College Football Odds Week 6: Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule
The Washington State Cougars had one of the most impressive Septembers of any college football team in the country.
Cameron Ward and Co. produced two noteworthy home victories over the Wisconsin Badgers and Oregon State Beavers to launch themselves to the No. 13 spot in the AP Top 25.
Wazzu starts October with what could be a challenging road test against Chip Kelly's UCLA Bruins.
UCLA opened as a 3.5-point favorite in the Pac-12 matchup, one that will either keep Washington State in the conference title race, or knock it down to the tier of contenders alongside Oregon State and Utah Utes, both of whom have one loss in league play already.
The list of potential league winners in the Group of Five ranks is starting to sort itself out, and two of those teams could make further statements in Week 6 as double-digit favorites.
No. 13 Washington State (+3.5) at UCLA
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For the latest lines on these games, go to DraftKings.
Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Washington State's overall performance would suggest it should be favored against UCLA on Saturday.
However, the Cougars have yet to be tested on the road, and that is where the hesitancy comes from the odds makers.
Washington State's last road game came in Week 1, when it put up 50 points on the Colorado State Rams.
The Cougars' high-scoring offense has not stopped since that opening performance. Ward has 1,390 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions.
UCLA turned in a few solid defensive showings in September, but it will face a level up in competition at quarterback against Ward. The Bruins held Utah to 14 points, seven of which were scored by the Utes' offense, two weeks ago, but that came against a team without its starting signal-caller.
Dante Moore, UCLA's freshman quarterback, struggled in his first big Pac-12 contest against Utah. He completed just 42.9 percent of his passes and was sacked seven times in his first collegiate defeat.
Washington State held D.J. Uiagelelei to a 17-for-34 day and picked off the Oregon State quarterback once two weeks ago.
Washington State can sustain pressure on Moore, and if the freshman struggles again, the Cougars will come away with a victory and put themselves in an even better position to contend for the Pac-12 title.
Bowling Green at Miami (Ohio) (-11.5)
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Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
You didn't think you would come across a spot to fade the Bowling Green Falcons off a big win, did you?
Bowling Green delivered one of Week 5's biggest shocks with its 38-27 road win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Bowling Green's stunning performance in Atlanta is more of a one-week wonder than a sign of season-long excellence.
The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks must be excited to face a Bowling Green side that not only spent a ton of emotion into last week, but conceded over 27 or more points in four of five games.
Brett Gabbert, who is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the FBS, led the Miami offense to three double-digit wins and an average of 391.4 total yards per game.
Gabbert spread the ball out to his targets, three of which have multiple touchdowns, and he can hurt Bowling Green with his legs.
The Miami quarterback ran for 75 yards on nine carries in a road upset over the Cincinnati Bearcats in Week 3.
Miami should get a solid all-around performance from Gabbert to move to 5-1 and reside in a comfortable position at the top of the MAC East ahead of tougher matchups in conference play.
Sam Houston at Liberty (-18)
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Thursday, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Liberty is favored in one of the biggest mismatches of Week 6.
The Flames come into their home clash with the Sam Houston Bearkats at 4-0 and averaging 501 total yards per game.
Sam Houston is averaging 219.5 total yards per game in its first season as a FBS team in Conference USA.
The Bearkats will not be able to keep up with a Liberty offense that scored in the 30s in every game so far this season.
Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter has 1,187 total yards and 16 total touchdowns in Jamey Chadwell's offense. He is thriving at a similar rate at which Grayson McCall did during Chadwell's time with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
Salter's dual-threat ability should put a ton of stress on the Sam Houston defense and lead to a handful of big plays. Salter has a run of 20-plus yards in all four games and at least one 60-yard pass completion in his last three starts.
A few more long gains from the Liberty quarterback should help the Flames distance themselves early at home on Thursday night.
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