The best and worst situational betting spots for teams in Week 11
Another week of college football means another handful of situational spots. Before crunching the numbers and placing your bets for Week 11, be sure to keep these notes in your back pocket.
Potential letdowns/hangovers
Kentucky (at Tennessee)
Line: Kentucky -4.5
Kentucky could be running out of a gas, which was evident in last weekend's 34-17 loss to Georgia. Amid a season filled with wins on the big stage, the Wildcats couldn't come through with the SEC East on the line. That could potentially lead to a motivational lapse in Tennessee against the Volunteers - a team that's looked better over the last four weeks with a win over Auburn and a narrow three-point loss to South Carolina on the road.
Cal (at USC)
Line: USC -5.5
We'll find out a lot about Cal in Week 11 when the team takes on USC. After starting 0-3, the Golden Bears have finally hit their stride in Pac-12 play - picking up wins over Oregon State and then-No. 15 Washington - and nearly upended a top-10 Washington State side on Saturday.
Just as middling teams coming off hallmark wins tend to lie down the following week, the same can be said of sides that almost pull off huge victories. After throwing the kitchen sink at Washington State and ultimately losing by six, Cal will now go on the road - although it's a short trip - for the third time in four weeks.
Missouri (vs. Vanderbilt)
Line: Missouri -17
There's an SEC team coming off a big road win that's being asked to cover a huge number at home and that we're pegging as a potential letdown candidate ... and it's not Alabama.
Missouri picked up its first win over a ranked opponent under Barry Odom last weekend by beating Florida 38-17 in Gainesville. But while Mizzou's much better than its 5-4 record would indicate - two losses came against Alabama and Georgia while the others were by a combined three points - giving three scores to a Vanderbilt team coming off a bye seems like a bit too much.
Travel
Navy (at Central Florida)
Line: Central Florida -25.5
A rough October that registered four defeats didn't get much better for Navy when the calendar flipped to November, as the new month began with a 42-0 road loss to Cincinnati. That came after the Midshipmen traveled more than 2,000 miles to the West Coast in Week 9 to get embarrassed by Notre Dame. Next, Navy will hit the road for the third consecutive week - this time to humid Orlando to face the top mid-major team in the country, Central Florida.
Appalachian State (at Texas State)
Line: Appalachian State -21
Appalachian State is one of just 12 teams in 2018 that'll play three straight true road games. The Mountaineers will finish up that road stand on Saturday against the 3-6 Texas State Bobcats - a team that's coming off consecutive wins and has three losses by six points or fewer.
Matchup edge
Minnesota (vs. Purdue)
Line: Purdue -12.5
Lost amid Minnesota's recent defensive woes has been the emergence of quarterback Tanner Morgan, who's filled in for an injured Zack Annexstad over the last few weeks. The Golden Gophers might be better off sticking with Morgan, who's given the passing game a chance to thrive with more downfield throws. If Minnesota needs to trade scores all afternoon with a high-powered Purdue offense, Morgan's the guy to make it happen against a secondary that ranks last in the conference in passing yards allowed per game.
That 12.5-point cushion at home is enticing.
Troy (at Georgia Southern)
Line: Pick 'em
Troy's been as good as any team in the country against the run. The Trojans are allowing a meager 3.3 rushing yards per attempt, right on par with Alabama and Utah. And they've been even better in recent weeks, giving up just 2.5 yards per attempt over the last three games. The Trojans should see a ton of attempts on Saturday against Georgia Southern, which runs the ball 83.8 percent of the time.
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.