UTSA wins games with that high-powered offense, led by 6th-year QB Frank Harris, while Troy wins with defense, anchored by senior All-SBC LB Carlton Martial. And in match-ups like this we love betting on the better defense. We’re betting the Trojans Friday.  

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.  

We give UCLA a slight edge on offense because it's a little more balanced and USC just lost a key guy to injury. We also give the Bruins a slight edge on defense because they're a little better against the run. Also, we expect a bounce-back effort from UCLA this week after getting caught napping last week. We're betting on the Bruins 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.  

Alabama QB Young is listed as questionable for Saturday, but our pick doesn't depend on him. Backup Milroe comes pretty highly regarded himself, and if he just cuts down on the turnovers' Bama should be fine on that side of the ball. Meanwhile, Tennessee seems headed in a very good direction under Coach Heupel, but this is their biggest test yet. The Vols came up with a big performance for a big SEC road win last week but in our book, that sets them up as candidates for a letdown this week. The Tide probably won't win this one by anything close to 39-13, but 28-20 would be enough. We're giving the points here with Alabama.  

Normally we might consider Tennessee a candidate to experience a letdown following the big win over Florida, but the week off might litigate that possibility. Also, the Volunteers own the  No. 1 offense in the Nation, and while the defensive numbers are not great, we expect improvement. Meanwhile, LSU's been asking for trouble, falling behind by double-digits three times this season before rallying to win a couple of those games. And it's getting spotty play at the QB spot. We're taking Tennessee here.  

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.  

The Tigers have won the last 13 meetings with the Demon Deacons by an average score of 41-13. Last year, with its worst team in over a decade, Clemson beat Wake by 21 points. And the Tigers are a better team now than they were that day. Plus, playing on the road means the spread is a bit more amenable. We're giving the points here with Clemson.

We give Auburn the check-mark in the running game, and the Tigers might also own the better defense. And those two things mean a lot to us. Penn State ran the ball for over 200 yards last week, with Singleton going off for 179, but that's one game against a weak opponent. The Nittany Lions have struggled to run the ball for the last several seasons, and Auburn owns a legitimate SEC defense. Also, while we don't consider revenge a reliable handicapping factor, it might come into play here. We'll take the Tigers for the win on the money line.

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.

The last time these programs met, six seasons ago in that Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State won 44-28. What's changed since then? Not much, talent-wise. As for Saturday, the Buckeyes own a significant edge at quarterback, they've got super talent at the skills positions, and they might have a monster of a defense. Notre Dame, meanwhile, is playing under a new HC and breaking in a new starting QB. We're giving the points with Ohio State here.

Illinois owns the better running game and probably the better defense, and it's already got a game under its belt this season. And the Illini at least know who they want to be; Wisconsin South. Meanwhile, we see Indiana as a huge question mark heading into this season. Coach Allen had this program moving in a good direction until October of last season. Now, we don't know what to expect. So we're taking the points with Illinois Friday night.

There's a new attitude at Purdue, with 14 starters coming back from a team that won nine games last season, and we like the over 7.5 wins on the Boilers this season. Meanwhile, things seem a bit stale at Penn State, with that 11-11 record over the last couple of seasons, and with only 11 starters back, we're thinking under on that 8.5 wins total. All of which leads us to like Purdue in this game, and we'll take the Boilers for the win on the college football money line at a price of +145.

Nebraska is the better team here and should win this game outright. But the ‘Huskers are breaking in a new quarterback and a new OC, and they’ve got holes to fill on defense. Northwestern, meanwhile, will probably try to run the ball, run the clock and keep this one on the low-scoring side. And two of the last three meetings between these teams have been low-scoring. They might not win this one outright, but we’ll take the ‘Cats and the points.