College Football Picks - Free Weekly ATS Predictions

Army owns the better offense in this match-up, but Navy owns the better defense, especially against the run. Also, while the Midshipmen lost their starting QB a while back to injury, the backups are doing a nice job. Also, Navy beat Central Florida and gave Notre Dame and Cincinnati good games; Army, against its toughest foe, got blown out by Wake Forest. We don't like going along with the betting flow, but we're going with the Midshipmen Saturday.

First off, it might rain Saturday in Columbus, although rain doesn't always affect football games as we might think. From there, the Ohio State offense without its top two RBs - which is a possibility Saturday - gets our handicapping check-mark over the Michigan offense without its top two ball carriers. Also, while the Wolverines' defense ranks No. 1 in FBS, they haven't exactly played much of a schedule. Finally, five of Ohio State's last six wins over Michigan came by double digits. We're betting on the Buckeyes Saturday.  

TCU's playing a lot of close games this season and doing what it takes to win them. Hopefully, reading their own good press this week won't get to their heads, and coming in here as an underdog might help. Also, the Frogs own the better performance vs. common opponents this season. Texas, meanwhile, can be pretty good itself, but the losses to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State puzzle us a bit. We're not sure if TCU will win this one outright, but we'll take 'em plus the points.

Georgia's still the defending national champion and playing at home, and it's only favored by 8.5 points. Which means Tennessee must be pretty good. The Volunteers are almost unstoppable on offense, and while the Bulldogs own the better defense, that unit also just lost a key guy in LB Smith (pectoral injury). This one should be a dandy, and a touchdown in the pocket sounds like a good place to start. We're taking Tennessee plus the points here.

The Ohio State offense gets most of the ink, but its defense ranks No. 2 in the country, holding foes to 240 YPG. And while Stroud and the passing attack also get most of the attention, the Buckeyes are averaging 205 YPG on the ground. Also, Ohio State owns the better performance against Big 10 opponents. And playing on the road means the spread is a little more amenable. We're betting on the Buckeyes, minus the points.   

The last two match-ups between these two teams were both decided by three points, and this one might come down to that, too. Oregon's probably the better team overall, but UCLA can put points of the board just as well. Plus, with this game in Eugene, we're thinking the spread is probably inflated by a field goal or so. So in anticipation of a barn-burner, we're betting on the Bruins, plus the points.  

These two defenses are great and about a wash. But Michigan's got a running game with RB Blake Corum, who broke a couple of long ones last week against Maryland, including the touchdowns that gave the Wolverines the lead for good and iced the victory. Meanwhile, the Iowa offense has produced five touchdowns through four games, and three of those came against Nevada. The Wolverines are just the better team here, playing on the road, where the spreads are friendlier—we like Michigan, minus the points.  

Kentucky's without its No. 1 running back, while Florida returns four starting offensive linemen. So the Gators own the better running game. Despite that unit's performance last week, Florida probably also owns the better defense. And they're giving less than a touchdown at the Swamp. We like the Gators minus the points for Saturday night. 

Last year's meeting between these teams was close, but the three previous meetings were decided by large margins, and this one probably will be, too. Clemson can't help but get improved production at QB, almost the entire offensive line is back and it owns probably the best defensive line in the country. The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, might be a bit of a wreck this season, with just eight starters back from a team that won three games last year. We don't like going along with the betting flow, but we'll take the Tigers, minus the points.