College football picks against the spread: Stewart Mandel’s Week 5 picks

Ben Wittenstein: Michigan -3.5 over Ohio State. This is the Occam's razor of bets, folks. Michigan is one of the two best teams in the country and they're only laying 3.5 points. It's just that simple. Take the better team! Michigan, for the most part, hasn't shown me a reason to doubt them covering a small number. Their defense has been as good as…

Week 8 features a top-10 showdown, two elimination games and a loaded college football schedule that will start the second half of the season off right. There are four matchups between ranked teams across four Power 5 conferences, and that starts with the Big Ten showdown between No. 7 Penn State and No. 3 Ohio State at 12 p.m. on Fox. The Buckeyes…

Depending on how old you are, you may or may not recall the Washington State Cougars football season of 2005. It was a maddening season for us fans, as the Cougs would jump out to a lead nearly every week, only to stumble down the stretch and lose heartbreaker after heartbreaker. The one exception to this was the Apple Cup. But I (happily)…

Looking for the best bet among all 48 Football Bowl Subdivision matchups in Week 6? Our selection, in terms of over/unders, is Purdue vs. Iowa -- but continue reading, because we have plenty more tips, which could lead to parlay possibilities. See computer predictions and insights for that matchup and more in this article. Looking to take advantage…

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, right, hugs his son, safety Shilo Sanders, after he returned an interception for a touchdown in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Colorado State Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Boulder, Colo. Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 | 2 a.m. The Pac-12 Conference was always set up for a memorable swan song…

Week 4 of the college football season features an incredible lineup that features six matchups between teams ranked in the AP Top 25. The matchup between No. 6 Ohio State and No. 9 Notre Dame is the highlight of that schedule and will share the prime-time spotlight with No. 25 Iowa at No. 7 Penn State in a "Whiteout" game. Deion Sanders' undefeated…

During the college football season, the Stadium staff will provide weekly betting picks and advice in this roundtable. Here are our thoughts on the Week 12 slate. Alex Symonds, Stadium Senior Producer: Louisiana+24 over Florida State. Florida State has been a wagon over the last three weeks, outscoring its three opponents 124-22 and covering the…

As I'm sitting here writing this column, it's truly hard to believe that we're nearing the end of the college football regular season. With some rivalry games even taking place this weekend, it feels like the season went by too quickly. But the College Football Playoff path is still far from clear. At least nine teams still have a chance to play in…

The games that will determine which two teams advance to the Pac-12 championship game are two weeks off. This week and next are just warm-up acts. Some decent games, sure. But while Cal and Stanford are tussling in the Big Game, the main events will be contested on Saturday, Nov. 19 when Utah visits Oregon and UCLA plays host to USC. These four…

Two Pacific Northwest teams head to the desert this week as double-digit favorites. Both of them are ranked. Both of their opponents are unranked. Which one should feel more secure? That's easy: The team that lost its season opener 49-3. While the packaging is similar for Washington, a 14-point favorite at Arizona State, and Oregon, a 13-point…

For a few ranked teams, the first month of the season was all about home sweet home. No. 4 Michigan (4-0), No. 9 Oklahoma State (3-0) and No. 15 Washington (4-0) will play their first road games of the season this weekend. The Cowboys have a big one in the Big 12 against No. 16 Baylor. The Wolverines and Huskies face unranked but potentially…

A pair of high-powered offensive units will collide Friday when the Washington Huskies meet the UCLA Bruins a battle of unbeaten Pac-12 clubs that will have a major impact on the conference title chase. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET from the Rose Bowl. The new-look Huskies (4-0) are averaging 44 points per game behind coach Kalen DeBoer's…

UCLA plays host to Washington as a short underdog Friday night. We offer up our top UCLA Bruins vs. Washington Huskies picks below. The host Bruins and visiting Huskies enter Friday's contest with shared 4-0 straight-up records. Washington is also an impressive 4-0 against the spread, while the Bruins are just 2-2 ATS. UCLA won last October's clash…

Las Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall is editor of The Gold Sheet (Goldsheet.com). He provides the Review-Journal with college football tech notes and trends. Follow @thegoldsheet on Twitter. Friday New Mexico at UNLV (-14½, 44): Before getting blanked 38-0 at Louisiana State last week, the Lobos were off to a 2-0-1 start against the spread this…

The first Friday night game of Pac-12 conference play matches two unbeaten teams with loads of unknowns in a stadium that could be no more than half filled. Washington is playing its first road game of the season, to the extent that the Rose Bowl constitutes a hostile environment. UCLA is facing its first high-level opponent after a series of…

The most lopsided spread action is on a short road favorite. Liberty sits at -3.5 at Old Dominion, crossing that key number of 3 after Liberty opened at -2.5. The Flames have collected a whopping 87.7% of the tickets and 96.1% of the handle, leading the entire slate in each. Two top-25 teams are second in each category, with No. 1 Georgia (-28 at…

Jon WIlnerThe San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News The first Friday night game of Pac-12 Conference play matches two unbeaten teams with loads of unknowns in a stadium that could be no more than half filled. Washington is playing its first road game of the season, to the extent that the Rose Bowl constitutes a hostile environment. UCLA is facing its…

The first Friday night game of Pac-12 conference play matches two unbeaten teams with loads of unknowns in a stadium that could be no more than half filled. Washington is playing its first road game of the season, to the extent that the Rose Bowl constitutes a hostile environment. UCLA is facing its first high-level opponent after a series of…

Washington Huskies vs UCLA Bruins 9/30/2022 Picks Predictions Previews The 15th-ranked Washington Huskies will play at Rose Bowl in Pasadena with the UCLA Bruins in week 5 of College Football action on September 30, 2022. The Huskies earned a 4-0 overall standing and 1-0 in PAC-12 Conference after beating the Stanford Cardinal at 40-22 on Saturday…

The Pac-12 Conference's t-minus 2 season - two years from the scheduled exit of USC and UCLA - gets under way Thursday night with the first of four weekend games featuring non-FBS opponents. Cal and Stanford are involved in two of those, with the Bears taking on UC Davis and the Cardinal facing Colgate on Saturday. Vegas won't even bother creating…

Iowa to the Final Four? Kentucky to the national championship game? Miami and Iowa State, who face each other in the Sweet 16, out in the first round? My bracket picks last week were so far off I even whiffed on my alma mater, Michigan, a team I've watched closely all season, making a fifth straight run to the second weekend. Luckily, I know I am…

The Washington Huskies play the UCLA Bruins in a Week 5 Pac-12 college football game on Friday. Which team will win the game? Check out these picks, predictions and odds for the game, which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. MST and can be seen on ESPN. Washington is a 3.5-point favorite in the game, according to Tipico Sportsbook. Washington is…