The best and worst situational betting spots for Week 5 in college football
Another week of college football, another handful of situational spots.
Before crunching the numbers for Week 5, be sure to keep these certain situations in your back pocket:
Potential letdowns
Oregon (at Cal)
Line: Oregon -3.5
Whew, Oregon.
Saturday's marquee game was going so swimmingly for the Ducks (no pun intended). Then, just like that, it all fell apart.
There's gifting a win to an opponent, then there's whatever Oregon did against Stanford on Saturday. It was Murphy's Law to a tee.
Oregon is now tasked with cleaning off its slate and recuperating in time for a Pac-12 After Dark game at Cal, where the Ducks are laying three-and-a-half points.
Army (at Buffalo)
Line: Buffalo -9
Old Dominion beat Virginia Tech at home Saturday as 27.5-point underdogs to mark the largest upset of the season. Oh, how close Army came to trumping them just hours later.
Army stormed into Norman as 30-point 'dogs to Oklahoma and hung with the No. 5 team in the country all afternoon. After losing a heartbreaker, 28-21, Army now heads to Buffalo in Week 5 to take on the undefeated Bulls in another road game.
Indiana (at Rutgers)
Line: Indiana -17.5
You have to wonder how much motivation Indiana will have in Week 5 after throwing the kitchen sink at Michigan State in a 35-21 home defeat Saturday. Next up is Rutgers, which suffered a 42-13 home loss to Buffalo one week after a 55-14 rout at the hands of Kansas.
Despite the talent discrepancy, covering a large number on the road might be a tall order for an Indiana offense lacking explosiveness.
Kentucky (vs. South Carolina)
Line: Kentucky -1.5
Credit Kentucky. Two weeks after upending Florida to end their drought against the Gators, the Wildcats earned their second signature win with an upset over ranked Mississippi State.
Can Kentucky match that intensity yet again - this time as the favorite - against a tough South Carolina team? It'll be a much different situation Saturday in Lexington with the Wildcats giving points.
Travel spots
Eastern Michigan (vs. Northern Illinois)
Line: Eastern Michigan -3.5
The Eagles, one of 12 teams in 2018 with three consecutive road games, just finished their lengthy stretch away from home. Chris Creighton's club edged Purdue, suffered a narrow loss to Buffalo, and now returns home after taking San Diego State to the wire in an overtime defeat.
This week, the Eagles host Northern Illinois, which, for spoiler's sake, will be profiled next week.
Toledo (at Fresno State)
Line: Fresno State -7.5
Just as Toledo benefited from travel last weekend, it might work against the Rockets in Week 5. Toledo will finally play outside the Glass Bowl for the first time this season after opening with three straight home games and a bye in Week 2. The Rockets get the late 10:30 p.m. ET start on the West Coast against Fresno State, which also has some extra time to prepare off its bye.
Kent State (at Ball State)
Line: Ball State -7.5
Kent State is in the midst of three straight roadies, with Week 5 marking the final leg. The Golden Flashes had consecutive tough draws against Penn State and Ole Miss in the first two, losing by a combined score of 101-27. Ball State will be a significant drop in competition, but all that travel has to be taking its toll.
Rice (at Wake Forest)
Line: Wake Forest -25.5
Rice is another team playing the finale of a three-game trek. The Owls did get a bye between games at Hawaii and Southern Miss, but a trip to North Carolina represents more mileage for a team that's given up 40 or more points in its last three games, all losses.
Sandwich spots
Wake Forest (vs. Rice)
Line: Wake Forest -25.5
Although Rice is plagued by travel, Wake Forest could be in its own tricky scheduling spot. The Owls come between contests against Notre Dame and Clemson. Do you trust the team that's been away from home three straight weeks, or one who could potentially have a motivational lapse?
Michigan State (vs. Central Michigan)
Line: Michigan State -28.5
The Central Michigan Chippewas are in the middle of a Big Ten sandwich for Michigan State, who opened up Big Ten play on the road at Indiana in Week 4 and face Northwestern at home in Week 6.
Georgia Tech (vs. Bowling Green)
Line: Georgia Tech -28.5
Another program giving more than 28 points to a MAC team in between conference games, Georgia Tech gets Bowling Green after facing Clemson, with Louisville on deck.
Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.