College football predictions: Three picks for Saturday's college football slate

Some would say this is a Saturday slate only a bettor could love.

After all, there are zero Top 25 matchups.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be entertaining football and the potential for a few upsets.

We’ll start with an Alabama team with revenge on its mind, make things personal out in Boulder, and wrap up with a Big 12 team on upset alert.

Alabama at South Florida

Alabama -32.5

Halloween may be six weeks away, but you’ll be watching a Zombie Tide on Saturday.

Written off and left for dead is a place where Nick Saban has thrived in his head coaching career.

Since his time at LSU, a Saban-coached team with a top-six ranking has lost a game before mid-October seven times.

In four of those seven seasons, Saban’s teams have roared back.

Two won the national title (2003, 2015), one played for the national title (2021), and a fourth made the College Football Playoff (2014).

In those seven seasons, Saban’s teams have gotten off the mat after an early setback and cumulatively played 60 games.

Fifty-three of those contests came against SEC or other Power Five competition. Saban’s record in those games — 53-7 straight up and 34-26 against the spread.

South Florida is in a de facto Year 0 as Alex Golesh attempts to rebuild down in Tampa.

Its defense will get shredded by Alabama.

The Bulls rank 127th in explosiveness allowed.

According to reports, Alabama will start Tyler Buchner over Jalen Milroe, who struggled in the Tide’s loss to Texas.

No matter, this still will get ugly.

Colorado State at Colorado

Over 62 points

For whatever reason, Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell took an unprovoked shot at Deion Sanders this week, noting that when he speaks to “grown-ups” he always removes his hat and sunglasses.

Coach Prime took notice, as did his team which is using the remark as bulletin board material.

Colorado has the offensive talent to score 50 points in this game, so it was always a question of motivation.

We have our answer on that front. Sanders and his transfer superteam have made it clear that this Rocky Mountain Showdown is officially “personal.”

But it takes two to tango on a total and Colorado State is well-positioned to score against a lousy Colorado pass defense.

The Buffaloes rank 126th in Standard Down Success Rate against the pass and have an underwhelming pass rush to boot (99th in sack percentage).

Colorado State’s skill players, namely Tory Horton and Justus Ross-Simmons, should put up big numbers in a shootout.

My numbers call for this total to sit at 67 thanks to the preferred pace between the nation’s fourth-fastest (CSU) and 29th-fastest (CU) teams offensively.

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Iowa State at Ohio University

Ohio +130 on the moneyline

Injuries to star quarterback Kurtis Rourke and touchdown-machine Sam Wiglusz have left the Bobcats’ offense stuck in neutral this season.

But both are finally healthy and are paired up with a defense that is one of the biggest surprises in G5 football this season.

Ohio’s defense is 36th in tackling according to Pro Football Focus, 25th in quality drives allowed on defense, and 15th in havoc rating.

Iowa State, meanwhile, is falling apart.

After a 4-8 season, a gambling scandal, and a loss to arch-rival Iowa last week in the Cy Hawk Game, it’s easy to foresee a sleepy start for the Cyclones against Ohio in an 11 a.m. body clock kickoff.

As long as I’m getting plus money here, I’ll take the Bobs.