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Week 5 SEC Picks and College Football Best Bets

By Evan Ertel

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after their 24-10 win over head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after their 24-10 win over head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the Houston Cougars
HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Dana Holgorsen of the Houston Cougars against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at TDECU Stadium on November 26, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Best Bet:

Evan Ertel: No. 9 Oregon (-27.0) @ Stanford Oregon is for real this year. They showed last week that they don’t care who they’re playing, they came to put up points. Stanford is half the team that Colorado was, so the Ducks score early and often here. I would even double down on the over at 61, if you’re feeling spicy. I think the Ducks cover in the first half. Oregon -27

Justin Strawn: No. 8 USC (-21.5) @ Colorado  I thought Colorado would lose to Oregon last week, but I did not anticipate them getting throttled the way they did. I think USC is better than Oregon, and if Oregon could do what they did to Colorado, I think USC can repeat it. USC -23.5

Ethan Lee: Houston @ Texas Tech (-8.5) My man Dana Holgorsen NEEDS a Big 12 win. Luckily for him, he gets the opportunity to go to Lubbock and face a Texas Tech Red Raiders team that is bad. Very bad. Just flat-out not good. Or maybe they’re really unlucky! Texas Tech looked really good against the Oregon Ducks, but then couldn’t score points at all on West Virginia. They also lost to a Wyoming Cowboys team that is probably better than many believe. Still, for the sake of Big 12 chaos and without any real logic to back me up here, give me a Cougars upset win over the Red Raiders in Lubbock to really make things weird for Texas Tech this season. Houston +8.5

Ryan Strickland: No. 7 Washington (18.5) @ Arizona I will not stop betting on Washington. Washington is the most exciting team in the country on offense with the most electric QB in the country. If you’re not watching them, you’re missing out on some special football right now. Arizona struggled to score against Stanford and barely got out of there with a win. Washington looks unstoppable on offense. Washington rolls and keeps marching toward a huge game against Oregon in a couple of weeks. Washington -18.5

Andrew Miller: Pitt (-2.5) @ Virginia Tech I made myself look like a fool taking the under between USM and Arkansas State. I was positive two bad offenses wouldn’t score. Instead, it was a shootout. I was dead wrong. BUT I AIN’T LEARNIN’ FROM MY MISTAKES. Disgusting unders are always the play. Pitt is traveling to Blacksburg for what might be the most heinous display of offensive football ever played. Give me the U39.5.

John King: No. 24 Kansas @ No. 3 Texas (-16.5) In what is clearly the marquis matchup of the week, featuring two ranked unbeatens, I’m betting Kansas to stay within 16.5 points of Texas. Do I have any advanced analytics to back up my prediction? No. Is there any reasonable explanation for why Texas would struggle against Kansas? No. But it’s the Big XII and we’re about due for some chaos this season – I’m expecting Lance Leipold’s Jayhawks to provide some this week. Kansas +16.5

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