Oh baby, I’m on a roll. I’ve now won three straight college football teasers this year, and five of my six plays would have been winners without the points. The only thing keeping it five instead of six was getting 6.5 instead of 7 with Hawai’i on the road against Army two weeks ago.
No matter. Wins are wins, and things have been good so far. Let’s keep it rolling with the best teaser pick for Week 5 of the college football betting season.
Week 1 Teaser: Loser
Week 2 Teaser: Winner
Week 3 Teaser: Winner
Week 4 Teaser: Winner
College Football Teaser Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
7-point teaser option at -130 betting odds
Texas Tech Red Raiders +10.5 vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Mississippi State Bulldogs -0.5 vs. Florida Gators
Texas Tech has one of the best homefield advantages in college football. Lubbock’s relative isolation in comparison to anything else means that opponents travelling here typically have to overcome more obstacles than they do getting to other places. That’s doubly true for West Virginia, a program that is itself isolated in the Big 12, and a noon kickoff makes this play even more appealing.
The homefield advantage isn’t the only reason to bet on Texas Tech though. Freshman quarterback Alan Bowman has played great through the team’s first four games, and he seems to be really coming into his own. He doesn’t have the mobility that other Red Raider quarterbacks have had recently, but he has been great as a passer, averaging almost 10 yards per attempt over his last three games.
I like West Virginia a lot this year, and I’m a little hesitant betting against Will Grier, but we still don’t know what to make of the Mountaineers. West Virginia’s two FBS wins came against Tennessee and Kansas State, and neither one of those teams looks like they will be bowl bound this season. WVU’s defense has good numbers, but there is a huge gap between Texas Tech’s offense and the other three offenses they have faced thus far.
Some people are jumping off the Mississippi State bandwagon after the Bulldogs laid an egg in Lexington last week, but I’m going to double down. The Bulldogs are still one of the best ten teams in the country according to S&P+, and Florida’s defense is vulnerable against the run. The Gators allowed a ton of yards to Kentucky and Benny Snell, and Mississippi State should be able to move the ball on the ground. That’s something they need to do given the trouble Nick Fitzgerald has been having through the air.
On the other side of the ball, I’m counting on Mississippi State to stop Florida’s offense. The Bulldogs are familiar with Dan Mullen’s offense, since he was their coach and all, and Florida doesn’t have the talent to out-athlete Mississippi State. The Gators offense has had some real trouble moving the ball without the help of turnovers, and they will have a hard time scoring points in Starkville.
