Saturday's college football slate rolls on to the afternoon.
After some wonderful noon games, our writers came through with four best bets for Saturday afternoon, including picks for Auburn vs. Alabama in the Iron Bowl, Washington vs. Washington State in the Apple Cup and much more.
Read on for all four of our Saturday afternoon college football best bets – and be sure to take a look at our other top picks for Saturday's early and evening kickoff windows.
Saturday Afternoon College Football Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Saturday afternoon's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| 3:30 p.m. | Alabama -13 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Northwestern +6 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Appalachian State -8.5 | |
| 4 p.m. | Washington State +16 | |
Alabama'vs.'Auburn
Saturday, Nov. 253:30 p.m.'ETCBSAlabama -13
By Patrick Strollo
Alabama needs to continue to win and do it in a convincing manner if it wants to make a push for the College Football Playoff.
It will need some help along the way, but the first order of operations will require beating Auburn on the road.
After Auburn paid $1.8 million to get stomped by New Mexico State last week, anything short of a resounding victory will likely work against Bama in the eyes of the playoff committee.
In what feels like deja vu, the Crimson Tide are set for yet another crash course with Georgia in the SEC Championship. Behind quarterback Jalen Milroe, Alabama has picked up statement wins in recent weeks and looks to be hitting its stride.
Auburn stands in the way of Alabama's ultimate goal, and irrespective of record, it has always played Alabama exceptionally well.
This year will be no different, although the Tide have continued to improve as the year has progressed, and after a midseason hiccup at quarterback, Milroe's second act has Alabama back on track.
Auburn has a very good ground game, ranking 22nd in the nation in rushing offense with an average of 194.3 yards per game. However, the Tigers' passi ng game has been lackluster at best, ranking 121st in the nation, contributing 162.9 yards per game.
This is more than 30 yards less than they get from the ground game and spells big trouble when matching up against a Tide offense that averages 36.5 points per game.
Auburn clearly has issues gaining yards through the air and subsequently translating the passing game into points, so it's likely it will continue to focus on the run. The problem is that it will be met by the seventh-ranked rush defense in the nation, per PFF.
Alabama is giving up an average of 117.9 yards per game on the ground, and its top-ranked secondary should have no issue shutting down Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne. It's hard to envision a scenario where Auburn puts up enough points to keep this game close.
I like backing Alabama on the road, as it still has a lot to prove as it makes a case for being included in the coveted group of four.
Perhaps in years past, the Tide h ave looked past the Iron Bowl and been caught, but I don't think that will be the case for this go-around. Look for Milroe to pick apart Auburn and cover in this game.