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Saturday College Football Picks

December 5th College Football news ... Saturday College Football Picks at saturdaycollegefootballpicks.com

Pitt Panthers vs. UConn Huskies Betting Odds and Preview
2021-11-11

here Pitt vs. UConn Betting Odds: Pittsburgh -6, Total: 47.5


Pittsburgh goes for its fourth straight win when it travels to East Hartford, CT on Thursday night. The Panthers are unbeaten in Big East play and have won their five games this year by an average of 23.4 PPG. UConn forced four turnovers in a 16-13 upset win over West Virginia last Friday. The Huskies are a perfect 4-0 at home (SU and ATS) this year thanks to 15 takeaways and only six giveaways. That isn’t deterring the football betting crowd at here from betting the visitors as 77 percent of the point spread bettors are on Pitt.


The Huskies still have revenge on their minds from last year’s meeting when they blew a 21-6 lead late in the third quarter and lost 24-21 on a last-second chip-shot field goal. Pittsburgh out-gained UConn 489 to 303 in that game, with RB Dion Lewis (158 rushing yards) and WR Jonathan Baldwin (8 rec., 104 yds, 1 TD) leading the way. But this season has been a different story for these two stars. Lewis was third in the nation with 138 rushing YPG last year, but that number has plummeted to 68 rushing YPG in 2010 with the emergence of Ray Graham (98 rushing YPG). Baldwin ranked 22nd in the nation in receiving yards in 2009 (86 receiving YPG), but that average has dipped to 68 receiving YPG this year. Some of the production drop has to do with sophomore Tino Sunseri starting in his first year at quarterback, but Sunseri has seven touchdowns and just one interception during the three-game win streak.


The key to this game will be whether Pitt’s eighth-ranked run defense (94 rushing YPG) can contain UConn stud RB Jordan Todman who ranks fourth in the nation with 136 rushing YPG. Last season Todman was shut down by the Panthers, gaining just 43 yards on 12 carries and catching three passes for minus-2 yards. If Todman can’t find room to run, it could be a long day for shaky senior QB Zach Frazer. Not only are Frazer’s career stats below average (54% completion rate, 14 TD, 16 INT), but he’s facing a Pittsburgh defense ranked sixth in the nation in sacks. The Panthers have also forced eight turnovers during their three-game win streak. Speaking of turnovers, UConn’s turnover-happy win over WVU marked the third time this season the Huskies have forced four turnovers in a game.


The last four times these Big East rivals squared off, the underdog covered the point spread three times and was 3-1 outright. Here are two more college football betting trends that indicate that the Huskies cover the point spread tonight:


Play On - Underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (CONNECTICUT) - an average offensive team (21-28 PPG) against a good offensive team (28-34 PPG) after 7+ games, after scoring 3 points or less in the first half last game.

(42-13 since 1992.) (76.4%, +27.7 units. Rating = 3*).


Play Against - A road team (PITTSBURGH) - after 3 or more consecutive wins against the spread, in weeks 10 through 13. (69-31 over the last 5 seasons.) (69%, +34.9 units. Rating = 3*).


If you are interested in betting on the ‘total’, consider this:


Play Under - All teams where the total is between 42.5 and 49 (CONNECTICUT) - average offensive team (4.8 to 5.6 YPP) against a good defense (4.2 to 4.8 YPP) after 7+ games, after being outgained by opp by 125 or more total yards last game.

(34-10 over the last 10 seasons.) (77.3%, +23 units. Rating = 3*).


To see the rest of the Pitt vs. UConn betting odds, or to check out all of this week’s college football betting lines, head over to here now.



Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. VA Tech Hokies Betting Preview
2021-11-05

College Football Betting Odds: Virginia Tech -13, Total: 56

Virginia Tech goes for its seventh straight win (SU and ATS) when it hosts Georgia Tech on Thursday night. The Hokies have outscored their past six opponents 250-106 and are 13-3 ATS (15-1 SU) in the past four Novembers. The Jackets won last year’s meeting 28-23 despite only one completed pass (in seven pass attempts), as GT rushed for 309 yards and four touchdowns. QB Josh Nesbitt had three of those scores.

Georgia Tech has sustained its rushing prowess this year with a nation-leading 317.4 rushing yards per game. RB Anthony Allen (87 rush YPG, 5 TD) and Nesbitt (81 rush YPG, 8 TD) have combined for 62 percent of the team’s carries. The Yellow Jackets have the second-fewest pass attempts (105) and passing yards (678) in the nation, ahead of only Army. The defense has been adequate in terms of yardage, ranked 53rd in nation with 354 YPG allowed, but it has been better against the pass (192 YPG).

Virginia Tech has been a beast in conference play, posting a 26-12 ATS record (68%) over the past five seasons against ACC opponents. QB Tyrod Taylor is the main reason the Hokies have won six in a row. He has 12 TD and just two interceptions during the win streak and has also chipped in two 100-yard rushing games and three rushing touchdowns. RB Ryan Williams finally returned to the field last week after missing four games, but only had six carries in the 44-7 win over Duke. Williams is expected to see more action on Thursday, which makes sense considering he rushed for 100 yards on 14 carries against the Yellow Jackets last year.

The underdog is 4-0 ATS (3-1 SU) in the past four series meetings, but the these two college football betting trends support the Hokies covering the point spread.

Play On - A home team (VIRGINIA TECH) - dominant team (outgain opp. by 1.2+ YPP) against an average team (+/- 0.6 YPP), after gaining 6.75 or more yards/play in 2 consecutive games. (50-20 since 1992.) (71.4%, +28 units. Rating = 3*).

VIRGINIA TECH is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) after 2 consecutive covers as a favorite over the last 2 seasons. The average score was VIRGINIA TECH 42.7, OPPONENT 16.6 - (Rating = 2*).

For ‘total’ bettors, these two betting trends point towards the ‘over’ cashing.

Play Over - All teams where the total is between 49.5 and 56 (VIRGINIA TECH) - after beating the spread by 21 or more points total in their last three games, in November games. (68-30 over the last 5 seasons.) (69.4%, +35 units. Rating = 3*).

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson is 16-3 OVER (+12.7 Units) after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses in all games he has coached since 1992. The average score was Johnson 31.8, OPPONENT 27.4 - (Rating = 3*).

Now that you have all of the key numbers for tonight’s game, head over to to bet on college football.


Florida State vs. NC State Betting Odds and Preview
2021-10-28

ACC football is under the betting spotlight tonight as the Florida State Seminoles head north to visit the NC State Wolfpack. is expecting a high-scoring but close game as the Seminoles are 3.5 point favorites with the ‘total’ up to 59 after opening at 56.5.
Both teams should be well-rested as they both had their bye last week. FSU has won five straight games, but is coming off a close 24-19 win over Boston College despite being favored by 22.5. NC State lost 33-27 in overtime at East Carolina the last time it took the field, as QB Russell Wilson threw three interceptions.
Last year’s meeting was a back-and-forth shootout as FSU outlasted NC State 45-42 in a game that featured 1,093 total yards of offense. Wilson threw for 349 yards and 5 TD in that contest while Seminoles RB Jermaine Thomas rushed for a career-high 186 yards with two touchdowns in last year’s win over NC State.
Thomas has been bothered by a sprained toe that limited him to five carries last week, but he has been a beast in ACC play with a 7.1 YPC average and four scores in four conference games. FSU QB Christian Ponder, who has 531 passing yards in two career games against NC State, has a mere 8 TD and 6 INT in his past six games this season. He has been bothered by a swollen right elbow in the past two weeks, but he will start Thursday night.
In spite of Ponder’s sub-par play, the Seminoles have been winning due to their great defense. They lead the nation with 4.3 sacks per game and rank 13th in scoring defense (16.1 PPG), having allowed 20 points only once this year, (47-17 at Oklahoma) which stands as their only loss. FSU is also 20th in total defense (308 YPG) and 17th in stopping the run (105 YPG) among FBS schools.
Despite eight interceptions in his past three games, Wilson ranks fourth in the nation in total offense (332 YPG) with five straight 300-yard passing games. Senior WR Owen Spencer is a big reason Wilson and NC State has such a potent passing attack. Spencer has caught at least six passes in his past four games. The defense has been above-average this year, but was not good against ECU, allowing 496 yards. The total would have been much more had the Pirates not turned the ball over four times.
FSU vs. NC State point spread bettors should be aware of this extremely one-sided betting trend before submitting their bets tonight:
NC State is 8-0-1 ATS in the past nine meetings with Florida State, but only 4-5 SU including three straight losses.
Here are a few more trends that indicate that NC State plus the points is a wise wager:
Play On - Home underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (NC STATE) - after 2 consecutive games where they forced 3 or more turnovers against opponent after a game with a turnover margin of -2 or worse. (24-4 since 1992.) (85.7%, +19.6 units. Rating = 3*).
Play On - Underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points (NC STATE) - after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses against opponent after 4 or more consecutive straight up wins. (84-35 over the last 10 seasons.) (70.6%, +45.5 units. Rating = 3*).
FLORIDA ST is 6-20 ATS (23.1%, -16.0 Units) in road games after playing 3 straight conference games since 1992.
The average score was FLORIDA ST 23.6, OPPONENT 24.7 - (Rating = 2*).
The early bettors don’t seem to care as 74 percent of the point spread cash is on the Seminoles.
For more college football betting trends and to check out the betting odds for all of the games on this weekend’s college football betting board, head over to now.