College Football Odds Week 5: Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule
The Big Ten lacks quality in its depth beneath the top three teams in the conference.
The Iowa Hawkeyes found that out the hard way in their Week 4 loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
The good news for Iowa, though, is that there is a large gap in quality between the middle of the pack and the worst programs in the Big Ten.
Iowa should take advantage of that in its Week 5 home contest with the Michigan State Spartans.
Michigan State was unable to consistently score in the last two weeks, and it could have more trouble in Iowa City on Saturday night.
The Cincinnati Bearcats and Auburn Tigers could also experience difficulties moving the ball in Week 5. Both sides have had their share of offensive struggles and they could be in for long games against conference foes.
For the latest lines on these games, go to DraftKings.
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Iowa's 31-0 loss to Penn State may turn some bettors away from the Hawkeyes in Week 5.
However, the Hawkeyes are in a position to produce a lopsided victory of their own against Michigan State.
Michigan State scored a combined 16 points in its last two games against the Washington Huskies and Maryland Terrapins.
Iowa's defense will make life difficult for the Spartans inside Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes held their first three opponents to 14 points or fewer.
Iowa's offense is the unit that must be trusted to get the cover across the line. That could be an adventure at times, but the Hawkeyes played well enough in their three victories to be trusted against Michigan State.
The Saturday night Big Ten clash will not feature the best football, but Iowa is certainly capable of beating Michigan State by two touchdowns given the current state of the Spartans.
Friday, 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Cincinnati's offensive numbers do not match its recent point totals.
The Bearcats are averaging 488 total yards per game, but they only produced six points in their Week 4 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners and 24 points in an overtime defeat to the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.
The Emory Jones-led offense does not inspire much confidence at the moment, and that is a tough spot to be in for the Friday road trip to BYU. Jones has five interceptions and has been sacked on nine occasions. He did not have a touchdown pass in the last two games.
BYU put up at least 27 points in each of its last three contests, and it should have some motivation to bounce back from a tough road loss against Kansas Jayhawks.
The Cougars are moving the ball and scoring on a much more consistent basis than Cincinnati right now. Kedon Slovis threw for over 300 yards in two of the last threw games and he has three straight multi-touchdown performances through the air.
The offensive edge combined with the home-field advantage in Provo, Utah on Friday night should propel the Cougars to their first Big 12 victory.
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Georgia's first real chance to flex its muscle comes against a struggling Auburn team.
The top-ranked Bulldogs cruised through three nonconference games and fought a battle at home with the South Carolina Gamecocks in Week 3.
Georgia comes into its rivalry clash with Auburn averaging 125.5 more total yards per game than the Tigers, who are coming off a 10-point showing against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Auburn's offense looked decent in Hugh Freeze's first three games in charge, but it appeared that the Tigers were not prepared for the jump in quality of opponents in Week 4.
The Tigers could struggle with UGA's defense that comes into Saturday averaging 282.3 total yards conceded per game.
Georgia can limit Auburn to 10-14 points and methodically break the game open behind quarterback Carson Beck.
Saturday will be the first true road test for Beck, who has 1,184 passing yards and six touchdowns so far.
Auburn's inability to move the ball against UGA's defense should allow Beck to break the game open early with a few big plays. The Tigers may score one or two touchdowns, but they probably will not keep up in a high-scoring affair against the No. 1 team in the country.
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