College Football picks for Week 13 as Ohio State and Michigan Clash for "The Game"

There are plenty of other exciting games to bet on for Week 13. Keep reading for our best college football picks this weekend!

This is it: The weekend of The Game is finally here, as the Michigan Wolverines are set to host the Ohio State Buckeyes in what is one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the season. While this clash of titans is certainly the highlight of the weekend, there are plenty of other exciting games to bet on as well. Keep reading for our best college football picks this weekend!

College Football Odds: Texas Tech at Texas

Texas Tech: +14.5 (-114)

Texas: -14.5 (-106)

Texas Tech is peaking at the right time, but it won't be nearly enough to upset Texas, who is 10-1, ranked comfortably within the top 10, and have looked dominant for much of the year.

Without a doubt, Texas is the better team. The question comes down to whether Texas can cover a two-touchdown spread against a rival that will be leaving everything on the table. This is the type of matchup that will see Texas Tech bring out all sorts of trick plays that they have been quietly practicing and waiting for an opportunity to deploy. While it seems Texas wins by at least 10, 14.5 points is a high bar to clear in a matchup like this. It's certainly possible, but it seems a winning margin in the range of 8-13 points in favor of Texas is more likely than a 14-point or more blowout.

College Football Pick: Texas Tech +14.5 (-106)

College Football Odds: Oregon State at Oregon

Oregon State: +13.5 (-104)

Oregon: -13.5 (-118)

Oregon is currently ranked sixth in the country and they are just barely on the outside looking in when it comes to the College Football Playoff picture if the season were to end today. Washington has quality wins under its belt, and Florida State hasn’t really played anybody.

What could help Oregon’s resume? A thorough beatdown of a team ranked within the top 20 would do wonders for their standing with the committee.

The only blemish on the Ducks’ record to date is a loss to Washington. If they beat Oregon State this weekend, they will set themselves up with a rematch against Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game. 

Oregon is currently ranked first in the country in total offense, and this unit is expected to show up and show out this weekend, putting on a display of offensive fireworks and leaving no doubt as to their talent.

This is going to be a track meet in terms of scoring, and while Oregon State isn’t a bad team, they just won’t be able to keep up with the Ducks in this matchup.

College Football Pick: Oregon -13.5 (-118)

College Football Odds: Ohio State at Michigan

Ohio State: +3.5 (-112); Ohio State moneyline (+134)

Michigan: -3.5 (-108); Michigan moneyline (-162)

Two words: The Game. For both the Buckeyes and Wolverines, this is a game that they have both had circled on their calendars since the moment the final whistle blew at the conclusion of last year’s contest. 

This year’s rivalry is even more intense due to circumstances surrounding both teams. Jim Harbaugh has been sidelined in the midst of a cheating scandal, while Ohio State is seeking to prove themselves as legitimate contenders in the post-C.J. Stroud era. 

Despite Michigan being the home team, I think that Ohio State is the better team. Ohio State’s defense is much improved and in particular, they have done a great job of limiting splash plays. That was what killed them against Michigan last year, and if they can limit Michigan to just one or two splash plays they should be in a great position to win this game.

The biggest risk with the Buckeyes is that their defense looked great last year, too, right up until they played Michigan. It doesn’t seem likely that will happen this season, though. The lack of splash plays indicates that Ryan Day’s decision to hire Jim Knowles is finally paying dividends and that the Buckeyes have truly turned a corner.

The problem for the Buckeyes is that Kyle McCord is not C.J. Stroud, and the team’s offense has taken a step back this season due to that simple fact. It had been good enough to this point in the season, but even against weaker opponents, it just isn’t the same. Even when the Buckeyes are putting up numbers, it just doesn’t look as effortless, as easy, as it did with Stroud under center. Without a doubt, there is absolutely the possibility that Michigan exposes McCord and the new-look Buckeyes offense as ineffective against elite competition.

That being said, McCord isn’t a bad quarterback by any means. He’ll need to step up this weekend and play at the top of his game, but if he can do that the Buckeyes should win. It also certainly helps that he has Marvin Harrison Jr. to throw to, along with an excellent run game led by TreVeyon Henderson to take some of the pressure off of him.

Ohio State has the talent to come into Ann Arbor and steal this game from the Wolverines, and I’m betting they’ll pull off the upset this weekend.

However, there’s another play I’ll be taking this weekend. Along with betting on Ohio State straight up, I’m also going to place a strategic parlay bet as well. Texas is almost certain to win, I just don’t know if they can cover the spread or not. Therefore, I’ll pair a Texas moneyline victory (-650) with the Ohio State moneyline (+134) to boost my potential payout odds to +170.

There’s no denying that parlays are a fun way of betting, and this has the opportunity to maximize my profitability as well. The majority of the risk is on the Ohio State game, and this helps offset my uncertainty about whether Texas can cover a fairly large spread.

College Football Pick: Ohio State moneyline (+134)

Bonus: Ohio State and Texas moneyline parlay (+170)