College Football Betting: Week 15 Under-the-Radar Plays
The college football season moves into Week 15, with teams nearing the end of their conference seasons. The bowl picture is messy this season, given the irregular number of games played by various teams across all the conferences. In the Pac-12, teams haven’t even played six games yet this season, while teams in the ACC have already played 10 games and SEC teams have already played nine. It’s a really weird situation in which the rhythms of scheduling and gameplay just aren’t recognizable. It’s a completely new setup. For instance, the Army-Navy Game – which is still being played on the second Saturday of December, its normal spot on the schedule – usually would have been the only college football game of the day. This year, however, it is merely one of the dozens of games. It is surrounded by a bunch of other games that originally weren’t scheduled for December 12. Army-Navy would normally be a main-event game, but this week, it’s reasonable to say that it’s under the radar. Let’s look at some of the games not involving conference championship races or College Football Playoff battles.
Compare odds from all major sportsbooks for Week 15 of NCAAF >>
Stanford Cardinal (-3) at Oregon State Beavers
This game has taken a significant turn relative to two weeks ago, in terms of how people perceive the two teams and assess their chances of winning. Two weeks ago, Oregon State defeated Oregon in the Pac-12 and was on the rise. Two weeks ago, Stanford had not yet gone into Seattle and decisively defeated the Washington Huskies. Two weeks ago, Oregon State had a healthy Tristan Gebbia at quarterback, and now he is injured. Stanford was not very good at the start of this Pac-12 season, but the Cardinal have found their groove in recent weeks with wins over California and Washington. The Cardinal are playing exactly how head coach David Shaw wants them to play: physically and with a strong running game which forces defenses to put a lot of bodies in the tackle box. Then Stanford comes back with play-action passing over linebackers to keep defenses off balance. Stanford is thriving, and Oregon State has key players injured. It all lines up for a Stanford win in Week 15.
Pick: Stanford -3
California Golden Bears (-1.5) at Washington State Cougars
This is a tougher pick to make than Stanford-Oregon State. California did just beat Oregon with a strong defensive performance. However, Cal just lost receiver Trevon Clark, who abruptly left the team this week for personal reasons. It has been a messy and ultimately disappointing season for California, which was expected to be a contender in the Pac-12 North Division but struggled massively in the first three weeks, falling to 0-3 before the Oregon win. Yet, for all that Cal is going through, Washington State might be in a worse position. The Cougars have had COVID-19 problems this year, disrupting their roster. This past Sunday, Washington State looked absolutely terrible against USC, giving up four first-quarter touchdowns in a complete disaster. The Cougars lost by 25 and were never really competitive. Cal might not give you confidence right now, but Washington State appears to be in a worse position.
Pick: California -1.5
Navy Midshipmen vs. Army Black Knights (-5.5)
The Army-Navy Game, usually held at a neutral site, moves on campus to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Army hosts this game for the first time since 1943, which is also the last time this game was played on the campus of one of the two military service academies. Neither team’s offense is very strong, and both defenses have been consistently good this season. Everything about this game suggests a 17-7 or 17-10 score. Army has been better at winning these close games in 2020, and Navy has been worse.
Pick: Army -5.5
Get a risk-free bet up to $500 at FanDuel Sportsbook >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our Sports Betting 101 Section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced sports betting strategy — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.