College football picks, predictions, odds: Ole Miss-Kentucky, Nebraska-Purdue among best bets in Week 5

UNLV entered this week undefeated and ranked No. 23 in the Coaches Poll. However, quarterback Matthew Sluka left the team Tuesday over unmet NIL promises. Welcome to the NIL era.  

On top of that, the Rebels are pondering joining the Pac-12, which would give the league eight teams after Utah State became the fifth Mountain West team to jump ship. The battle between the two conferences is now headed to court.

At least we can distract ourselves from that with the first top flight on-field battle of the season. No. 2 Georgia visits No. 4 Alabama with College Football Playoff seeding and SEC title hopes on the line.

Each week, I will use this space to tell you what I think are a few of the best bets heading into the weekend. I will also throw in an upset of the week, which will be a team that is at least a touchdown underdog that I am picking to win outright.

I will also give you picks on other games involving potential College Football Playoff teams. Since just about everybody is technically a CFP candidate at the moment, I’ll go with the current top 12 teams in the AP Top 25 poll. With the expanded playoff this season, I’ll go deeper into the rankings once we get a few games under our belts.

Games against FCS opponents are not considered. 

This week’s picks include a top-ten team and a big tilt in the Mountain West. Also, there is a familiar face in the upset of the week.

Odds via SportsLine consensus

Week 5 picks

Kentucky at No. 6 Ole Miss (-17.5): Kentucky’s defense has done a reasonably good job this season, even holding the mighty Georgia Bulldogs to just 13 points. However, the one team to unlock them was South Carolina, which scored 31 points. Regardless, all of their previous games have been at home. I do not expect the Wildcats…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-picks-predictions-odds-ole-miss-kentucky-nebraska-purdue-among-best-bets-in-week-5/

Author : Jerry Palm

Publish date : 2024-09-25 18:39:01

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