue for pretty much all of my life. The Boilermakers’ offense is not the worst I’ve ever seen, but it’s on the list. Nebraska had its undefeated start to the season come to an end at home last week in a loss to Illinois, but this is still a promising team with a young star at QB in Dylan Raiola. It’s homecoming at Purdue but unless Drew Brees returns to campus and suits up, it figures to be another long day for the Boilermakers. Pick Nebraska -10
Fresno State at UNLV (-1): UNLV is a team in some turmoil as it now has to replace Sluka at QB for reasons noted above. Fresno State is a contender in the Mountain West behind Boise State, which it doesn’t play in the regular season. UNLV is a contender also, but the odds got longer. Pick: Fresno State +1
Upset of the Week
Northern Illinois at NC State (-6.5): Unlike when the Huskies surprised Notre Dame, they will not be able to do the same to NC State. However, that will not make the NIU defense easier for the Wolfpack to unlock. Even in their loss to Buffalo last week, the Huskies gave up just 187 yards. NC State has been a bit of a disappointment so far. The Wolfpack was ranked to start the season, but has been blown-out by the two best teams it has played, Clemson and Tennessee. Pick: Northern Illinois
Other CFP candidates
SportsLine’s proven computer model is calling for 10 outright upsets in Week 5 of college football. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times.
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