College Football Odds Week 13: Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule
The buzz around the Florida State Seminoles' trip to Gainesville took a big hit on both sides of the rivalry with the Florida Gators last week.
Each team lost its starting quarterback. Jordan Travis and Graham Mertz suffered season-ending injuries that will lead to backups playing on Saturday night in Gainesville.
Florida State needs a win in "The Swamp" to remain in the hunt for the College Football Playoff, while Florida must pick up a victory to become bowl eligible.
Both offenses could take time to find their footing in Week 13, which puts the under in play for the in-state showdown.
A handful of FBS programs come into Week 13 with the same motivation as Florida to become bowl eligible.
Most of those five-win teams have easier matchups on their schedule and they could be the right type of squad to back as motivation varies across the FBS.
For the latest lines on these games, go to DraftKings.
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Be prepared for some ugly football in Gainesville on Saturday night.
The injuries suffered by Travis and Mertz took a ton of buzz out of the early buildup to the FSU-Florida game.
Tate Rodemaker and Max Brown could struggle to find rhythm in their respective offenses because both defenses will hone in on pressuring them in the first half.
Rodemaker had three quarters to work inside the FSU offense, but that also came against FCS side North Alabama.
Brown completed four of his five passes against the Missouri Tigers for 56 yards, but that came versus an easier defense to play.
Florida State held its last five opponents to 20 points or fewer, and it should make life difficult for Brown in the pocket over four quarters.
The Seminoles have enough talent to pick up the win in Gainesville, but it may come in a low-scoring affair as Rodemaker faces a SEC defense.
Florida's defensive play has not been great lately, but the Gators might avoid a high concession if it puts Rodemaker under duress from the start.
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network
The Virginia Tech Hokies need to beat the Virginia Cavaliers to qualify for a bowl game.
At one point this season, Virginia Tech was in the mix for the ACC Championship Game, but it lost two of its last three games to end those hopes.
The Hokies done a decent job of beating the weaker teams in the ACC throughout conference play.
Va. Tech beat the Syracuse Orange, Boston College Eagles and Wake Forest Demon Deacons by a combined 71 points to earn its last three victories.
Virginia presents a step down in competition from the teams the Hokies faced in their last two losses.
Virginia's season is over regardless of Saturday's result and it has had trouble stopping opponents all year.
The Cavaliers conceded at least 27 points in each of their last five games. The defense could be their downfall yet again versus a motivated Hokies side.
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, BTN
The Illinois Fighting Illini appear to be in a solid position to earn their sixth win on Saturday.
Illinois faces a Northwestern Wildcats team that became bowl eligible in Week 12 at the end of an emotional week in which David Braun was named full-time head coach.
Northwestern could be emotionally spent going into Champaign to play an Illinois team that fought hard against the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 12.
Illinois played in five straight one-score games and it put up points against a variety of Big Ten defenses. It eclipsed the 20-point mark in four of the last five contests and scored 13 points against Iowa, which is a bigger achievement than it really should be.
Northwestern is 1-3 in road games with its only win away from home coming against the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Wildcats scored just 30 points in their three road defeats. That could mean the performance against Wisconsin was more of an outlier than anything.
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