College Football Quick Picks for Week 9’s other games.
Illinois at Eastern Michigan – Line: N. Illinois (-21) O/U- 61 – Eastern Michigan is 125th in the nation in scoring offense, lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 15 points per game. The good news for them is that they’re better on defense. How much better you ask? Well, an admirable 39.6 points allowed per game, good for 123rd nationally. Northern Illinois is in for an easy day. Pick: N. Illinois (-21) OVER 61.
Minnesota at Illinois – Line: Minnesota (-5.5) O/U- 55.5 – Nobody thought the Gophers would be this good. David Cobb is leading a rushing attack that is averaging 222.4 per game, and The Golden Gophers have a solid defense to back it up. Illinois is in rebuilding mode this year, and now they are forced to play a backup quarterback due to starter Wes Lunt going down with a broken leg. Although Minnesota barely edged Purdue last week 39-38, look for a more comfortable win this week. Line: Minnesota (-5.5) UNDER 55.5
Akron at Ball State – Line: Akron (-1) O/U- 49.5 – Ball State snapped a five-game losing streak last week against Central Michigan. Three of those losses came by a combined 15 points. The Cardinals however, are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games. Akron lost a close one to Ohio last week, and will definitely be out to rebound. Akron’s strong defense should keep Ball State at bay, and keep the points low. Pick: Akron (-1) UNDER 49.5
Kent State at Miami (OH) – Line: Miami (OH) (-7) O/U– 53 – Both of these teams are downright awful, so the key question here is who is worse. They share a common opponent in UMass, who are quite awful themselves. Miami managed to top UMass 42-41, while Kent State fell the following week 40-17, making them the more awful in that situation. Lots of awfulness all over the place. Fortunately for these two teams, somebody has to win this one. Miami has the home field advantage, and the capability to actually score somewhat, as opposed to Kent State’s 15.7 points per game. The choice here is pretty clear. Pick: Miami (OH) (-7) UNDER 53
Texas Tech at TCU – Line: TCU (-23) O/U- 71.5 – The Horned Frogs might be riding high right now, but they showed against Baylor the propensity to give up points to a pass-oriented teams. Texas Tech has played much better the past two weeks, and if they could find a way for their defense to actually get a few stops, they’ll be able to keep this one a littler closer than the spread. Expect a lot of points from two teams ranked in the top 10 in passing yards. Pick: Texas Tech (+23) OVER 71.5
Nevada at Hawaii – Line: Nevada (-3) O/U- 52 – Hawaii might be 2-5, but they’re a very good 2-5. Four out of five of their losses have come by 10 or less points. The Warriors might be anemic offensively, but their defense has managed to keep them in every game this year. Hawaii is 5-0 ATS in their last five games at home. Nevada put up 42 against BYU last week, but don’t expect the same this week. The Wolf Pack will eventually pull away against the Warriors, winning by a touchdown, but Hawaii’s lack of offense will keep the total from reaching. Pick: Nevada (-4) UNDER 52
Temple at Central Florida – Line: Central Florida (-7) O/U- 47 – Both teams have identical 4-2 records, but Central Florida has reeled off four straight wins against much weaker competition. While both teams have very good defenses, Temple’s offense is much more efficient, and they will be looking to bounce back from a 10 point output against Houston last week that saw them turn the ball over four times. UCF has scored only one first quarter touchdown this season, and have shown vulnerability against mobile quarterbacks. Temple quarterback P.J. Walker has had a great season so far, and will look to test a UCF pass defense that gives up 202.2 yards per game, good for 26th nationally. Temple gave UCF a close call last year 39-36, and they are likely to do the same again. The Knights will dig themselves an early hole as usual, but will slowly pull away by less than a score. Pick: Temple (+7) OVER 47.
