Auburn is a heavy favorite against Mississippi State.
This weekend, we enter the second month of the college football season. Each week, we go over the top games of the day to offer picks both against the spread and straight up. I use the ten games listed in ESPN’s College Pick’em contest to make my picks. All odds listed are courtesy of OddsShark, and are subject to change.
Today’s slate of college football games has a few intriguing matchups including Clemson and Virginia Tech.
The Tigers head into Blacksburg as a touchdown favorite. There are only a handful of atmospheres as intimidating as a night game at Virginia Tech. While I expect Clemson to end up victorious, Virginia Tech keeps it close to cover the spread.
Mississippi State takes on Auburn as an eight point underdog. Look for the Bulldogs to cover the spread, but fall short of winning the game.
Georgia squares off with Tennessee in an SEC afternoon showdown. The Bulldogs are a -7.5 point road favorite. Georgia is the better team, but true freshman Jake Fromm is likely starting at quarterback in a difficult road environment. Look for Tennessee to cover while Georgia wins the game.
UCF hosts Memphis in a matchup featuring two of the top teams in the AAC. Look for a shootout with these two high-powered offenses. UCF’s offense has been humming, and gives them the edge as the Knights cover the four-point spread.
Oregon looks to bounce back against Cal. The Ducks are favored by 15 points, which seems a bit generous of Vegas. I like Oregon to win, but don’t expect them to win by two touchdowns.
After getting pummeled by TCU, Oklahoma State will attempt to find their footing on the road against Texas Tech. Expect the Cowboys to cover the -10.5 point spread and win comfortably against Texas Tech.
Elsewhere, I like Vanderbilt to cover the nine point spread, but lose to Florida. Minnesota wins at home, but Maryland covers the +13-point spread. NIU covers a +9.5 point spread, but loses to a better San Diego State team.
Picks are listed in order of confidence points with 10 being the most confident pick based on the straight up predictions (i.e. who wins the game). Games are listed with the picks against the spread first, then my overall prediction for the winner of the game. As always, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @JonDAdams with college football questions.
Here’s a look at my college football picks for Week 5.
College Football Picks Week 5
| CONFIDENCE | GAME ATS | WINNER |
| 10 | Maryland +13 vs. Minnesota | Minnesota |
| 9 | Oklahoma State -10.5 vs. Texas Tech | Oklahoma State |
| 8 | Cal +15 vs. Oregon | Oregon |
| 7 | Memphis vs. UCF -4.5 | UCF |
| 6 | Georgia vs. Tennessee +7.5 | Georgia |
| 5 | NIU +9.5 vs. San Diego State | San Diego St. |
| 4 | Vanderbilt +9 vs. Florida | Florida |
| 3 | Clemson vs. Virginia Tech +7 | Clemson |
| 2 | Colorado +8 vs. UCLA -8 | UCLA |
| 1 | Mississippi State +8 vs. Auburn | Auburn |
