Week 9 of the college football calendar has arrived, and with it comes a new table of NCAAF odds.'
Accordingly, I've got a fresh set of picks to hand out.
College Football Best Bets: Week 9 Predictions
After I've handicapped the whole board each week, I will publish my five best plays from the wider canon of college football odds.
I'll provide a short explanation of why I like each bet, so you don't have to go on faith alone.
If you prefer an audio version of this weekly article, you can always subscribe to The Lion's Edge, my weekly handicapping podcast for BetMGM.'
Last week's picks were 2-3. Strangely, it was the two underdogs who failed us; the favorites went 2-1 ATS.
It's my first ugly dog play of the day, and it certainly won't be my last. Temple got nuked by UCF two weeks ago in a weeknight shellacking, and the betting market for the Owls has been micro-sized ever since.
If you can get over that result, Temple becomes a pretty appealing side in this spot. Navy's offense is far behind UCF, and the Midshipmen (2-5 straight up; 0-1 ATS as a favorite this season) should not be laying a number like this.'
The public generally favors laying the points with Navy, but Temple is a sharp darling this week because pros know to bet the number, not the name on the jersey. I'll be on Temple as well.
Play: Temple +13.5
I'm looking at the total in this spot, which is currently sitting at 37.5 at the BetMGM online sportsbook.'
Amusingly, there have been reports this week of ultra-low totals for this game, very early in the week, with posted numbers as low as 31.5. Crazy, right?'
Here's the thing, though. A quick look at the recent games between Iowa and Northwestern tells us that four of the last five games would have gone under 31.5. And remember – this is a divisional matchup, played every year in the Big Ten. It's not like the last five games stretch back to the 90s.
I think the low opener is a huge clue to the right side, and I feel like the market movement has given me an extra six points of value. Give me the under in this awful game I will not spend one moment of my Saturday watching.