College Football Week 5 Betting Preview
College football has a pair of Top 25 matchups on the Saturday schedule in Week 5, starting with a Pac-12 clash between the No. 21 USC Trojans and the No. 17 Washington Huskies.
The Huskies are a 10-point favorite at Bovada Sportsbook. Last week Washington easily got past the BYU Cougars 45-19 as a 6.5-point favorite to improve to 3-1 straight up and against the spread on the season. At home Washington is 16-1 SU in its last 17 but only 8-9 ATS.
USC upset the Utah Utes 30-23 as a 3.5-point home underdog last week. The Trojans are 2-5 SU and ATS in their last seven on the road, and they’ve been an awful pick as an underdog at 2-13 SU and 3-12 ATS in their last 15.
In their last 13 against the Huskies, the Trojans are 10-3 SU and 6-7 ATS, and they’re 5-1 SU and 2-4 ATS in their last six games at Washington.
Notre Dame favored by 12.5 points over visiting Virginia
The other Top 25 matchup is the No. 18 Virginia Cavaliers at the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a 12.5-point underdog.
Virginia is 4-0 SU and 2-1-1 ATS on the season following last week’s 28-17 win over the Old Dominion Monarchs as a 27-point favorite. The Cavaliers haven’t had a lot of road success at 2-8 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 road games. They’re also 1-10 SU in their last 11 road games in September.
Notre Dame lost to the Georgia Bulldogs 23-17 last week as a 16-point underdog. With that loss the Fighting Irish are 15-2 SU and 9-7-1 ATS in their last 17. At home Notre Dame has won 13 straight at 8-5 ATS.
In the last matchup between the Cavaliers and the Fighting Irish in 2015, Notre Dame won 34-27 as a 13.5-point road favorite.
Cornhuskers big home underdogs vs Buckeyes
In the Big Ten this weekend, the Ohio State Buckeyes are 18-point road favorites vs the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Ohio State was a 38.5-point favorite last week in a 76-5 blowout of the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks. As a road favorite, the Buckeyes are 10-2 SU and 6-6 ATS in their last 12 games. When favored by 17 to 18 points, Ohio State is 15-1 SU and 9-7 ATS in its last 16.
Nebraska defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 42-38 last week but failed to cover as 13-point favorites, dropping the Cornhuskers to 1-3 ATS. At home, Nebraska has won six straight at 4-2 ATS but as a home underdog has lost five in a row SU and ATS.
Last season Ohio State defeated Nebraska 36-31 as a 17.5-point favorite.