Givanni Damico | October 18th, 2019
Welcome back to my weekly college football game picks and locks! Last week, I struggled with my locks, going 4-4. That makes me 11-7 (61.1% success rate) on the year. I’m out for redemption this week. I’ve got eight more locks for you guys this week.
2 LSU -18.5 at Mississippi State
The Bulldogs, who were once known for their stout defense, are now allowing more points per game than they are scoring. LSU is averaging 52.5 points per game while only allowing 21.2. The Bulldogs’ quarterback Garrett Schrader has been less than effective thus far, while Kylin Hill has carried the team at running back. LSU will be able to control the run game. I’ll take the money and run with this one.
Houston -22 at UConn
Oh, goodness. UConn’s defense has allowed 40.5 points per game this year while only scoring 16.7. They’ve been blown out in four out of their six games. Houston has a high-powered offense that should be able to put up a ton of points against UConn. I’ll put my faith in their defense to stop UConn and cover the spread.
Central Michigan -11 at Bowling Green
Jonathan Ward, The Central Michigan running back, is averaging seven yards per carry and carrying the offense this season. Bowling Green is allowing 208 yards per game to running backs this year. They’re only averaging 15.5 points per game while allowing 35.2. They shockingly beat Toledo last week, but don’t expect a repeat.
Louisiana Tech -1 vs. Southern Miss
Louisiana Tech wins this game outright (obviously). Southern Miss is a one-trick pony with their air-raid style offense. They are ineffective at running the ball and their defense has been rather atrocious this year. Louisiana Tech has played well on both sides of the ball and comes up with the win.
Duke +3 at Virginia
Duke’s offense hasn’t missed a beat since Daniel Jones left. They’ve been averaging 34.5 points per game under senior quarterback Quentin Harris, who is also their leading rusher. They’ve only lost once this year in a nail-biting 3-point loss to Pittsburgh. Their defense has held up well. Virginia is coming off consecutive losses to Notre Dame and Miami. Let’s make it three in a row. Duke wins outright.
7 Penn State -9 vs. 16 Michigan
This could very well be a trap game for Penn State, but I see it more as an opportunity to flex their powerful offense and outstanding defense. Michigan lost 35-14 to Wisconsin earlier this year. Wisconsin has a similar play style to the Penn State team, except Penn State has a bit more firepower on offense. Penn State wins by two scores at home against TTUN.
14 Boise State -7 at BYU
I don’t understand this spread. Boise State’s defense has allowed over 30 points per game while their offense only scores 22.3 per game. They’re coming off of three straight losses, and their two wins this year are tainted with both coming in overtime. Undefeated Boise State wins by three scores.
3 Clemson -24 at Louisville
I was wrong to pick Florida State against the spread versus Clemson last week, so now I’ll take Clemson against Louisville. They have a lot to prove still and they come out and smack Louisville and their defense who surrendered 59 points last week. Trevor Lawrence has his best game of the year.
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