College Football Week 5 Picks: Top Betting Odds for Saturday's Late Games
The TCU Horned Frogs dropped out of the national college football conversation after their Week 1 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes.
Since then, TCU quietly reeled off three straight double-digit wins to put itself in terrific shape to contend for the Big 12 regular-season title.
TCU can flex its offensive muscle again on Saturday versus the West Virginia Mountaineers.
West Virginia has not been talked about much either since Week 1, when it lost to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
West Virginia played well since its opening loss, but it may not have the offensive capabilities to move it to 4-1 against TCU.
The Iowa Hawkeyes were forgotten about during the slew of big games in Week 4 because they failed to produce a point against Penn State.
Iowa has one of the best rebound opportunities in the FBS in Week 5, as it hosts a Michigan State Spartans team that has not displayed much fight this season.
For the latest lines on these games, go to DraftKings.
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
TCU is not doing anything new on offense.
The Horned Frogs stuck to their offensive principles after the loss to Colorado and produced at least 34 points in three straight victories.
TCU took care of the Houston Cougars and SMU Mustangs in its last two matchups. Some would argue West Virginia presents a lower level of competition than those two Texas schools.
West Virginia won three straight games, but it only put up 37 combined points in its last two wins over the Pittsburgh Panthers and Texas Tech Raiders.
Neal Brown's Mountaineers also won those games at home. They struggled in their lone road contest against Penn State, a 38-15 loss.
West Virginia could face a similar road fate on Saturday against a TCU offense that is humming at the moment and a Horned Frogs defense that has rounded into shape.
The Mountaineers went 1-3 on the road in Big 12 play last season. All of the defeats came by double-digit margins.
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Iowa sits in the most obvious bounce-back spot of the season.
The Hawkeyes should get right against a Michigan State team that scored 16 combined points in the last two weeks.
Michigan State's offense should get swallowed up by the Iowa defense, which is usually the one unit the Hawkeyes do not have to worry about.
Iowa held its first three opponents to 14 points or less before conceding 31 to Penn State in Week 4.
Michigan State's offense is not in the same stratosphere as Penn State's unit right now, so Iowa's defense should feast inside Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa may need just two or three touchdowns to cover the spread, but one has to think the offense will be motivated to prove itself on Saturday. A 25-30-point performance is not out of the question for the Hawkeyes because of that motivation and their matchup.
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The Texas State Bobcats are one of the most exciting FBS teams that you have not paid attention to yet this season.
Texas State averages 485.3 total yards per game and it produced at least 35 points in each of its three wins.
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles could be in for a rough night defending Texas State. They allowed 66 points to the Florida State Seminoles in Week 2 and 44 points to the Arkansas State Red Wolves last week.
The high point concessions are concerning for Southern Miss, and that is why TJ Finley could lead the Texas State offense on many scoring drives.
Finley has 1,055 passing yards and eight touchdown throws. He has four wide receivers with at least 160 receiving yards.
Additionally, Texas State has three players with over 100 rushing yards, led by Ismail Mahdi, who had 216 rushing yards in the Week 4 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Texas State's ability to hit any defense from all angles should benefit it again and open up a wide margin against Southern Miss.
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