College Football Betting Odds Week 6: Picks Against the Spread for Top 25 Schedule
The Red River Rivalry is the first of a few October games that will sort out the College Football Playoff picture.
The winner of Saturday's annual meeting between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners will be the favorite to win the Big 12 and be in position for one of the four playoff spots.
Texas would probably be in the playoff, if it started this week, because it has looked the part of a playoff team and owns a quality road win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Steve Sarkisian's team is the clear favorite in Week 6 because of that and its dominance of the Sooners last year.
Brent Venables' Sooners look better prepared for Texas than they were in last year's 49-0 defeat, but that does not guarantee a victory.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are one week away from playing in another one of the big October clashes. They reside in a dangerous look-ahead spot against the newly-ranked Louisville Cardinals before they host the USC Trojans next week.
For the latest lines on these games, go to DraftKings.
Saturday, October 7
No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas (-5) (Noon ET, ABC)
Maryland at No. 4 Ohio State (-20) (Noon ET, Fox)
No. 23 LSU (-4) at No. 21 Missouri (Noon ET, ESPN)
No. 13 Washington State at UCLA (-3.5) (3 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network)
Virginia Tech at No. 5 Florida State (-24) (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 11 Alabama (-1) at Texas A&M (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Syracuse at No. 14 North Carolina (-9.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 20 Kentucky at No. 1 Georgia (-14.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 2 Michigan (-18) at Minnesota (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
No. 10 Notre Dame (-6) at No. 25 Louisville (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Arkansas at No. 16 Ole Miss (-11.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Georgia Tech at No. 17 Miami (-19.5) (8 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
No. 24 Fresno State (-6) at Wyoming (8 p.m. ET, Fox)
No. 15 Oregon State (-9.5) at California (10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network)
Arizona at No. 9 USC (-21.5) (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Texas should be favored in Saturday's rivalry clash.
The Longhorns have the look of a top-five team and they own one of the biggest wins in college football through one month of play.
Quinn Ewers, Xavier Worthy and Co. produced over 30 points in each of their five contests. They have shown no let-up since the road win over Alabama on September 9.
A consistent offense is needed to at least not allow Oklahoma to gain control of the matchup inside the Cotton Bowl.
The Sooners will be more competitive this year against Texas because Dillon Gabriel looks much better in the pocket.
The left-handed transfer from UCF enters Saturday with 1,593 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. He led the Sooners to a 50-point performance in Week 5 against the Iowa State Cyclones.
Gabriel will produce points, but there will be drives in which Texas' defense creates some separation.
Texas applied pressure to Jalen Milroe in the win over Alabama, and that put the Crimson Tide in a hole after Ewers made a few big plays.
Texas' defense may not hold Oklahoma to 14 points or fewer, like it has with its last three opponents, but it can be trusted more to get stops to come out on top with a clear path to the playoff in its favor.
Notre Dame might be the most fatigued in the country.
The Irish battled in a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes two weeks ago and then fought down to the last play to earn a win over the Duke Blue Devils.
At some point, the mental and physical exhaustion from those close games has to catch up to Notre Dame, and this could be the week.
Louisville likely would not have a chance to beat the Irish if this Top 25 battle occurred after Notre Dame faced two unranked foes, but it is the perfect time for the Cardinals to strike.
Louisville owns the home-field advantage on Saturday, and the raucous night-time environment could boost the ACC side to an incredible performance.
Quarterback Jack Plummer must be at his best and avoid turnovers for the upset to turn into a reality. Plummer has six interceptions this season, while Notre Dame's Sam Hartman has not thrown a single pick.
Louisville's defense, which allows 327.8 total yards per game and held three of its last four opponents to 14 points or fewer, is good enough to slow down Hartman, but that unit has to be complemented by a strong showing out of Plummer.
A win may be too much to expect out of Louisville, but a cover is possible. After all, Notre Dame struggled on the road against Duke last week until its final drive.
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