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Life wasn’t great again this past weekend going (2-3). Iowa covered easily and Oklahoma State pulled the upset, but Ohio State, Texas A&M and UCLA(?) rolled. That drops my overall record for the season to a decent (26-17-2) overall record. The Beavers return to action and they are less than a touchdown underdogs to the Arizona Wildcats. Feeling optimistic Beaver fans?
*Picks in italics, odds courtesy of FanDuel.
#1 - Georgia (-4) vs. Florida
Two very good SEC teams going at it and this game will be overshadowed by Alabama/LSU (for good reason). Both of these one-loss teams still have hopes of winning the SEC and making it to the College football playoffs. I think Georgia is an elite team and Florida is just a very good team. I’m counting on Jake Fromm and company to beat Florida definitively.
#2 - Utah (-3) vs. Washington
Utah and Oregon are the Pac-12’s last hope of having a team in the college football playoff. Personally, I don’t like either team but I would rather Utah run the table and win the Pac-12 than have the Ducks back in the CFP. Anyways, this will be the best defense Washington has faced all season, if Utah’s offense can roll off a few scores they should be able to cover this spread.
#3 - Arizona (-6) vs. Oregon State
Look, I hope I’m dead wrong about this. Arizona has been struggling as of late while the Beavers have won two out of their last three Pac-12 games. Oregon State has an extra week to prepare for this game, but I think Khalil Tate will be better than he’s shown and the Wildcats rushing attack will be enough to top Oregon State by a touchdown or more on Saturday.
#4 - Tennessee (-9.5) vs. UAB
Don’t look now, but Tennessee has been playing well after their disastrous start to the season. I think they can top UAB by double-digits. The Vols have a shot at bowl-eligibility, they just need to beat UAB, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
#5 - BYU (+3.5) vs. Utah State
BYU vs Utah State and Gary Andersen. BYU’s starting quarterback, Zach Wilson, is essentially done for the season with a broken thumb. Their backup, Jaren Hall, was out with concussion symptoms and might still be out. So who do they turn to? Walk-on Baylor Romney and he just led them to victory over Boise State. I say they pull the upset off two weeks in a row and beat the Aggies.
I checked these odds on FanDuel Sports Book Monday morning. The Beavers play the next five weeks in a row. Arizona schools, Washington schools and at Oregon. The schedule isn’t forgiving but I do think the Beavs have another win in them (ASU is my guess). Go Beavs!