College football Week 6 over/under best bets
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Every week during the college football season, we'll cover our five best over/under bets. Let's take a look at Week 6:
Texas at West Virginia
Total: 61
It's weird to watch West Virginia without a productive offense. Under head coach Dana Holgorsen (now at Houston), the Mountaineers seemed to only play offense, with little to no emphasis on stopping opponents. New head coach Neal Brown walked in with an empty cupboard offensively. They've struggled to move the ball, entering Week 6 at No. 107 in the country in yards per play (4.7). Texas' secondary isn't much to write home about, but it gets a huge break against an offense still trying to find any sort of rhythm.
Pick: Under
Michigan State at Ohio State
Total: 50
Can Michigan State be the team to finally give Ohio State's offense fits? The Buckeyes are averaging 7.8 yards per play and have scored at least 42 points in every game this season. But Michigan State's defense has also played at an elite level, ranking No. 4 in the country versus the rush while allowing just 15 points per game. Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio has seen his fair share of low-scoring games when getting points: Michigan State has gone under the total in each of its last six games as an underdog.
Pick: Under
San Diego State at Colorado State
Total: 52
Colorado State's defense might actually catch a break this week. After starting the season off against Colorado, Arkansas, Toledo, and Utah State, it gets San Diego State's slow-moving offense that's averaging just 4.8 yards per play this season. The Rams' haven't looked great defensively so far, but this weekend will essentially be the first time they won't have to get into a track meet.
Colorado State backup quarterback Patrick O'Brien had two decent matchups when he took the reins for an injured Collin Hill. He played pretty well at home in a loss against Toledo and manufactured 24 points on the road at Utah State in Week 5. But against an Aztecs defense that's top 10 in the nation in points allowed per game, scoring likely won't come as easily.
Pick: Under
Iowa at Michigan
Total: 47.5
If Michigan avoids falling into the trap of running a stale game plan and finally opens up the playbook, we're going to find out how stout Iowa's defense really is. The Hawkeyes enter Week 6 ranking No. 3 in the country in points allowed (8.5) and No. 5 in yards allowed (251) per game. The only issue is who Iowa has faced so far - Miami (Ohio), Rutgers, Iowa State, and Middle Tennessee State. That's not exactly a gauntlet of offensive powerhouses.
Someone needs to tell Jim Harbaugh that he has a handful of stud wide receivers who need the ball. Playing every Michigan over or team total over always feels like a slam dunk ... until the Wolverines decide to run the ball 35 times per game.
Iowa's averaging 41 points over the last seven road contests. The offense probably doesn't quite reach that mark, but Michigan's defense has wilted at times. Don't expect a track meet; just enough to get over the low total.
Pick: Over
Washington at Stanford
Total: 52
The PAC-12 is so weird. Colorado is one of three teams in the conference to have more games go over the total than under. The other two? Washington and Stanford, of all programs.
Washington has almost always been defensive-minded under head coach Chris Petersen, but it seems like the offense is the storyline this season. Quarterback Jacob Eason has helped the Huskies rank No. 23 in the country in points (38.2) and No. 39 in yards per game (444.2). The defense is still strong - the Huskies are No. 25 in points allowed per game - but this isn't the top-10 unit we're accustomed to seeing.
Stanford's Davis Mills has played well under center in relief of the injured K.J. Costello. The former five-star recruit has thrown for 482 yards and four touchdown passes in his two starts. He's also averaging 7.5 yards per attempt, topping Costello's 5.0. There seems to be more upside in the passing game with a healthy, high-ceiling quarterback running the show.
In 2019, we're taking Washington-Stanford "overs" while Cal, Arizona State, Oregon, and UCLA are all "under" teams. What a time to be alive.
Pick: Over
Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.