Friday football gives us four games as we get set for a busy Week 6 in college football. A pair of ranked teams are in action, each playing host and looking to stay undefeated. This is no knock on Jacksonville State, as I boosted a play already for them in the Tails Discord, but we’ll look at two of the other three games for the best value. The fourth game has a heavy home favorite in TCU laying just under 17 points against Houston. We ended a good run with a dismal 0-2 performance last week, let’s turn that around tonight with the best college football expert picks for Week 6 Friday!
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College Football Expert Picks Today for Week 6: Friday, Oct. 4
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Best Game: Syracuse-UNLV | College Football Expert Picks Today
The drama surrounding UNLV is now two weeks in the rearview mirror, but it’s still a lingering talking point. Gone is Matthew Sluka, yet the Rebels still are undefeated with hopes of staying atop the Mountain West. Syracuse is the toughest test to date for UNLV, as the Rebels coasted through four games. The line has dipped with UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams now taking over, although he looked just fine last week’s blowout of Fresno. The line is less than a touchdown, and a total is sitting at or around 57.5 points.
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord has been good enough to fuel a couple of big wins. He’s throwing interceptions along the ride; it comes with the risk of throwing the ball downfield. Not all of those have been wildly inaccurate throws or terrible decisions, but he will start to slow down against the Rebels. What won’t stop will be the Orange wanting to push the ball, testing a previously untested defense on the other side. UNLV’s defense has made big plays, forced turnovers and applied heavy pressure to opposing quarterbacks. The best arm it faced so far was (now 1-3) Kansas’ Jalon Daniels. This is an upgrade.
The 6.5-point line is begging me to play Syracuse in a close game. Sure, the Rebels could improve to 5-0, as they are ranked for the first time in school history, but it’s not coming with a cover. UNLV is just 4-10 against the spread at home coming off two straight wins. It will be tough to match the offensive production of Thursday Night Football, but Friday in Vegas should be a shootout — which benefits McCord and Syracuse.
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College Football Expert Pick for Week 6: Syracuse +6.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
Best College Football Expert Pick: Houston +17 at TCU
The good news for both Houston and TCU is both teams have a ridiculous stretch of tough games coming up, making it tough to overlook this contest. The Horned Frogs looked to have righted the ship after beating Kansas; this came after two straight losses, including a tight one against UCF. Houston is just trying to score points, literally — as it has been blanked in two straight games. You don’t need Lee Corso to remind you that if a team can’t score, it can’t win.
But can Houston cover? At anything over two touchdowns, it’s certainly worth a look. Teams coming off two straight shutouts are 15-11 against the spread as road dogs in their next game, make it 13-7 against the spread as a dog of 10-plus points. This isn’t just about a trend since Houston’s defense has been doing the majority of work — in some cases all of it — as it is the No. 27 combined defense in the nation.
The one area of attack for Houston’s offense — assuming it doesn’t keep coughing up the ball at a ridiculous rate — is the ground game. TCU was gashed in their losses for 200-plus yards rushing, and there’s an avenue here for Houston. About those turnovers, TCU is having issues of its own, so this could be more of a wash if both teams remain sloppy. The difference here is Houston. Don’t be shocked if it wins outright, but I’ll gladly take the 17 points in what should be a tight game with less scoring.
College Football Expert Pick for Week 6: Houston +17
Best College Football Betting Strategy Tips for Week 6
Looking for more college football expert picks? Check out the video below to watch Ben Rasa and Matt Gajewski wax poetic about some of the weekends best college football bets.
