Under-the-Radar College Football Bets: Week 9 (2019)
There are a number of marquee matchups in Week 9, but we’re taking a look at three games and three picks that are just below the top cut. Here is a look at our weekly under-the-radar selections.
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Oklahoma at Kansas State
Odds: Oklahoma -20.5
The Sooners just keep drilling opponents as they’re extremely well-coached by Lincoln Riley. Overall, they have a much more balanced roster than they did in the past as they have addressed their weaknesses on defense to the extent that they can now minimize big plays by opponents. If opposing teams score on them, they have to steadily march the ball down the field. They don’t get easy 80-yard plays or 65-yard runs. Oklahoma forces opponents to play offense at a much higher level than in 2017 or 2018.
Then look at the Oklahoma offense. Jalen Hurts is a man on a mission. He struggled to an extent against Texas, but the Sooners are always able to move the ball at will. The only occasional problem has been red-zone turnovers, but the Sooners regularly live in the opponent’s third of the field. They apply so much pressure and, over the course of a full game, wear down everyone they play. This is hard for Kansas State and its low-output offense to deal with. They had just 24 points at home versus TCU last week, 12 against Baylor, and 13 against Oklahoma State. This is not a team that can go blow-for-blow. I’m expecting a blowout.
Washington State at Oregon
Odds: Washington State +14
Oregon is coming off a big win over a rival in Washington and now has a spot where they might be a bit sleepy. It’s sometimes hard to bring that type of intense effort two weeks in a row.
Washington State scored 63 points and 34 points earlier this season in games it lost. The Cougars’ offense has been good in spite of the team’s other struggles. They’re fresh off a 41-10 win over Colorado. While they’ve been much-maligned in recent weeks, let’s face it, they blew it at home to UCLA, got clobbered on the road by a good Utah team, and then kept it close with an Arizona State team that is ranked in the Top 25. Last week’s rebound was important – even if it was only against Colorado – and they should have more confidence going into this game.
Washington State has the weapons to make Oregon sweat. It is more likely that this game will go down to the wire than be decided by 30 points.
Penn State at Michigan State
Odds: Michigan State +6
The Michigan State Spartans upset Penn State last year and often give Penn State a tough time. This doesn’t figure to be the year in which Penn State flexes its muscles and grinds down the Spartans. Michigan State can continue to flummox Penn State.
Michigan State’s offense has been bad at times this season, but it hasn’t been as bad as you might think. MSU has scored on weak opponents such as Northwestern, Indiana, and Tulsa. If Michigan State can score 20 against Penn State, it has a very good chance to win. Penn State has relied on its defense to win games this year, holding Iowa to 12 and Pittsburgh to just 10. The Nittany Lions scored just 17 points in those games despite the dominance from the defensive side of the ball.
The last time we saw Sparty, they were getting blown out by Wisconsin and Ohio State on the road in back-to-back weeks. They’ve now had a bye week to regroup, and they should be far more competitive in this spot.
Overall 9-9 record on the season
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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.