I was a dreadful 1-4 on my best bets last week, moving my season-long record to 12-15-1. Ouch!
We’re back at it this week, against my better judgment. As a reminder, I wager solely for recreational purposes, so take all of these picks and general advice with a grain of salt.
Without any further delay, let’s dive into the college football betting odds for five Group of Five best bets this week.
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FAU -3.5 vs. Tulsa
Florida Atlantic is just 1-3, but the Owls have faced a brutal schedule. They’ve lost to Clemson, while also dropping one-possession games to Ohio and Illinois. I actually think FAU might be one of the better teams in the AAC, and it’s poised to make a run at a bowl game. Tulsa is an average conference team, and I like FAU to excel against more manageable competition.
Wyoming +6 vs. Fresno State
The Bulldogs are the lone Group of Five team in the AP Top 25 poll this week, and they’re 2-0 on the road with victories against Power Five foes. They’re impressive, but man, it’s hard to win in Laramie when Wyoming sports a decent team.
I’d say this year’s Wyoming team is one of its better squads in recent memory. I’m not sure Wyoming wins Saturday, but I love the Cowboys to at least hang within a touchdown. Wyoming has notable home wins over Texas Tech and App State this year.
Marshall +6.5 at N.C. State
The Wolfpack are 0-4-1 against the spread this season, and they’re making a change at quarterback this week. Maybe benching Brennan Armstrong boosts the offense. Maybe, though, N.C. State has a lack of talent at wide receiver and skill positions that hurts whoever plays quarterback.
Marshall, on the other hand, remains undefeated and already took down the ACC’s Virginia Tech earlier this season. The Thundering Herd will keep this close, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they won outright.
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ODU +1.5 at Southern Miss
I don’t think Southern Miss is any good. Old Dominion probably isn’t any good either, but the Monarchs seem less bad than the Eagles.
Old Dominion hung close with Marshall last week – my lone winning bet – and I like the Monarchs to hang close (and win) Saturday at Southern Miss. This is a winnable game for Old Dominion, and I think head coach Ricky Rahne does well to have his team playing their best most weeks, even if their best isn’t all that good right now.
Louisiana and Texas State under 68.5
I’ll be honest, this pick fades my gut reaction. Initially, I saw this game and thought to pound the over. I’m going to go against that gut feeling, as I’ve been ice-cold in this column.
This logic is flawed, but sometimes when you’re wagering small amounts for entertainment purposes only, you make some dumb bets. Count this in the “dumb bet” category for this week.
Bennett Conlin is a college football contributor for HERO Sports, and he works full-time covering sports betting industry news and legislation for Sports Handle and US Bets.
