Last week was somewhat surprising as is pretty much the case with this entire 2020 college football season. Penn State is 0-5 for the first time in school history and Coastal Carolina, which wasn’t even an FBS program until 2017, is 8-0 and ranked 16th in the country.
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Coach Rick gets it and it’s this type of craziness that makes college football so great. This week features three games among ranked opponents, one of which is one of the biggest rivalry games in college football history.
Here’s a look at this week’s college football predictions.
(#15) Iowa State VS. (#20) Texas Predictions
Iowa State is 6-2 after a huge win over Kansas State last week. Historically though, the Cyclones struggle with Texas. The Longhorns have won 13 of the last 16 games between the two teams.
The coronavirus crisis has cost Texas the past few weeks. The Longhorns haven’t played since beating West Virginia 17-13 on November 7. Texas is 5-2 overall and has won each of its last three games. The big question is whether or not the layoff will hurt the Longhorns.
The Cyclones have relied heavily on RB Breece Hall who has rushed for at least 130 yards in each of Iowa State’s last seven games. Hall went for 135 on 13 carries in last week’s win. He averages 6.5 yards a carry and has scored 15 touchdowns.
What you can expect is a ground-heavy attack from Iowa State. That will play a role in this week’s outcome. The Total has gone UNDER in 13 of Iowa State’s last 17 games away from home. In those seven games, the average point total is 46.2.
Texas is a one-point favorite in the betting markets and has covered in four of the last five games with Iowa State. The layoff is a little scary though. That rust may lead to some struggles for the Texas offense as well. The play here is on the Total, which is set at 61.
BEST BET: UNDER 61
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(#2) Notre Dame vs. (#25) North Carolina Predictions
This one could turn into a track meet. North Carolina has scored 115 combined points in its last two games and Notre Dame QB Ian Book has put up some huge numbers in the Fighting Irish’s last two games.
Notre Dame’s defense gave up just 62 points in its first six games then allowed 71 in the last two. With a bye week under their belt, you can bet head coach Brian Kelly will have the Irish defense ready to play. Still, defending the Air Raid of UNC and QB Sam Howell will be a challenge.
Howell has thrown for 440 yards-plus in two of his last three games. The OVER has hit in five of UNC’s last six games and is 4-1 in Notre Dame’s last five road games. Still, Coach Rick likes Notre Dame to cover. The Irish are 14-0 SU in their last 14 games having won each game by an average margin of 22.1 points.
BEST BET: NOTRE DAME -4
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(#22) Auburn vs. (#1) Alabama Predictions
It’s the 82nd Iron Bowl on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. That’s important because top-ranked Alabama is 36-0 in its last 36 home games. Also, the home team has won the last four straight Iron Bowls. Auburn has not won in Tuscaloosa since the 2010 season.
It’s not surprising that Alabama is favored, but the 24-point spread might seem a little much for a rivalry game. Both the Crimson Tide and the Tigers have very good defenses, but the trend in the season leans toward the offense.
Alabama won 52-21 in 2018 and Auburn won 48-45 last season. The home team has gone 6-2 ATS in this rivalry, but Coach Rick is going to bank on both offenses keeping the scoreboard operator busy.
BEST BET: OVER 60.5
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