Best College Football Bets Week 9
#20 Duke @ #18 Louisville
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets using our exclusive link.
PICK: Duke +4.5 (-110)
Duke will travel to Louisville for a Top 25 matchup on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Devils are coming off a 38-20 loss to #4 Florida State, but the scoreboard doesn’t give them any justice.
Duke imploded in the fourth quarter as they carried a 20-17 lead into the final 15 minutes. They were a 14.5-point underdog but failed to cover the spread because they were outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter.
Florida State broke Duke’s will quickly, and the Blue Devils couldn’t answer once the wheels came off. Nevertheless, they played well on the road against a top team for three quarters, so they deserve to be taken seriously.
Duke has one other loss on the season outside of Saturday’s defeat versus the Seminoles. They lost 21-14 to Notre Dame a couple of weeks ago, but this was another game the Blue Devils coughed up in the final minutes.
Duke is a 4.5-point underdog to an overhyped Lousiville team. The Cardinals' one marquee win was against Notre Dame. It was an impressive victory but also a problematic spot for Notre Dame. We have seen Louisville struggle against bad teams, and Duke should be furious after their loss to Florida State.
Quarterback Riley Leonard must be better for Duke, but he doesn’t have to win this game for Duke. They must run the ball effectively with Jordan Waters, as they have most of the season.
Waters is averaging six yards per carry. He has rushed for 465 yards on the year with nine touchdowns behind a dominant offensive line.
We expect the Blue Devils to control the line of scrimmage in this contest. As long as they don’t turn the ball over, Duke should be able to cover the 4.5 points and potentially win this game outright.
#1 Georgia @ Florida (Neutral Site)
PICK: Florida +14.5
The Florida Gators are finding a rhythm under Billy Napier. Napier has led the team to a 5-2 record, and they’re still alive in the SEC East race. There is a slim chance that they will advance to the SEC Championship, but the team is still alive as we enter the back half of the schedule.
Florida has a brutal schedule over their final five games, and it starts on Saturday against the best team in the nation, the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia is looking to win their third straight National Championship, and Florida has struggled with the Bulldogs the past few seasons.
However, the line on Saturday for the Gators makes this game very appealing. Florida is a 14.5-point underdog, and even though this game isn’t in the Swamp, it’s still in Florida. There will be plenty of Georgia fans, but Florida has the advantage in terms of travel.
Additionally, Brock Bowers, the #1 tight end in the country, will miss the next month with an ankle injury. Bowers is the primary threat in the passing game, and nobody on the team compares to the future first-round pick.
Bowers has caught 41 passes for 567 yards with four touchdowns. The next-best receiver has 18 catches for 333 yards, so Georgia is losing a lot of production. We believe Kirby Smart’s team will escape this game with a win, but the key word is escape.
Florida is playing too good to get two touchdowns against a Georgia team without their best player. Take the points with Billy Napier’s team.
