Expert Picks
Early kickoff for the “Holy War”: 10:00 AM local time...
Can Louisiana Tech continue its pursuit towards a Sun Belt Conference title with a win over Troy?
Northern Illinois might be the worst FBS team in the country. Last week it got crushed at home on homecoming by a Hawaii team that made the trip all the way from Honolulu to Dekalb, Illinois. Now that same team is on the road against a Rebels team that can still win the Mountain West.
Ever have one of those days just not feeling it? Kinda me today. Maybe it's because my wife is prancing around as Wilma Flintstone all day. Her Halloween just insanity is sorta taking me over. I am currently dressed as a furry Snoopy ... but I usually am regardless. So I'm just gonna go big on this game and be done with it today because clearly distracted and might end up in the 'pen anyways. Always ideal to have extra time to prepare for that unique Army offense and Memphis has had some.
FanDuel. Miami is on the road this week, laying over two touchdowns to Bill Belichick and North Carolina, with Notre Dame on deck. After a disappointing loss to Syracuse, the Tar Heels should be sky-high for this game. UNC already played Notre Dame at home and gave the Irish a fight before losing 37-26. I see a similar kind of game here. The Tar Heels have been in every game this season. The 11-point loss to Notre Dame is the only time they lost by double digits, and that was a one-point game in the third quarter. Miami's players have had next Saturday's matchup vs. Notre Dame circled since the summer. Meanwhile, this is North Carolina’s Super Bowl. I'll take UNC for a Half Unit.
USC struggled at Wisconsin last week, losing 24-7, and I think we'll see a similar score when Ohio State travels to Los Angeles to play the Trojans. Defense, with a possible downpour. USC has covered once in their last five games. That was at Penn State. Before that, they struggled against Washington at home, and the week before they struggled at home to Oregon, and since then we found out how bad Oregon is. Ohio State is using backup quarterback freshman Luke Fahey, and I think the defense will take this game over. Low-scoring, Buckeyes win, and it stays under.
Everybody is way to eager to write off USC in this spot, and I understand why. It's just, Ohio State is on the road with a first time starter at QB. Is it truly that crazy to think the Trojans can win this game?
My suspicion here is that, without Julian Sayin, and with a freshman QB making his first start, Ryan Day will lean on the run game far more than the Buckeyes have been. Their defense is good enough to limit USC and keep it from becoming a shootout.
Ohio State may be without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, but they have had a bye week to prepare for USC. Defensively they have not given up more than sixteen points since late September. The Trojans are coming off a bad loss on the road against Wisconsin, and Jayden Maiava does have a tendency of getting antsy in the pocket. Look for the Buckeyes defense to flip the field a couple of times, and for the Buckeyes to get the road win and cover.
I’m buying low on USC after that ugly loss at Wisconsin. Since 2024, traditional Big Ten teams heading west to face former Pac-12 schools are just 5-9 ATS. Ohio State is also making this trip without Julian Sayin. Luke Fahey has thrown just 13 passes this season, and two were picked off. USC’s pass defense has been rough, but a freshman in his first start isn’t a lock to take advantage. The Trojans have been tough on third down, holding teams to a 32.1% conversion rate. Jayeden Maiava is the best quarterback on the field, and USC ranks third nationally in EPA per dropback. This one should stay within a touchdown, and the Trojans could win it outright.
Only two teams have scored 20+ points on Ohio State since Matt Patricia took over as the team's defensive coordinator before the 2025 season: Miami (24 in last year's Cotton Bowl) and Texas (24 in a valiant comeback this year). The Buckeyes' defense will have to rule with a freshman quarterback starting likely the rest of 2026. As good as USC's offense has been under Lincoln Riley, the Trojans managed only seven points in an ugly loss to Wisconsin last week. Coming off a bye week, OSU would be smart to repeat the Badgers' formula: long drives, stifle the USC rushing attack, and keep the game low-scoring. An outright upset wouldn't surprise me but a game in the 30s would. Ohio State 24, USC 21.
This is a classic lookahead spot for the No. 1 team in the nation. Miami has the game of the year next week in South Bend, but has to go to Chapel Hill first to take on an improved Tar Heels team. Miami leads the nation in scoring and yards, but North Carolina is 20th in red-zone defense, has a passing attack that can exploit Miami's 107th-ranked pass defense, and is a disciplined team (4th fewest penalties). Bill Belichick's squad played tough vs. Notre Dame a few weeks ago and had Clemson beat before the weather delay. If UNC can get Miami to stall a few times and catch Miami looking to South Bend, covering two TDs is in play.
I love what Coach Eric Morris is doing at Oklahoma State after coming over from North Texas, and he brought his quarterback with him. Drew Mestemaker runs the second-best offense in the nation and leads the Big 12 Conference in scoring, with 40 points per game. Mestemaker has finally caught the attention of all the scouts in the NFL. This Cowboys offense is fast and exciting, and they've covered six straight games while winning five of them. On the other side, we have an Iowa State program that has dropped to 3-4 on the year as they lost their head coach Matt Campbell to Penn State in the off-season and took QB Rocco Becht with him. I'm on Oklahoma State, wins by 10 or more.
The spread in this game says everything. Think of the dumpster fire Florida State has been these last couple of years. Then look at how it's favored by nearly a touchdown against Clemson, which has one of the most anemic offenses in the country.
The Cyclones were an early season surprise, but the surprise has lost its effectiveness. Now Iowa State is playing like the team I thought we'd see all year, and I'm skeptical it has an offense capable of keeping up with Oklahoma State, even at home.