Ricky Dimon
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There are 5 days of college football action this week. What more could you ask for? In addition to the quantity, there is also a whole host of quality. There are 3 all-top 25 matchups on the schedule, including No. 7 Michigan State against No. 4 Ohio State. Fifth-ranked Cincinnati and No. 13 Baylor could also have difficult tests on their hands.
College football Week 12 lines
It’s never too early to look ahead toward the betting slate once the lines have come out. So without further ado, let’s dive into the numbers and discuss some potential opportunities on which to capitalize (lines courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook).
Tuesday
Toledo -6 at Ohio
Western Michigan -4.5 at Eastern Michigan
Bowling Green +16 at Miami (OH)
Wednesday
Central Michigan +2 at Ball State
Northern Illinois -2.5 at Buffalo
Thursday
Louisville -19 at Duke
Friday
Arizona +15.5 at Washington State
San Diego State -12 at UNLV
Saturday
Purdue -11.5 at Northwestern
Michigan State +19.5 at Ohio State
Texas +1.5 at West Virginia
Iowa State +6.5 at Oklahoma
Wake Forest +3.5 at Clemson
Florida State +3 at Boston College
Illinois +13 at Iowa
Georgia Tech +14.5 at Notre Dame
Washington -6.5 at Colorado
Minnesota -6.5 at Indiana
Michigan -15 at Maryland
SMU +12.5 at Cincinnati
Nebraska +10.5 at Wisconsin
Arkansas +21 at Alabama
Virginia +12.5 at Pittsburgh
UAB +6 at UTSA
Kansas +21.5 at TCU
Syracuse +11 at NC State
UCLA -2.5 at USC
Florida -7.5 at Missouri
Baylor PK at Kansas State
Auburn -10.5 at South Carolina
California -4.5 at Stanford
Oregon +2.5 at Utah
Virginia Tech +7 at Miami (FL)
Vanderbilt +37.5 at Ole Miss
Oklahoma State -10.5 at Texas Tech
Arizona State -2.5 at Oregon State
Make sure you check out our previews for all of these games later in the week
Week 12 games to watch
Interestingly, one of the most important games on the schedule also has one of the largest spreads. Michigan State is in the top 10 (and with room to spare), but it is getting 19.5 points when it visits Ohio State. This will obviously be the toughest test of the season for the Spartans’ defense, which was hot earlier in 2021 but has struggled over the past 3 weeks. Fortunately for Sparty, some of their best defense is running back Kenneth Walker III keeping the clock moving on offense. MSU will want to relegate fellow Heisman Trophy contender CJ Stroud to the sideline for as long as possible. It is true that Stroud and the Buckeyes are looking great these days, but 19.5 points is a lot. Give me Michigan State, and an under 67 play probably correlates nicely with the underdogs.
I also see a potential opportunity in the Big 12, where Baylor vs Kansas State is a pick ’em. The Bears are coming off a big win over previously undefeated Oklahoma and buying high is not always the best strategy, but I think they can avoid a letdown. Two of Kansas State’s 3 losses have come at home, so you shouldn’t have too many reservations about Baylor being forced to travel. The Bears lost their last road game, but that was by a competitive 30-28 margin at TCU. They hammered the Wildcats 31-12 the last time they paid a visit to Manhattan, Kansas in 2019. There is no reason why Baylor can’t win there again and keep its momentum going.
Check out Jared Smith’s best early bets for NFL Week 11 and CFB Week 12 in his Early Birds column!
At Pickswise we offer free expert College Football Picks and College Football Predictions for all games in the Power Five conferences and the top 25 teams outside of Power five, including our College Football Parlay picks each week.
