The spreads are getting bigger with the betting public believing they know how these teams will respond on a week-to-week basis.
For me, that makes it a little tougher, but in college football, you have to give up a decent amount of points at times to win big. Here’s the week 5 college football favorites that will cover the spread.
Favorites: 8-4 ATS
Overall: 19-5 ATS
Maryland at Minnesota (-13)
I actually can’t believe this game has a spread within two touchdowns. Maybe the betting public is still preoccupied with the week 1 win against Texas. I’ve got news for you. By season’s end, the Longhorns will be in much better shape than the Terrapins.
Maryland lost its second quarterback to a season-ending injury last week during a blowout loss to Central Florida. That was one of my favorite underdog picks last week and the Knights were able to move the ball against a defense that isn’t good enough to be consistent.
That will hurt against a Golden Gophers team that is pounding the run, which will wear down this Maryland team. I can’t trust Maryland’s offense with a third-string quarterback on the road. That will give way to the Golden Gophers owning time of possession in this contest, hindering Maryland’s chances at putting up many points. — Go Chalk with Minnesota
Syracuse at North Carolina State (-13.5)
The Wolfpack are legitimate. It was common in the offseason for many people to believe in North Carolina State as a contender and they look more and more like it every week.
The Wolfpack returned plenty of starters from last year’s team, and after a loss to South Carolina, many people dismissed them as a solid team. That should change after winning at Florida State last week.
North Carolina State can move the ball on offense and the defense is good enough that it shouldn’t have much of a problem with Syracuse. While many believe this is a trap game and a perfect spot for a letdown, I’m steering clear of that notion. North Carolina State expected to be in the conversation as an ACC contender. They won’t get too concerned with last week’s win or next week’s matchup.
And I get Syracuse in back-to-back road games after a physical game against LSU. The momentum should be pointing in the direction of the Wolfpack. — Go Chalk with North Carolina State
Indiana at Penn State (-18)
Some may have left last week’s game against Iowa with a diminished view of Penn State. Not me.
The Nittany Lions showed they can overcome several challenges to still win a game that looked all but lost. Make no mistake about it — Penn State was by far more talented than Iowa. It just got caught up with being on the road and couldn’t finish. Penn State moved the ball at will, which is a good sign going forward, and the defense was dominant for the majority of the game.
That should translate to a big win against Indiana. The Hoosiers don’t do a ton on defense and I don’t see them doing much against this vaunted Penn State defense.
Don’t get too caught up with last week’s close win by Penn State. This team is a national contender and they will show it in week 5. — Go Chalk with Penn State
