The University of Wisconsin fired head coach Paul Chryst after the team fell, 34-10, to Illinois. The Badgers had already lost by 31 to Ohio State and by three at home to Washington State, who had entered as a heavy underdog. Overall, Chryst’s team had posted a 2-3 record in 2022 after a 9-4 slate in 2021. In 7+ seasons at Camp Randall, Chryst’s teams had posted a 67-26 record, and his teams had won at least 10 games in four of his first five seasons. They also won three Big Ten West titles, an Orange Bowl and a Cotton Bowl. The fast action by the university indicates how much of a business college football has become, particularly now that the major conference structure is undergoing seismic change. Coming into Week 6, let’s take a look at some college football betting picks that you should consider.
NCAA News: Sure Winners for Week 6
#17 TCU (-6.5) at #19 Kansas
(12:00 pm ET, FS1)
Lawrence, Kansas, will host College GameDay for the first time ever, as the Jayhawks meet TCU. Both teams come in with 5-0 records, but the Jayhawks will need to do better than they did in their victory over Iowa State last week. Kansas only managed 14 points, a season low, and only gained 213 yards. Jalon Daniels threw for 11 touchdowns in the first four games of the season but only managed 93 yards through the air against the Cyclones.
TCU’s defense has not been all that solid, permitting 34 points at SMU and 24 at home against Oklahoma in the last two weeks. On the season, the Horned Frogs permit 549.5 yards of total offense per game. The TCU offense might be able to run all over Kansas after blowing out Oklahoma, but it is important to note that Kansas beat Iowa State and Duke in one-possesion games and beta West Virginia in overtime. Also, TCU coach Sonny Dykes has a trend of failing to make adjustments as the season goes on and opponents get more and more film on his teams, as we saw at Cal and at SMU. So while the stats seem to point to a TCU cover, the intangibles of playing in front of a raucous Kansas crowd and the reality of an offense-only system will eventually catch up to the Horned Frogs. Kansas to cover.
#8 Tennessee (-3.5) at #25 LSU
(12:00 pm ET, ESPN)
If this game had a prime-time kickoff, it would be hard to argue to pick the Volunteers. The crowd in Death Valley would have been much louder, and the environment would have been much more intimidating. The Volunteers also come in on the momentum of beating Florida, which had only happened twice in the last 17 years. On offense, Tennessee puts up 559.3 yards and 48.5 points per game. LSU has only broken 40 once, and that came against Southern (N FCS school). LSU did hang 31 on Mississippi State and 38 on New Mexico.
After all, the SEC West has room for a team to move into second behind Alabama. Texas A&M fell to Mississippi State last week and will likely get rolled at Alabama this coming week. LSU seems ready to compete for the first half, but it’s hard to see them staying with Tennessee for four quarters, once the Volunteers get their offense up and running. I see the Tigers going into the locker room tied at the half, but Tennessee should take charge after the intermission. Tennessee to win and cover.
Florida State (+3) at #14 N.C. State
(8:00 pm ET, ACC Network)
N.C. State had its first opportunity to beat a top-ten team as a top-ten team in school history that week, and they ended up losing at Clemson. They were playing from behind for the whole game, and while they kept the Tigers within view, they never really seemed to threaten. Florida State also lost last week, falling behind Wake Forest by as many as 21 points before the Seminoles started a bit of a comeback. Will N.C. State get back to their offensive fireworks, or will there be an emotional letdown? N.C. State to win and cover.
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