College Football Free Predictions, Previews from Winners and Whiners: Week 5

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From Winners and Whiners

We’re heading to October and another strong slate, despite not having the Big 10 or Pac-12. The Big 10 will open on Week 8, but in Week 5, we’re going to take a look at three marquee games this Saturday. No. 7 Auburn meets No. 4 Georgia, No. 16 Oklahoma meets Iowa State on the road, and No. 13 Texas A&M at No. 2 Alabama.

*Auburn takes on Georgia and you have to wonder if J.T. Daniels will now play for the Bulldogs, now that he’s been cleared. They used redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis and he was relieved by Stetson Bennett, who threw for 211 yards on 20-of-29. Georgia romped over Arkansas on the road 37-10, but there are still questions at quarterback. Auburn does not have those issues as Bo Nix is one of the best returning quarterbacks in the SEC. He has thrown 218 straight passes without an interception. They beat Kentucky last week 29-13 at home. Take the points here and go with Auburn.

*Oklahoma takes on Iowa State from Ames. The Sooners are coming off a shocking loss to Kansas State at home, 38-35 as 28-point favorite. It was a struggle for redshirt freshman Spencer Rattler, who threw for 387 yards with four TDs, but also had three picks. Iowa State is coming off a 37-34 road win over TCU last week. It wasn’t a pretty win as they allowed over 500 yards of offense. But they were more balanced offensive and running back Breece Hall had a fantastic game with 154 yards rushing and three TDs. These teams have played some very close games lately. The Cyclones have covered the last four. Still concerned about the Oklahoma defense and some of the players on their injury list. Take the 7 points and Iowa State at home.

*Texas A&M did not look good offensively in their 17-12 win over Vanderbilt last week at home as a 31.5-point favorite. The Aggies had three turnovers and eight penalties for 50 yards. They’ll have to play much better this week from Tuscaloosa. Alabama beat up on Missouri, 38-19 on the road last week, but didn’t cover the 28.5. Mac Jones threw for 249 yards and two scores, while Najee Harris ran for 98 yards and three scores to lead the Crimson Tide. The defense held Mizzou to just 69 yards on the ground. Alabama didn’t play a full game last week and won by 19. This week, they win by more at home and cover the 17.

The NFL returns for Week 4 on Sunday and we have some strong matchups. We still have some undefeated teams in Chicago, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Seattle, Buffalo and Green Bay. We do have two undefeated squads going against each other in the Steelers against the Titans, New England travels to Kansas City and the Colts take on the Bears from Soldier Field.

*The Colts meet the undefeated Bears in an interconference matchup. The Colts have played much better since a 27-20 defeat at Jacksonville in the opener. They crushed the Vikings by 17 and the Jets by 29 in their last game. The defense has really stepped up lately, holding their last two opponents to a combined 18 points. They also had two pick sixes against the Jets to set a team record. Chicago brought in Nick Foles for Mitch Trubisky last week and they came back from being down 26-10 at Atlanta in the fourth quarter to win 30-26. Foles led them to three touchdowns in the final 6:20. Can he do it again this week against Indianapolis? The Colts are the better team and have the better quarterback. Lay the 2.5 points (or take the Colts in the first half).

*The Titans/Steelers game is expected to be played, but could be moved to Monday due to several Tennessee players testing positive. Fortunately for the Titans, the game is at home. They are 3-0, but they’ve won all three games by a combined six points. They are also 0-3 ATS in those games. Defense has to be a concern after they allowed 30 points in each of their last two games. QB Ryan Tannehill has been very good for Tennessee this season, considering teams are stacking the box. He’ll have to be even better against Pittsburgh, who is coming off a 28-21 home win over Houston. Ben Roethlisberger has 777 passing yards, seven TDs and just one pick in the first three games. The defense is number one against the run and they face Derrick Henry. Take the Steelers at home as a small fave.

*Can anybody beat the Chiefs? They were sensational on Monday night against the Ravens on the road, 34-20. That came after an average performance against the Chargers in a 23-20 win in overtime. But Patrick Mahomes picked apart a very good Ravens secondary and torched them for 385 yards and four TDs. They’ll face another good secondary when they meet New England at home. Bill Belichick’s squad is a quiet 2-1, but he has another dangerous team because Cam Newton has led the offense to a number one ranking in rushing in the NFL (178ypg). They’ll utilize the run and attempt to keep Mahomes off the field (unlike the Ravens). Take the points and the Patriots. 

NCAAF Free Predictions

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