NCAAF Week 5: Best Bets and Leans

Gambling Opinion by Ethan Irish and Josh Blatt

Game: UTSA @ MTSU

Ethan's Best Bet: UTSA -4 (-110) (Caesars)

    Middle Tennessee State comes into this one after a great upsetting of Miami on the road. Unfortunately, they will face one of the better teams in Conference USA and to me this is a textbook let down spot for a team like Middle Tennessee. Yes they pulled off an upset but that does not negate weeks prior like the 44-7 loss to JMU. They also have the third worst rating in opponent plays per game on the defensive side of the ball at 84.3 and this UTSA team likes to play fast running more than 81 plays per game which ranks tied for 8th in FBS.

    I think UTSA will come out of the gates hot and win this game and more than likely cover the spread. I think this number is an overreaction to the Blue Raiders last week performance and puts the Roadrunners in a situation to catch them off guard. It is also nice to keep in mind that while this UTSA team is 2-2 they have not played scrubs. The two losses come against Texas and in OT to Houston so the statistical part of this may be a little skewed. Middle Tenn. has effectively played no one other than Miami.

Ethan's Other Leans:

#18 Oklahoma @ TCU: Oklahoma -6.5 (-110) (Caesars)

#9 Oklahoma St. @ #16 Baylor: Baylor -2 (-112) (Barstool)

Game: Iowa State @ Kansas

Josh's Best Bet: Total Points Scored o58.5 (-115) (Fanduel)

    Kansas has been ridiculous this season, it seems as though they can score can will. Iowa state has put up quite a few points themselves, with the only exception being a 10-7 win against Iowa, who plays terrific defense. Kansas has scored a minimum of 35 points in each of their four games thus far, with the next lowest score being 48 points. Iowa State has put up an average of 29.75 points per game and that includes the absolute stinker of a low scoring contest in which they put up 10 points.

    The game kicks off at 3:30 EST and takes place at Kansas, who I personally don't believe is getting enough respect, how are they 4-0 without getting a semblance of national respect-- especially with such an explosive offense. Iowa State narrowly lost to Baylor last week in 31-24 game, and it's difficult to count them out. This is exactly why I'm not touching the spread on this game, I think the over is the safest bet possible.

Josh's Other Leans:

#2 Alabama @ #20 Arkansas: Arkansas +17.5 (-122)

#15 Washington @ UCLA: Washington -2.5 (-115)