I had a dismal week going 4-8 against the number, dropping me to two games under .500 by the margin this season. The Good: Picking Mizzou to knock off Tennessee. The Bad: Picking Tulane to knock out Tulsa. The Ugly: Picking Texas to beat TCU.
Here are this week’s guesses.
Check out Stewart Mandel’s selection.
(All points spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kick-off times Easter and Saturday unless otherwise noted.)
No. 3 Michigan (-19.5) at Maryland, Noon (Fox)
No, Jim Harbaugh. No problem. The Wolverines are too physical for the Terps.
Michigan 35, Maryland 20
The selection: Maryland +19.5
No. 10 Louisville at Miami (pick ’em), Noon (ABC)
The Canes showed a lot of grit last week in Tallahassee and gave Florida State everything they could. The guess here is that they’re targeting the Cardinals, who are hitting the road for the first time since their poor showing at Pitt.
Miami 20, Louisville 17
The selection: Miami
No. 22 Utah at No. 17 Arizona (-1), 2:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Jedd Fisch has the Wildcats playing with a lot of confidence. They have a more dynamic offense and should be strong enough to get the Utes on the road.
Arizona 24, Utah 17
The selection: Arizona -1
No. 1 Georgia (-9.5) at No. 18 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
UT was smoked by Mizzou last week. I think they will be better prepared for Georgia, but the Dawgs are still too physical for them. The Vols’ running game has been explosive in non-conference games, averaging over 7.2 yards per rush, but that average drops by almost three yards per carry in SEC play and Mizzou, Florida and Bama have all filled it up.
Georgia 37, Tennessee 17
The selection: Georgia -9.5
No. 21 Kansas State (-9.5) at No. 25 Kansas, 7 p.m. (FS1)
The Jayhawks are struggling right now and are facing a team that hurt them last year. Expect KU to keep it a little tighter than it did in 2022.
Kansas State 28, Kansas 17
The selection: Kansas State -9.5
Florida at No. 9 Missouri (-11.5), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
The Tigers’ offense is playing with a lot of confidence right now and RB Cody Schrader is really in the swing of things. The assumption here is that the visiting Gators, who have been really bad this season (1-3 with just a 41-39 win over a bad South Carolina team), can’t slow down the Mizzou attack. UF has allowed 555 rushing yards in its last two games and will now face the SEC’s best RB in Schrader.
Missouri 31, Florida 17
The selection: Missouri -11.5
No. 5 Washington at No. 11 Oregon State (-2), 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
The Beavers are really tough at home and have a punishing 1-2 rushing attack. OSU causes major problems for opposing quarterbacks in Corvallis. This year, visiting QBs are completing less than 50 percent of their passes and have a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4-to-10. Over the past three seasons, that number has been a dismal 14-to-25.
Oregon State 30, Washington 24
The selection: Oregon State -2
No. 7 Texas (-7.5) at Iowa State, 8 p.m. (Fox)
The young Cyclones were a pleasant surprise and their defense could slow down UT’s overall speed. I was tempted to go with the upset, but I think the Horns are tough enough in the trenches to defeat Ames with a win.
Texas 24, Iowa State 20
The selection: Iowa State +7.5
Feldman’s Angry Special
Colorado at Washington state (-4), Friday, 10:30 p.m. (FS1)
Both teams falter. I’m tempted to pick the home team since this game is expected to be a sellout and will be the Cougars’ last Pac-12 game in Pullman, but I think Shedeur Sanders will bring shine to a defense that has given up 38 or more points can in four of the last five games.
Colorado 42, Washington State 40
The choice: Colorado +4
(Photo by Rocco Becht: Chris Gardner / Getty Images)