College Football Week 5 – Bets to Keep in Mind on Saturday

Some of the best wagers that an NCAA betting fan make are the ones that they might not be paying attention to during the week.

Nobody, for instance, cares about Houston vs. UTEP, right?  That would be a mistake because the games that nobody cares are the ones that could provide plenty mistakes in the betting line. Taking advantage of betting line mistakes is what this game of college football gambling is all about.

Let’s take a look at some interesting games this Saturday in NCAA College Football.

Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Duke Blue Devils

Kick-off:  12:00 pm EST

Virginia Tech -16 ½

Analysis:  VA Tech was brilliant against the Miami Hurricanes last Saturday when destroying that team at home.  Now, they have to travel to Duke to take on the Blue Devils.  Usually, this would set up as a trap game for the Hokies, but not against Duke.  Duke is atrocious having lost to Army 35 to 19 and Kansas 44 to 16.  What’s up with this weird betting line?  Only 16 ½ points?  The Hokies should roll.

Pick:  Virginia Tech at -16 ½

Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Illinois Illini

Kick-off:  3:30 pm EST

Penn State -7

Analysis:  After running over Akron, Syracuse and Temple, Penn State faced the best team in the Big Ten, the Iowa Hawkeyes, and failed as 9 ½ point favorites to beat Iowa at home.  Now, they travel to Illinois to take on an Illini team that was blitzed 30 to 0 by Ohio State last week.  Penn State is a good team, but their offensive line is terrible.  Iowa showed how to exploit that bad offensive line.  Illinois was taking notes, I promise.  This game should be close with the Illini possibly pulling off the upset.

Pick:  Illinois Illini at +7

Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Indiana Hoosiers

Kick-off:  7:00 pm EST

Ohio State -17 ½

Analysis:  Here’s another Big Ten team that might be slightly overrated.  Ohio State, like Penn State, is having issues along the offensive line.  They looked great when beating Illinois up last week, but Indiana was terrific on the road versus Michigan.  Indiana now gets to face Ohio State at home and the Hoosiers are an underrated bunch.  They’ll put up a fight in this one.  The Buckeyes are the better team, no doubt, but they usually don’t like to cover spreads and Indiana is no push over.

Pick:  Indiana Hoosiers at +17 ½

Houston Cougars vs. UTEP Miners

Kick-off:  8:00 pm EST

Houston -14 ½

Analysis:  Houston is a good team and the Miners are not, but in last year’s game the Cougars only won by 5 points.  UTEP can be tough at home and Houston is due for a let down after rolling through Oklahoma State and beating Texas Tech by a point.  One would think that the Cougars would appreciate playing a team like UTEP after facing those two Big 12 teams, but this could be a trap game for the Cougars.  I doubt UTEP wins, but keeping it within the number is a definite possibility.

Pick:  UTEP Miners at +14 ½