The college football world in 2021 in a nutshell…
A lot of powerhouses are either really bad or very mediocre this year, and there are a few historically bad teams that are making a lot of noise.
Ohio State, Clemson, and Oklahoma have all struggled heavily this year, and teams like Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Cincinnati are quickly making their rise to the top of the college football ranks.
That’s what we love about college football, though. It’s a toss up every year, and upsets happen week in and week out.
Let’s take a look at the top five best bets this Saturday has to offer.
5. Ole Miss vs. Alabama (-14) Over/Under 79.5
This should be one hell of a matchup folks… or well it should be. Everything we’ve seen from Alabama this year has been the same ol’ Bama, except slightly not as dominant on the defensive side of the ball. And for Ole Miss, they’ve given us every reason to believe that they’re the most explosive offense in the country, behind star QB Matt Corral.
Both offenses are explosive this year, so that gives you every reason to believe we’ll see a good bit of points this game. However, 79.5 is pretty damn high. We saw a 63-48 shootout when these teams faced off last year, but this Ole Miss defense is much improved from last year. We won’t be seeing those kind of numbers again this year.
Prediction: Bama 41 Ole Miss 31
Take Ole Miss with the points, take the under
4. Boston College vs. Clemson (-14.5) ) Over/Under 46.5
I genuinely have no idea how Clemson is more than a two touchdown favorite in this one. As much talent as the Tigers have on offense, you have to think it’ll all come together at some point, but after their first four showings, they might as well just throw the defense out there the whole game and hope they win 2-0.
On the other side, Boston College has been a HUGE surprise. I really thought they stood no chance last week against Missouri, especially with BC’s backup in. However, the Eagles walked away with a thrilling 41-34 overtime victory.
Clemson has a million times more talent than BC, and their defense has been stellar all year, but they now have two of their starting defensive linemen out for the year after last week.
The Eagles have a ton of momentum right now too, and Clemson does not.
I think the Tigers still win, but in another low-scoring a fair with the Eagles covering.
Prediction: Clemson 24 BC 17
3. Arkansas vs. Georgia (-18) Over/Under 48.5
I want to take the Razorbacks so bad, but I’m just not sure if they can get it done.
Arkansas looked relatively dominant against a Texas A&M team, who has underachieved this whole year, especially after losing their starting QB Haynes King to injury.
The Razorback’s defense has looked great all year, but they’re going against arguably the best offense they’ve faced all year in UGA, whose defense is the best in the country.
I think Arkansas puts up a fight early, but the Dawgs come out on top big once the clock hits zero.
Prediction: Georgia 38 Arkansas 17
2. Auburn vs. LSU (-3.5) Over/Under 56
Talk about two teams who have underachieved a bit this year.
However, LSU is starting to play some better football, and Louisiana’s Death Valley is a hostile environment for anybody to play in.
Auburn’s defense is always solid, but they have some serious problems on the offensive side of the ball. Their golden boy QB Bo Nix (just because his dad won 8 games for them in the ’90s) has not gotten any better since his freshman year, and has been benched for LSU transfer TJ Finley.
LSU’s defense has improved since week one, and their young QB Max Johnson is starting to play some really good football.
LSU will take the W today.
Prediction: LSU 27 Auburn 20
1. NC State (-19.5) vs. Louisiana Tech ) Over/Under 55.5
Now this may be the Clemson fan in me, but every time an ACC team has beat or nearly beat Clemson in recent history, they always follow up with a big time let down game.
I’m still not convinced the Wolfpack are all that, they just were lucky enough to play the Tigers at home while their offense has been at its lowest point in over a decade.
The Pack has some spark on offense, but the La Tech Bulldogs do as well.
We have to look back throughout the season. Mississippi State edged out a 35-34 win over La Tech at the beginning of the season, and NC State lost to MSU 24-10.
Enough said.
I don’t think La Tech will win, but something tells me this will go down to the wire.
Prediction: NC State 35 La Tech 28
