BCS Top 25 Predictions: Picking All the Top 25 Games Against the Spread
The BCS standings are the most controversial and talked-about subject every weekend as teams battle to get to the top spot.
Every week, there are upsets that drastically change the standings and the landscape of college football leading up to the National Championship game.
Last week, it was Auburn that took the top spot. Will they stumble like the previous No. 1 ranked teams in the BCS standings?
Here is a look at all of the top 25 teams in the BCS standings and picks in each game against the spread.
No. 25 Baylor at Texas
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Welcome to the Top 25, Baylor.
Now get out.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Longhorns as seven-point favorites.
For the first time in a long time, the Baylor Bears are in the hunt in the Big 12. They lead the Big 12 South by a half-game in front of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and start a tough stretch of schedule.
Normally, they would be double-digit underdogs in every game and a doormat in the division. But times are a changing; just ask Texas.
They lost their second home game of the season, and Mack Brown is left scratching his head. The Longhorns know that this now becomes a must-win, and Garrett Gilbert will have to find a way to win.
The Bears are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog of 3.5-10.0, and 1-4 ATS in their last five games as an underdog. This one stays close early, and then Texas pulls away with a win and a cover at home.
Texas (-7)
No. 22 Miami FL at Virginia
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Miami travels to take on an ACC conference opponent in the Virginia Cavaliers.
Miami will have to try and not look past this game, as they go up against a Virginia squad that has lost 10 straight conference games.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Hurricanes as 15-point favorites.
There is no way that Virginia will win this game, but the points are the way to go. Virginia is at home and they have revenge for a drubbing they took last year 52-17.
Miami has had trouble focusing against teams that should beat easily. They snap out of it in time to get the win, but not the cover.
The underdog is 5-1 ATS in their last six meetings, and I will take the home dog in this game.
Virginia (+15)
Kentucky at No. 21 Mississippi State
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Kentucky will try to play spoiler again this year when they travel to take on Mississippi State in an SEC showdown.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix has Mississippi State as six-point favorites.
Kentucky has played to the wire with some of the best teams in the SEC. Although Starkville is a tough place to play, their offense should be up to the challenge.
Quarterback Mike Hartline has looked sharp this year, and the Bulldogs have had secondary issues. Hartline has been a top-tier QB in the SEC, throwing for 2,144 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
The Wildcats have scored at least 31 points in the last four games and will put up some points again. The Bulldogs are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games as a home favorite, and the Wildcats are 5-1 ATS in their last six meetings in Mississippi State.
Kentucky (+6)
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Tennessee at No. 20 South Carolina
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If the Gamecocks want a shot at the title in the SEC East, they need this game.
They got some good news, as leading rusher freshman Marcus Lattimore will return and be available to play as he is recovering from a sprained ankle.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Gamecocks as 17.5-point favorites.
This team remembers that upset loss to Kentucky, and are focused coming into this game.
“Just thinking about that Kentucky game puts a bitter taste in our mouths and we don’t want to experience that again,” wide receiver Tori Gurley said. “We’re supposed to beat a team, then we need to go out there and steamroll them.”
The Gamecocks are 10-4 ATS against a team with a losing record and the favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings. The Volunteers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog, and this game should get ugly as South Carolina will win big.
South Carolina (-17.5)
Vanderbilt at No. 19 Arkansas
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This one will be quick and painless.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Hogs as 20.5-point favorites.
The Hogs need this game in a bad way, and some style points as well, and Vanderbilt has cashed it in on the season. The Razorbacks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven conference games, 5-1 ATS in their last six home games, and 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following an ATS win.
The Commodores are 1-4 ATS in their last five games as an underdog and this one gets out of hand early.
Arkansas (-20.5)
No. 17 Oklahoma State at Kansas State
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Oklahoma State has been a darkhorse to climb up the BCS standings with the way they have played of late, but now have some off-the-field issues to worry about.
The nation’s leading receiver, Justin Blackmon, was arrested on a DUI complaint and will not play in this game. This distraction should disrupt the offense, and the defense is having enough problems.
They’re giving up 423.9 yards and 30.6 points per game, ranking ninth in the Big 12 in both categories.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Cowboys as five-point favorites.
Kansas State running back Daniel Thomas will try and take advantage of that for the Wildcats, but they have struggled on defense as well.
This game could come down to whoever has the ball last. That team will win the game since the defenses are so bad.
The Wildcats are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 conference games and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog. The Cowboys are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a loss and 1-5 ATS in their last six meetings.
I will take the home conference dog plus the points against a distracted Cowboy team.
Kansas State (+5)
No. 15 Arizona at UCLA
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I always hate to back road favorites in conference, but how can anyone touch UCLA right now?
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Wildcats as nine-point favorites.
The Bruins are horrible. They have injuries at quarterback, but even if Kevin Prince plays it won’t really matter.
The defense has been beat up through the air and on the ground. They have allowed over 500 yards rushing on the ground in the last two games.
Arizona has had injury issues at QB, but either Matt Scott or Nick Foles can do the job against this defense. The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings and the Bruins are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games as an underdog.
Don’t make this one any harder than it is.
Arizona (-9)
No. 13 Stanford at Washington
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This was supposed to be the battle of two of the greatest quarterbacks in college football, but Andrew Luck has had the better season.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Cardinal as a seven-point favorite.
Luck leads the Pac-10 in total offense (283.0) and ranks second in both touchdown passes (19) and passing efficiency (165.4). His counterpart, Jake Locker, may lead his team in injuries, as he seems to get a new one every week.
This is a statement game for Jake Locker, who assured everyone that he would be on the field for this game. It may be too late to match the numbers that Luck has put up, but he would get satisfaction in beating him on the field.
Luck is without a weapon, as junior receiver Chris Owusu is out and the defense will be missing starting safety Delano Howell.
The Huskies are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against a team with a winning road record and the Cardinal are 1-4 ATS in their last five conference games. That gives Washington a shot, and I will bank on Locker to get the job done.
Washington (+7)
No. 11 Ohio State at Minnesota
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The Golden Gophers are a team in disarray right now after their coach was fired, and can’t seem to buy a win this year.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have Ohio State as a 25-point favorite.
In short, the Gophers don’t have a chance. Buckeye head coach Jim Tressel has said that he will use this road game as tune up for when Ohio State faces off against Iowa.
The Buckeyes have struggled on the road this year, and they have to prove that they are up to the challenge.
The Buckeyes are 40-17 ATS in their last 57 games as a favorite, 35-16 ATS in their last 51 conference games, and 37-18 ATS in their last 55 games following a win. The Buckeyes are 5-1 ATS in their last six meetings in Minnesota, and they improve on that number this week.
Ohio State (-25)
Colorado at No. 9 Oklahoma
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Colorado is walking into a Lion’s Den facing Oklahoma after coming off a huge loss against Missouri that knocked them out of the No. 1 spot.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Sooners as a 23-point favorite. The Sooners need a rebound victory, but the Buffaloes have always played them tough to include the 27-24 loss from a year.
The Sooners have struggled in the fourth quarter, being as they have been outscored 67-30.
Colorado won’t win this game, but there is a good chance they can get a back-door cover. The Sooners are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite of 10.5 or greater and the Buffaloes are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games following a loss.
Colorado (+23)
No. 8 Utah at Air Force
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Utah is finally starting to get a few looks, as they jumped into the Top 10 in the BCS Standings.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Utes as seven-point favorites.
Usually when a team gets this kind of attention, they get distracted and they falter. It doesn’t help that the Utes have struggled in the past in this game, and they have a huge game looming on deck with TCU.
Air Force averages 326.5 yards on the ground to lead the country, and is a ground-pounding type of team that can wear a defense down. It will help that Air Force returns home after two weeks on the road and will have the crowd to energize them.
The Utes are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games as a favorite of 3.5-10.0, and the underdog is 11-0-1 ATS in their last 12 meetings.
Air Force (+7)
No. 6 Missouri at No. 14 Nebraska
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No. 6 Missouri at No. 14 Nebraska
The spread is the first indication that Missouri may be in trouble as they head to Lincoln to take on the Cornhuskers.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Cornhuskers as 7.5-point favorites. That basically means that Nebraska should win and win big.
They are playing Missouri, the same team that just toppled then-No. 1 Oklahoma, and has yet to lose on the season. The Tigers have dropped 15 in a row on the road to AP Top 25 teams.
Although Nebraska has not excelled at home in the last few games, they are ready for this one.
Missouri’s defense, overall, is great. But if they have a weakness, it’s the pass defense, and that will allow Cornhusker quarterback Taylor Martinez to excel in this game.
The favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings, and the home team is 6-2 ATS in their last eight meetings. Missouri is vulnerable to the letdown, as they are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games following an ATS win.
The Cornhuskers are 19-4-1 ATS in their last 24 home games against a team with a winning road record, and they get the big win and cover the number against Missouri.
Nebraska (-7.5)
No. 5 Michigan State at No. 18 Iowa
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The first thing that sticks out about this game is the spread.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Hawkeyes as 6.5-point favorites. Michigan State is getting no respect as they are ranked No. 5 in the BCS and are almost a TD underdog.
There is a good reason for this. Iowa is a much better team, and they are at home with a superb defense.
The home crowd will be vicious in this game, and Michigan State has not won at Iowa since 1989. Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio has used some trick plays to win games that were close, but Iowa will be prepped and ready to defend against those plays.
The Spartans are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog and 0-4 ATS in their last four meetings in Iowa. The Hawkeyes are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games following an ATS loss and 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games as a home favorite of 3.5-10.0.
The Hawkeyes “upset” the higher-ranked team and cover the number.
Iowa (-6.5)
No. 4 TCU at UNLV
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TCU will somehow have to get inspired to play a one-win UNLV team.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Horned Frogs as 35-point favorites. Where is the motivation in this game for the Horned Frogs?
And when will quarterback Andy Dalton get a look for Heisman? The polls have been killing them all year because they beat up on teams just like UNLV.
With games against No. 8 Utah and San Diego State on the docket, it would be easy for the Frogs to look past this game.
This is truly a tough game, because I don’t think TCU will be focused, but UNLV is just terrible. The Runnin' Rebels are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games as a home underdog, and the home team is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
I will be biting my nails in this game, but I am taking the points.
UNLV (+35)
No. 2 Oregon at USC
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If the Ducks want to be considered as a No. 1 team in the country, they have to win games like this.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Ducks as 6.5-point favorites.
I have a full breakdown of this game here.
In a nutshell, I am backing the Ducks as they look to get respect in the BCS, and a big win here would do just that.
Oregon (-6.5)
No. 1 Auburn at Ole Miss
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Let’s get this over with.
Auburn QB Cameron Newton is the best player in college football, right now. He carries the Tigers and has come up with the big play when he has needed to, and he will have to do it again in this place.
The latest college football odds posted by BetPhoenix have the Tigers as seven-point favorites.
Auburn has to be emotionally deflated. Two huge wins against two big SEC opponents and the No. 1 ranking in the BCS standings. In my book, that puts them on upset alert.
The Rebels can move the ball on offense. The Rebels are averaging 211.1 yards per game on the ground behind tailback Brandon Bolden and dual-threat quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, and 199.1 through the air.
The Rebels also have the edge on special teams, and I would not be surprised if they return a punt for six.
The Tigers are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 road games and 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a road favorite. The Rebels are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog, and can keep this one close.
The problem is I just can’t trust Ole Miss to play a complete game. They keep this one close, but Newton and Auburn pull out another close game.
Ole Miss (+7)
Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews, and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com
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