College Football Handicapping Articles

Free NCAA Football Picks Week 9: Under-the-Radar Matchups Provide Great Betting Profits
by Chris Vasile - 10/27/2017

Last week was one of the more straightforward weeks of the college football season. Only two ranked teams succumbed to defeat, but they were up against fellow ranked opponents. A straightforward week like that is usually followed by all-out chaos, and I expect this week to provide the drama and thrills that we've grown accustom to throughout the previous eight college football weekends.

NCAA Football Betting Advice: Ranking the College Conferences ATS
by Trevor Whenham - 10/27/2017

We're getting into the part of the college football season where things really start to matter. It's a good time, then, to look at the Power 5 conferences and rank them in terms of their betting prowess. Of course, on the surface this isn't a particularly useful exercise - we bet on teams, not conferences, and since most games are conference games at this time of year relative strength doesn't matter. I'm a big fan of exercises like this, though, because it forces you to look at teams you might not be paying as much attention to, to test your assumptions about teams, and to really think about whether squads are helping or hurting you as a bettor.

NCAA Football Mid-Major Free Betting Picks: Marshall Thundering Herd Week 9
by Aaron Smith - 10/26/2017

The Week 9 edition of the mid-major betting report is ready to go. This is the seventh straight season I'm doing the mid-major report for Doc's Sports. How have the selections on the mid-major betting report done? Overall, the record is 40 wins and 29 losses with a gain of $1,500.

Washington State Cougars at Arizona Wildcats Expert Picks with Odds and Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 10/25/2017

The first 2018 BCS playoff rankings of the season will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 31. And the impending judgment on the teams vying for this year's college football national championship should provide a jolt of motivation for teams across the country this weekend.

Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio State Buckeyes Expert Picks and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/25/2017

For the second year in a row the Big Ten East title will likely go to the winner of this game. Last year that was Penn State, and Ohio State will be hungry for revenge. The Buckeyes have looked like a team possessed since their Week 2 loss against Oklahoma. But then they haven't played a team with a pulse since then, either, so that proves nothing. Have the last five games allowed them to move past their issues and grow as a team?

NCAA Football Betting Advice: Fading the Top 25 Weekly Free Picks
by Aaron Smith - 10/25/2017

After a down week last week, the Top 25 teams did well last weekend. Penn State had a signature win over Michigan at home, but now they'll have to try to go win at Ohio State. There are some big games for Top 25 teams in the next three weeks, so expect a lot of movement in the rankings in the coming weeks.

NC State Wolfpack at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Expert Picks and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/25/2017

These two teams have quite a bit in common. They both suffered an early loss and have been fighting hard to show that they can overcome that and remain nationally relevant. They both want to be playoff teams, and for the winner of this game it will be a more realistic possibility. Both teams have played two ranked teams - NC state beat both, and Notre Dame lost to one - but for both this would be the most respectable opponent they have beaten. Both teams have a lot of strengths, and they both have had impressive wins, but neither is flawless by any means. It all sets up for a truly great game - a sudden-death battle for supremacy.

TCU Horned Frogs at Iowa State Cyclones Expert Picks and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/25/2017

Coming into the season it seemed like the Big 12 was a two-team race, with the squads from the state of Oklahoma barreling towards a massive clash for all the marbles. As it turns out, though, the Big 12 is a much deeper and more interesting race. TCU is unbeaten and rolling, and it is them and not Oklahoma State that is working towards a date with Oklahoma with a berth in the conference title game on the line.

Free Big Ten Football Picks: Weekly Conference Analysis with Odds and Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 10/25/2017

When I was just starting out in the sports betting industry, I was dumb and far too confident for my own good. I constantly threw around the word "lock" when referring to certain teams I was going to bet on, and unfortunately for me, I ended up on the losing side of the majority of those bets. I've learned my lesson, though. There is no such thing as a "lock" in the sports betting industry. Anything can happen in any game that involves two teams competing hard and giving it their all to win.

NCAA Football Predictions: Week 9 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/23/2017

In this writer's humble opinion, college - if not life itself - is all about motivation. I nearly flunked out my first semester at college what with co-ed dorms, a fake ID and my parents footing the bill. Then I got some unwanted but ultimately needed motivation: I had to pay for school going forward thanks to my lousy grades. Still had plenty of fun but at least went to class from then on out.

NCAA Football Betting Odds: Week 8 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 10/20/2017

We are past the halfway point of the 2017 college football regular season, so I guess I'm overdue in talking about Stanford running back Bryce Love. Somehow, he's making Cardinal fans forget about one of the best players in school history, former Heisman runner-up Christian McCaffrey.

Free NCAA Football Picks Week 8: Under-the-Radar Matchups Provide Great Betting Profits
by Chris Vasile - 10/20/2017

We are officially at the halfway point of the college football season, and it's been one hell of a ride so far. There have been blowouts, upsets, Hail Marys, injuries, suspensions, quarterback controversies, soaring Heisman stocks and plummeting Heisman stocks. Yet, one thing has remained the same with the exception of last year's national title game - Alabama is still the best team in college football.

NCAA Football Betting Advice: Studs and Duds Against the Spread
by Trevor Whenham - 10/20/2017

We are basically halfway through the college football regular season - a bit more than that for some teams and less for others. It's a good time, then, for us to take a step back and analyze what has happened so far. Some teams have been particularly kind to bettors - and many of them have done so while flying under the radar completely. And some teams have burned bettors' money up in bulk - including one that was very highly-touted entering the season. Here is a look at the ATS studs and duds in college football at the approximate halfway point:

College Football Expert Handicapping: Teams Better Than Their Record
by Trevor Whenham - 10/20/2017

We are beyond the halfway point of the college football season. This is where things get really interesting. Every game matters far more than the one played before it for contenders. And the season can feel like it is never going to end for teams that are out of contention and running out of ideas. There is a good opportunity that can present itself for bettors at this point. For teams off the radar, the public relies heavily on their record to judge them. If a team can be better than the public expects then there can be a real chance at value. Here are four teams that are potentially far better than their record suggests:

Oklahoma State Cowboys at Texas Longhorns Expert Picks with Odds and Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 10/18/2017

Handicapping college football is all about the week after. I know that might sound a little Zen. But the fact is that college football players are erratic. And their performance one week has a direct impact on their effort and execution the next week. The only way to successfully handicap a team is to try to predict how they will respond to the success or failure of the previous week, weighted against other motivational and situational factors at play for the upcoming game.

USC Trojans at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Expert Picks with Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/18/2017

This is one of the iconic rivalries in college football, but due to the struggles of one or both teams at times over the last few years this is the first time it has really mattered in too long. Each team has just one loss, both are ranked in the Top 16, and a win here is going to be a big boost to the postseason chances of either squad. This is a must-win game for both programs, which is exactly what games like this should be.

NCAA Football Mid-Major Free Betting Picks: Marshall Thundering Herd Week 8
by Aaron Smith - 10/18/2017

The Week 8 edition of the mid-major betting report is here This is the seventh straight season I'm doing the mid-major report for Doc's Sports. How have the selections on the mid-major betting report done? Overall, the record is 40 wins and 29 losses with a gain of $1,500.

Michigan Wolverines at Penn State Nittany Lions Expert Picks and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/18/2017

Going to the dentist. Being audited. Hanging out with an ex. Bathing in battery acid. Those are all things I could be more excited about than I am about watching Michigan play at Penn State. If you have read my stuff over the years then you know I live and breathe the Wolverines. It pains me, then, to state a harsh truth - we aren't good. In fact, in a key way we are really bad. And this is the game which, in all likelihood, is going to expose that. Last year Michigan beat Penn State 49-10. It turned Penn State's season around entirely, and they went on to win the conference.

Syracuse Orange at Miami Hurricanes Expert College Football Picks and Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 10/18/2017

As everyone obviously predicted, Syracuse beat Clemson last week to make this game dramatically more interesting. I'm kidding, of course - Clemson's loss in that barn of a dome goes down as perhaps the most surprising result of the college football season to date. And now we are faced with figuring out if they can possibly do it again. Miami has everything on the line here. With the Clemson loss, chances are better than ever that Miami can avoid playing the potent Tigers in the ACC Championship Game, but before they can worry about that the Hurricanes have to keep winning to get into the game. A game that was totally meaningless a week ago now has intrigued attached.

NCAA Football Betting Advice: Fading the Top 25 Weekly Free Picks
by Aaron Smith - 10/18/2017

It was a role reversal for the Top 25 last weekend. Things had been rolling right along smoothly with the Top 25 consistently covering the spread at a high rate. Then last weekend's madness hit and four of the Top 10 teams in the country lost outright. It was a weekend that shook up the rankings in a big way. The Top 25 went 8-13 against the spread overall last weekend as well, and they are almost down to .500 ATS for the season.