College Football Betting: Week 12 Under-The-Radar Plays

The college football season moves into Week 12. While the week’s featured games will command the attention of most fans – Cincinnati at UCF and Oklahoma State at Oklahoma in particular – there are plenty of games that won’t attract the national spotlight. Three especially interesting games (without major national implications) are presented below:

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Iowa Hawkeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions

Odds: Iowa -2.5

This is a fascinating game because everyone is wondering if an 0-4 Penn State team – clearly the most disappointing team this season in college football, right ahead of LSU – can finally grab a win.

Penn State’s backup quarterback, Will Levis, is the x-factor in this matchup, as he’ll get the start this weekend. Sean Clifford started the first four games of the season but did not play well at all. He isn’t hurt. He has simply been ineffective, and Levis will replace him against Iowa.

Levis sparked a listless Penn State offense this past weekend against Nebraska. He didn’t do enough to win, but Penn State moved the ball a lot more easily after Levis came into the game. Penn State’s big problem was its red zone offense. The team got into the red zone but failed to score a touchdown on six separate occasions. That was the difference in a 30-23 loss to Nebraska. If the Penn State offense can put together four full quarters, the team could finally get their first win.

Pick: Penn State +2.5

California Golden Bears at Oregon State Beavers

Odds: California -3.5

This is a very interesting game largely because of the uncertainty of the Pac-12 right now. If you are an adventurous bettor, you will seek out the Pac-12, as their season started just a week and a half ago and has placed teams in highly unusual situations.

California is a representative example of this dynamic. A week ago, the Golden Bears thought they weren’t going to play; their game against Arizona State was called off. Then, however, the Pac-12 re-slotted Cal to play UCLA on Sunday after UCLA’s game against Utah was also called off. California got crushed by UCLA, as the Bears were physically dominated by the Bruins.

Was this a case of Cal being severely overrated in preseason rankings and polls, or was this a case of a team spending a week planning for one opponent (Arizona State), only to be switched to another opponent (UCLA) at the last minute? It’s hard to say.

Oregon State, meanwhile, played Washington a lot closer and tougher than many expected. Are the Beavers genuinely improving, or is Washington overrated much as Cal is? It’s hard to answer these questions, which is exactly why Pac-12 football is so unpredictable and interesting. Ultimately, the fact that Cal knows it will face Oregon State should give the Bears confidence and stability in formulating their game plan. That should help them to get the win and cover.

Pick: California -3.5

Washington State Cougars at Stanford Cardinal

Odds: Stanford -2.5

The Pac-12 is a mystery, but if one team has looked worse than all the others, it’s Stanford. The Cardinal didn’t do much on offense in the first six quarters they played. They finally woke up late against Colorado this past Saturday, but they had fallen behind by 19 points and were unable to complete a full comeback in a 35-32 loss.

Meanwhile, Washington State battled Oregon for three quarters before fading in the fourth. The Cougars look a lot better than the Cardinal at this point in the season.

Pick: Washington State +2.5

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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.