Personal confession time. I hate losing. I hate it so much. And not just because I am losing money. No, what I hate that most is not coming through for you guys. Please know I take these college football losses to heart, and the hard work that goes into making these picks never changes.
That said, fading my picks isn’t a bad idea until things start to turn around. But for now, let’s bet on some good teams to do good things. Sounds simple enough, right?
The Triple Option returns with my best college football picks and predictions for Week 10.
NCAA Football Picks and Predictions for Week 10
Houston Cougars vs Cincinnati Bearcats
A Group of Five program has never qualified for the College Football Playoff, but Cincinnati is looking to shatter the norm and break through this year. And why not?
After Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State, an argument for the No. 4 spot is wide open. So, why not the No. 6-ranked Bearcats? Cincy has obliterated every team in its path, and seem to be getting better with each passing week.
Despite being just 3-2 ATS, the Bearcats have an average margin of victory of 27.6 points, and the two games they didn’t cover, they were 22.5 and 39.5-point favorites, missing those spreads by 1.5 and 4.5 points, respectively.
Cincinnati is coming off back-to-back wins, which were supposed to represent some of their toughest challenges this season. And the Bearcats absolutely crushed them. They thumped Southern Methodist 42-13 as 1-point road dogs and followed that up with a 49-10 beatdown of Memphis as 6.5-point home chalk.
Now, here comes Houston, a team similar in makeup to SMU and Memphis. A high-tempo offense with a porous defense and simply put, the Cougars are not as good as the Mustangs or Tigers on offense, two teams the Bearcats allowed a combined 23 points to. Cincy ranks 15th in yards allowed per game at 306.2 and is giving up just 12 points per contest on the season.
On offense, the Bearcats can beat you in a multitude of ways, led by dual-threat QB Desmond Ridder, and three running backs with over 100 yards on the season, facing a Cougars’ D that ranks 78th in yards allowed and surrender nearly 35 points per game. Here’s hoping two touchdowns isn’t much of a sweat.
PREDICTION: Cincinnati -13.5 (-110)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Ohio State Buckeyes
Michigan beats Minnesota. Indiana beats Penn State. Rutgers beats Michigan State. Maryland beats Minnesota. Michigan State beats Michigan. Wisconsin gets COVID.
Are you following along? Does that make sense? Of course not. The Big Ten has been insanely unpredictable. But the one constant in the conference is Ohio State. The Buckeyes are in a class of their own and a legitimate threat to win the national championship (if we ever get there).
Ohio State opened its season by thumping Nebraska 52-17, covering the spread as big 28-point favorites, and followed that up by taking care of business against Penn State, covering the 10-point chalk in a 38-25 victory.
QB Justin Fields has shown why he is a legit Heisman contender and should be the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft. The junior signal-caller is completing over 87 percent of his passes for 594 yards with six touchdowns and no picks. While the defense hasn’t been as dominant as last season, it has certainly been solid.
They face a Rutgers team that has come back down to Earth after their shocking season-opening win over the Spartans. The Scarlet Knights were beaten rather handily by Indiana last week, losing 37-21 as 11 point underdogs. And they probably lose to Michigan State if not for an unfathomable seven turnovers by Sparty in that game.
The offense ranks 112th in yards per game, but most importantly for this game, Rutgers’ pass defense ranks 94th in pass yards allowed per contest. Justin should have a field day (sorry, I couldn’t help it), and take Ohio State to cover the first-half spread.
PREDICTION: Ohio State -23.5 First Half Spread (-112)
Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Texas State Bobcats
One of my favorite things to bet in college football is when favorites with great running games go up against bad running defenses. And that’s exactly what we’ll get when Appalachian State visits Texas State on Saturday.
The Mountaineers haven’t been a great bet this season, going just 1-4 ATS, but this should be the week they come through for their backers. That’s because Appalachian State has one of the best ground games in the country.
Running backs Daetrich Harrington, Camerun Peoples and Marcus Williams Jr. all have at least 28 carries, 230 yards and are all running at a clip of at least five yards per carry. Then there's dual-threat QB Zac Thomas who has added another 238 yards and running for 6.4 yards per carry. They face a Texas State run defense that is allowing teams to rumble for 184.8 yards per game.
But what makes this feel like a safe bet is that Thomas has been playing much better since the Mountaineers returned from their COVID-19 shutdown. He's completing over 70 percent of his passes with six TDs and two picks in his last two games, and the Bobcats’ pass defense might be even worse than its run D.
Mix in a Texas State offense that ranks 86th in total yards, going up against an App State defense that ranks in the Top 20 in yards allowed per game and is limiting opponents to 17.6 points per game.
The Mountaineers should win this by three touchdowns, but if you want to play it safe, buy a half-point.
PREDICTION: Appalachian State -20 (-110)
Last week's NCAAF record: 1-2
Season to date: 9-15
Triple Option NCAA Football Betting Card for Week 10
- Cincinnati -13.5 (-110)
- Ohio State -23.5 First Half Spread (-112)
- Appalachian State -20 (-110)
Did you know that if you parlayed this week’s NCAA Triple Option picks, you could win $59.58 on a $10 bet?
Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where Can I Bet on College Football?
You can bet on college football odds at every online and casino sportsbooks, including NCAA football point spreads, Over/Under totals, derivative bets and even prop plays as well. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on college football odds in your area.
