We’re basically at the halfway mark of the college football regular season. Time flies when you’re having fun. Below, we look at the best bets for three small-school college football winners in Week 7, with expert college football picks and predictions.
Every week we target three smaller schools that are good bets to cover the spread and win big money – it doesn’t really matter the size of the school, it’s winners that matter.
This week we’ll look to a three-conference menu featuring Conference USA, the MAC and Mountain West.
Small-school college football best bets of Week 7
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
Akron +19.5 (-108) at Miami (Ohio) (Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET)
Akron (2-4, 1-1 MAC) heads to Oxford to battle Miami (2-4, 1-1) fresh off a 35-20 road win at Bowling Green as a 14-point underdog. Can they do it again? I wouldn’t bank on an outright win, but Miami being favored by nearly three touchdowns while having identical records is a bit fishy.
Akron rolled up 117 yards on the ground and 268 yards through the air, including 3 touchdowns by QB Zach Gibson. All of the TD strikes came in the third quarter, perhaps Akron’s best quarter of football in a couple of decades.
Miami was edged 13-12 at Eastern Michigan last weekend, and it has managed just a 2-4 ATS mark. For an added bonus, take a look at the Under 50.5 (-107). The Redhawks have cashed the Under in four straight, with Akron going Under in two of the previous three.
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Louisiana Tech at UTEP +6.5 (-105) (Saturday at 9 p.m. ET)
If you have been a regular reader of this column, you KNOW I love me some Miners. Head coach Dana Dimel has UTEP (5-1, 2-0 C-USA) within one win of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2014 when Sean Kugler lead them to the New Mexico Bowl. The Miners are 0-6 in their last six bowls, last winning one in 1967.
This season’s UTEP team is talented enough to go into unchartered territory. The Miners enter on a 3-0 ATS run, and if they cover for me again I’ll buy a Miners hat and post a selfie on social media, despite the fact I am an alumnus of a rival Conference USA institution.
The Bulldogs are fierce, and this will be a tough game. La. Tech (2-3, 1-0) showed out at NC State in its last game Oct. 2, covering a 18.5-point number, and has alternated straight-up losses and wins. The Bulldogs have also alternated covers and no-covers. It’s totally a coincidence, but they’re due for a straight-up win and non-cover if you follow the trends.
Hawaii at Nevada -13.5 (-117) (Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET)
Hawaii (3-3, 1-1 MWC) has been a tough team to figure in the Mountain West. They started out 1-3 SU, with non-covers in each of the first three outings. However, the Rainbow Warriors are piecing it together, and they’re coming off a signature win over Fresno State in the islands last week, 27-24.
Nevada (4-1, 1-0) hasn’t had to piece it together, as they’ve been good from the jump. QB Carson Strong is one of the top NFL prospects at his position, and he put on a show against New Mexico State last week as the Wolf Pack won 55-28. That’s four straight Overs for Nevada, by the way.
Hawaii might keep this close, as QB Chevan Cordeiro can sling it with the best of them. But the Warriors are 1-2 SU/ATS in three trips to the mainland, and those lengthy trips can take a lot out of them as the season treads on.
Last week’s recap
Got rooked by South Alabama last week, as they fell outright at Texas State. They led 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter, but allowed a game-tying touchdown with 17 seconds left in regulation. Worse, after 3 OT, teams alternate going for two-point conversions. So even if the Jags converted after 3 OT, they would have only won by two. That’s how Texas State won 33-31 in 4 OT.
UTEP won and covered, doubling up Southern Miss, and UTSA won outright as an underdog in a shootout.
Last Week: 2-1
Season Total: 10-8
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