LSU at Florida
December 12th, 7:00 P.M. (EST), Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
On the outside looking in of the College Football Playoff, the Florida Gators will need to make a statement against LSU in the final game of the regular season.
Sitting at 8-1, the Gators will need some help to reach the playoffs – especially from other teams. With that being said, can we really expect LSU to put up any fight against Florida? Florida owns one of the best offenses in the nation and should demolish the Tigers by half.
I don’t think LSU has enough in the tank to take down their SEC rival. The Tigers are ranked poorly in defensive passing yards (127th), and defensive total yards (117th). Florida has the best passing offense in the nation and should victimize LSU every time the Gators touch the football.
I think this will be a bloodbath in favor of Florida, which is why I have Florida covering on the spread. The Gators are 7-2-1 ATS at home in their last 10 facing a mentally defeated LSU squad looking to the end of their season.
I don’t see LSU’s defensive group competing with Florida at all. I expect to see the Gators score early and often in this contest.
Free Pick: Florida to cover -22 on the spread (888Sport)
Michigan at Ohio State
December 12th, 12:00 P.M. (EST), Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
I love watching Ohio State play football.
After trampling over Michigan State last week, the Buckeyes look to hand another Michigan team the L to round out the season. Lots of fans and analysts are wondering if the Buckeyes deserve to be in the chatter for a CFP spot and this game is another opportunity to prove how strong Ohio State is.
Ohio State has torched Michigan in their past 8 games. I fully believe that the Buckeyes will win on the Money Line and that seems like a rather safe bet for this game. Of course, there is no guarantee, but the Buckeyes’ Money Line is a great pick for a betting victory or in addition to a parlay move.
With that being said, history is on our side for bettors that like the over. And between these two teams, I like the over.
I don’t see Michigan making this a close contest and they have also been rough against the spread. The Wolverines are 0-5 in their last five games against the spread, while the Buckeyes are 3-2 against the spread in their last five and have seen 3 of their 5 games reach the over. We’ve seen Ohio State torch the Spartans and I expect the same against Michigan.
The total has reached the over in 4 of Michigan’s last 6 games. Adding a little razzle-dazzle to my total over pick is the fact that Ohio State and Michigan have reached the over in the last 5 games. Michigan has a respectable offense and the Buckeyes’ offense is elite. Expect the Buckeyes to do the majority of the work, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see Ohio State reach the 40 point or even 50 point threshold against Michigan.
If you want to play it safe, look at the Money Line or first half money line for Ohio State. If you want to be bold like me, I’d look at the O/U.
Free Pick: Ohio State/Michigan Combined Total Over 66.5 (Betway Sports)
Illinois at Northwestern
December 12th, 12:00 P.M. (EST), Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
Northwestern turned heads this season in the NCAA and have also been a popular pick among bettors. One thing I love about the Wildcats is their ability to cover against the spread. Over their last 7 games, Northwestern is 5-1-1 ATS which has me licking my chops for this contest.
Two other stats jump out to me when placing bets for this game. The Wildcats’ defense is ranked 9th in the NCAA in points against (15.33) and the Fighting Illini allow 32.50 per game, which is 90th in the NCAA.
Sprinkle in the fact that Northwestern averages 24.83 points per game and Illinois scores 21 points per game (against bad teams), and I think we could see the potential for the Wildcats to cover once again on the spread.
4 of the past 5 games for Northwestern have hit the under, while Illinois’ past 5 games have featured the Under in 3 of those contests.
With that being said, I think the Fighting Illini could cover on the spread under normal circumstances, but they are dealing with several injuries that will affect their offense. Coran Taylor, Trevon Sidney, and Mike Epstein are all questionable for Saturday.
Northwestern will be firing on all cylinders. With a compromised defense and a hurt offense, I don’t think Illinois will be able to keep this contest close.
Free Pick: Northwestern to cover -14.5 on the spread (888Sport)
