The 2020 college football season is almost near at end, as we are just a couple of weeks away from the last conference championship games and the selection of the College Football Playoff teams, followed by the sorting of the remaining bowl game slots. In Week 14, we have a lot of games that had been rescheduled from earlier months because of COVID-19 cases in one program or the other. However, in many cases these games are necessary to settle conference standings ahead of the championship games.
Let’s take a look at some top straight up college football betting picks from this weekend’s action.
NCAA News: Top SU Picks
Texas (-9.5) at Kansas State
Remember when Kansas State knocked off Oklahoma and looked like a contender for the Big 12 Championship? Well, those days are long gone, as the Wildcats have lost four in a row, including a setback against Baylor last week. Texas heads to Manhattan looking for its sixth win of the season after losing at home to Iowa State last week by three. Texas won this matchup last year, prevailing by three points at home. Texas led Iowa State by a touchdown going into the fourth quarter, but the Cyclones put up ten unanswered points, including a short touchdown run by Breece Hall with 1:25 left on the clock, to take the game. Texas has now been involved in seven straight games that were decided by eight points or fewer, three of which have gone to overtime. Without a dominant running back, they rely on quarterback Sam Ehlinger either to throw the ball down the field or run it himself.
Kansas State also gave up a sizable fourth-quarter lead last week. They were up nine on Baylor with nine minutes left, before the Bears scored ten unanswered points, including a field goal as time expired. Kansas State is a run-first offense led by Deuce Vaughn, who ran for 102 yards and a score against Baylor. Quarterback Will Howard was a liability against Baylor, going 9 of 18 for 88 yards and a touchdown — with two interceptions. The defense has been stout, but if Kansas State can’t score on the ground, they don’t score much at all.
Final Prediction: Texas to win
Oregon (-11) at Cal
Oregon comes into this game having seen their College Football Playoff hopes likely go into the dumpster after losing to Oregon State last week. Cal comes in with an 0-3 record, having lost to UCLA, Oregon State and Stanford. Oregon beat Stanford, Washington State and UCLA to start 3-0 and start moving up the national rankings. However, last Friday, the Civil War did not end well for the Ducks, as they permitted 22 points in the fourth quarter and lost by three. Tyler Shough threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns for the Ducks, but he also had two costly interceptions. Tailback Travis Dye went for 93 yards on just a dozen carries, but defensive lapses and turnovers down the stretch let the game get away from the Ducks.
Cal could be better than their 0-3 indicates. They got trounced by 24 in their opener by UCLA, but they lost their last two games by a combined five points, losing to Oregon State by four and then losing to Stanford by just a single point. In that loss to Stanford, Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers threw for 151 yards and a pair of scores. Damien Moore averaged 12.1 yards per carry, pushing for 121 yards, and wideout Kekoa Crawford caught five balls for 52 yards and a touchdown.
It’s hard to argue for Cal here, especially straight up. They have fought hard in their last two games, but one of those losses came against the same Oregon State team that just beat the Ducks. It will be interesting to see how Oregon responds after losing what was likely their only shot at a CFP spot (a perfect season), but it is also interesting to see whether Cal will come out flat after expending so much emotional energy and losing two close games.
Final Prediction: Oregon to win
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