College football has a great slate of games going this week, from No. 4 Penn State at No. 17 Minnesota to No. 2 LSU at No. 3 Alabama to No. 18 Iowa at No. 13 Wisconsin. The betting lines this week aren’t as great, outside from a few solid picks. Today on Wolfpack Wager, we’ve got an underdog, a favorite, an over/under and, finally, a parlay. Here are the selections:
Florida State at Boston College (-2.5)
I’m a big fan of small spreads, especially in the ACC. While the money line has Boston College at -135 as of writing this, the spread is essentially the same with better odds at -110. Florida State is reeling from a beating at home against rival Miami—a game that cost head coach Willie Taggart his job—while Boston College is 2-1 in its last three games with blowout wins over NC State and Syracuse. Nothing about this matchup, or the past history of the team, tells me that Florida State is going to come out highly motivated to get a win. I think the Noles will continue to freefall and remain winless on the road this season. Ride the Golden Eagles.
The Pick: Boston College (-2.5)
Bold Pick: Boston College (-6.5) (+160)
No. 2 LSU at No. 3 Alabama (-6)
I would’ve vastly preferred to get this game at a seven-and-a-half point spread, so proceed with caution knowing the Tigers falling by a touchdown won’t cover. With that being said, LSU has had a phenomenal year with victories over Texas, Florida and Auburn last weekend. Head coach Ed Orgeron has proved himself capable of winning big games, while offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger has transformed the team’s offense. On the flip side, Alabama is Alabama, but the Crimson Tide has yet to be tested this year. With Nick Saban’s squad looking more human than usual and starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa playing hurt, this year might be the year that LSU finally takes down their toughest rival.
The Pick: LSU (+6)
Bold Pick: LSU ML (+180)
No. 5 Clemson at NC State (+33)
The spread for this game is huge, and Vegas won’t even offer a money line for this game, but I’m going to hone in on the over/under for this matchup. The line is at 53.5, which means Vegas sees the game ending at about 42-10 Clemson. In its last two games, NC State has given up 45 and 44 points to ACC Atlantic teams that are not named Clemson, with both totaling over 53.5 points. It stands to reason that the Tigers have a shot at scoring even more than that, covering the over, all by itself. Even if the Wolfpack hold the Tigers to only 42, you only need 13 points from NC State to cover. This is a night game at Carter-Finley Stadium, and things are going to get spooky. While an NC State win might not be in the cards, points are a safe bet.
The Pick: Over 53.5
The Parlay
I’m going to set some ground rules for this parlay, and then pick every game I like that satisfies those requirements: no picking away teams, no losing spreads, stay away from NC State and no rivalry games. First up, Boston College (-2.5). Next, I really like Virginia hosting Georgia Tech, but coastal chaos is making me take that -15-point spread down to -10. I like Oklahoma to beat Iowa State, but let’s buy 1.5 points to get it to -13.
The Picks: Boston College -2.5 (-110), Virginia -10 (-230), Oklahoma -13 (-150)
Odds: +357
Last week, Technician sports staff writer Will Thornhill went 1-2 with Wake Forest blowing out NC State, Georgia beating Florida and a Virginia Tech cover.
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