Our 10 College Football Bets to Watch on a Packed Saturday Slate
We also looked at the ranked CFB teams that bettors are backing in a big way
The NBA Cup was back for more Friday night action with a nine-game slate | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
In today’s newsletter…
1. Leading Off: What’s at stake in today’s college football matchups
2. Bets to Watch: Sark’s script vs. Kirby’s adjustments
3. Game of the Day: Georgia and Texas face off to stay in SEC championship game hunt
4. By the Numbers: Road underdog Oklahoma is 2-7 ATS this season
5. Overtime: Who’s the next Curt Cignetti?
1. Leading Off
The SEC takes center stage today with a couple of games that have huge SEC and CFP implications. No. 11 Oklahoma visits No. 4 Alabama at 3:30pm on ABC and No. 10 Texas faces No. 5 Georgia at 7:30pm, also on ABC (don’t worry YouTube TV subscribers, you have ABC and ESPN again).
The No. 10 Longhorns likely need to win out to have a shot at the SEC title, but a loss at No. 5 Georgia might not end their playoff chances — Texas still has No. 3 Texas A&M at home to close the season. The Bulldogs need a loss from those Aggies or No. 4 Alabama, both undefeated in the SEC, to have a shot to make it to the conference championship game, and like Texas, could find their way into the playoff even with a loss today.
While Oklahoma already has two conference losses, the Sooners could make a strong case for an at-large CFP spot with a win in Tuscaloosa. Alabama only has a flailing Auburn team left in SEC play after today, so a win against Oklahoma likely means the Crimson Tide will return to the conference championship game for the ninth time in 14 years. Alabama has won nine times in a row when appearing in the title game, a streak that goes back to 2009.
Another game game SEC and Big Ten teams will be watching: No. 9 Notre Dame vs. No. 22 Pittsburgh. A Fighting Irish loss would open up an at-large spot that seems destined for Notre Dame if the school wins out. But Pittsburgh, which is still playing for an ACC Championship and CFP spot, is a 12.5-point home underdog.
— Abe Rakov
2. Bets to Watch
Pitt’s Coach Could Be Trying to Rope-A-Dope Notre Dame With Pre-Game Comments
Mason Heintschel | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
By Jack Dougherty
Pittsburgh +12.5 (-108 at DraftKings)
Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi made headlines this week when he told reporters he essentially doesn’t care if his team loses by 100 this week. He’s correct — the Panthers need…
3. Game of the Day
With Spotlight Back on Manning, No. 10 Texas Travels to No. 5 Georgia
Arch Manning | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Texas quarterback Arch Manning seems to have found his groove after a slow start to the season, as he’s passed for 674 yards and has six touchdowns to one interception in his past two games (both wins). No. 5 Georgia’s lone loss of the season was a three-point home heartbreak to then-No. 17 Alabama.
No. 10 Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC) vs. No. 5 Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC)
7:30pm on ABC
The Odds
Spread: Texas (+6.5, -112), Georgia (-6.5, -108)
65% of the money and 61% of the bets are with Georgia
UT: 2-7, UGA: 4-5
Moneyline: Texas +190, Georgia -225
63% of the money is with UT but 78% of the bets are with UGA
Total (49.5): Over -110, Under -110
UT: 4-5, UGA: 4-5
Players to Watch
Georgia QB Gunner Stockton: 179-258 (69.4%), 2,040 yards, 15 TD, 2 INT, 153.4 rating
Texas QB Arch Manning: 168-268 (62.7%), 2,123 yards, 18 TD, 6 INT, 146.9 rating
Georgia RB Nate Frazier: 101 carries, 575 yards, 3 TD, 8 receptions, 54 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 0 fumbles
Texas WR Ryan Wingo: 31 receptions, 593 yards (19.1 average), 5 TD, 0 fumbles
Georgia LB CJ Allen: 75 tackles (39 solo), 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 3 pass deflections
Texas DB Jelani McDonald: 55 tackles (31 solo), 2 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 3 pass deflections
Props
UGA QB Gunner Stockton Passing Yards (220.5): Over -114, Under -114
UT QB Arch Manning Passing Yards (222.5): Over -114, Under -114
UGA WR Zachariah Branch Receiving Yards (62.5): Over -114, Under -114
UGA WR Oscar Delp Receiving Yards (22.5): Over -114, Under -114
UT WR Ryan Wingo Receiving Yards (58.5): Over -114, Under -114
UT WR DeAndre Moore Receiving Yards (32.5): Over -114, Under -114
UGA RB Nate Frazier Rushing Yards (54.5): Over -114, Under -114
UT RB Quintrevion Wisner Rushing Yards (45.5): Over -114, Under -114
4. By the Numbers
12 Ranked CFB Teams That Have 60%+ of Spread Bettors Backing Them
Marcel Reed | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
CFB
Arizona (+6.5, -102) vs. No. 12 Cincinnati (-6.5, -120): 76% of the money and 73% of the bets are with Cincinnati
Spread — UA: 5-4, CIN: 6-3
Total (56.5) — UA: 4-5, CIN: 6-3
South Carolina (+17.5, -110) vs. No. 3 Texas A&M (-17.5, -110): 75% of the money and 69% of the bets are with A&M
Spread — USC: 4-5, A&M: 5-4
Total (49.5) — USC: 3-6, A&M: 7-2
No. 24 South Florida (-10.5, -106) vs. Navy (+10.5, -114): 67% of the money and 65% of the bets are with South Florida
Spread — USF: 7-2, Navy: 2-7
Total (63.5) — USF: 6-3, Navy: 7-2
Wisconsin (+29.5, -115) vs. No. 2 Indiana (-29.5, -105): 65% of the money and 55% of the bets are with Indiana
Spread — WIS: 4-5, IND: 6-4
Total (43.5) — WIS: 2-7, IND: 7-3
NC State (+14.5, -110) vs. No. 15 Miami (-14.5, -110): 63% of the money and 56% of the bets are with Miami
Spread — NC St.: 4-5, UM: 5-4
Total (55.5) — NC St.: 6-3, UM: 4-5
UCF (+23.5, -108) vs. No. 6 Texas Tech (-23.5, -112): 90% of the money and 82% of the bets are with Texas Tech
Spread — UCF: 4-5, TTU: 9-1
Total (47.5) — UCF: 4-5, TTU: 4-6
No. 16 Georgia Tech (-16.5, -110) vs. Boston College (+16.5, -110): 88% of the money and 79% of the bets are with Georgia Tech
Spread — GT: 6-3, BC: 4-6
Total (59.5) — GT: 6-3, BC: 7-3
No. 11 Oklahoma (+5.5, -100) vs. No. 4 Alabama (-5.5, -122): 80% of the money and 76% of the bets are with Alabama
Spread — OU: 5-4, ALA: 6-3
Total (45.5) — OU: 2-7, ALA: 4-5
New Mexico State (+40.5, -110) vs. No. 23 Tennessee (-40.5, -110): 88% of the money and 72% of the bets are with Tennessee
Spread — NMSU: 4-5, UT: 4-5
Total (61.5) — NMSU: 3-6, UT: 7-2
Florida (+11.5, -112) vs. No. 7 Ole Miss (-11.5, -108): 76% of the money and 77% of the bets are with Ole Miss
Spread — UF: 3-6, MISS: 6-4
Total (54.5) — UF: 3-6, MISS: 5-5
No. 13 Utah (-8.5, -110) vs. Baylor (+8.5, -110): 74% of the money and 73% of the bets are with Utah
Spread — UTA: 7-2, BAY: 2-7
Total (60.5) — UTA: 6-3, BAY: 5-4
UCLA (+31.5, -105) vs. No. 1 Ohio State (-31.5, -115): 70% of the money and 63% of the bets are with Ohio State
Spread — UCLA: 3-6, OSU: 7-2
Total (47.5) — UCLA: 4-5, OSU: 3-6
5. Overtime
In the News
When Indiana hired James Madison coach Curt Cignetti in 2023, the college football world didn’t think much of it. Now he has the Hoosiers on the cusp of back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg takes a look at who could be the next Cignetti in what will be a wild college football coaching carousel this offseason.
What is rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart’s future with the Giants? CBS Sports reports that that depends on what New York does with its head coaching vacancy.
The Associated Press is all over the 6-7 craze sweeping through college basketball. Have no idea what we’re talking about? Read the story to learn why “Dictionary.com made the viral term ‘6-7’ its word of the year, and it isn’t even really a word.”
ESPN’s feature on BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa is worth a read. The No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class and almost certain top-5 NBA Draft pick is the school’s first top recruit told ESPN: “…my main goal is to go to the NBA and I wanted the closest thing to an NBA playing style, the closest thing to an NBA coach.”
What to Watch (times are ET)
12pm: No. 9 Notre Dame vs. No. 22 Pittsburgh [CFB] on ABC
3:30pm: No. 11 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Alabama [CFB] on ABC (or No. 21 Iowa vs. No. 17 USC [CFB] on Big Ten Network)
4pm: No. 18 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Michigan [NCAAW] on NBC
5pm: Grizzlies vs. Cavaliers on NBA TV
7pm: No. 3 UConn vs. No. 7 BYU [NCAAM] on FOX (or Bruins vs. Canadiens on NHL Network)
7:30pm: No. 10 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia [CFB] on ABC
8pm: Lakers vs. Bucks on NBA TV (or No. 2 South Carolina vs. No. 8 USC [NCAAW] on FOX)
10:15pm: TCU vs. No. 12 BYU [CFB] on ESPN
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