While attention will be focused on No. 1 Georgia at Auburn or No. 24 Kansas vs. No. 3 Texas in the Saturday afternoon college football window, our staff is targeting four other games as part of their best bets.
Dive in below for the top college football odds, picks and best bets for Saturday afternoon's slate, including Boise State vs. Memphis and more.
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College Football Saturday Afternoon Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 4 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Houston vs. Texas Tech
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By Doug Ziefel
The market is not accurately accounting for the impact of Texas Tech losing Tyler Shough entering this matchup.
The Red Raiders are a pass-heavy offense, and while Shough isn't the most accurate passer, his mobility and ability to extend plays is what made their offense dynamic.
They won’t have that dynamic element with sophomore Behren Morton under center.
Morton doesn’t have the mobility to make up for Texas Tech's poor pass protection, and he's also a much less accurate passer than Shough, having only completed 42% of his attempts on the season.
It also doesn't help that the Red Raiders will be facing a guy who could probably run the offense better in Donovan Smith. Smith has brought his dual-threat capabilities to Houston and has had success both through the air and on the ground.
He'll have the opportunity to stick it to his old program, as the Red Raiders’ defense has plenty of holes. Texas Tech is 85th in opponent completion percentage, 51st in coverage rating and 105th in sack rate.
Smith should face very little pressure in the pocket and will have the ability to complete passes consistently.
Back the Cougars to keep this one close, as the Red Raiders are on upset watch if their offense struggles without Shough.
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Old Dominion vs. Marshall
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By Brett Pund
When I see a game with a total under 50 points and the underdog is getting over two touchdowns on the spread, I immediately want to look into the matchup more to see if there’s betting value.
I really don’t see this big of a difference between these two teams, so I’ll gladly take +14.5 with Old Dominion in this spot.
For starters, Marshall has been awful offensively, ranking outside the top 100 in Rush Success Rate (127th), Line Yards (132nd), Finishing Drives (108th) and Quality Drives (111th).
I’ll admit that the Monarchs’ numbers aren’t much better, but they rank 38th in Line Yards and 58th in Rush Success Rate.
On defense, the one metric that jumps off the page is the Thundering Herd’s poor tackling, as they rank 95th, according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, ODU is 34th in the same metric.
Both defensive units are likely going to overpower the offenses, but I just trust the visitors more to chew up the clock with more offensive production.
The other key reason I like this bet is it’s a bad spot for Marshall, which is fresh off of beating an ACC opponent in front of a sell-out crowd at home. The Herd also have NC State on tap next week, which makes this a popular sandwich spot.
Yes, Old Dominion only beat Texas A&M-Commerce from FCS by one point last week, but the Monarchs overcame five turnovers in the game.
It also followed a three-point loss to Wake Forest, and I expect them to be a lot more focused this week in a conference game.
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Bowling Green vs. Georgia Tech
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It’s white flag time for ol’ Scot Loeffler.
The Bowling Green head coach hasn’t been able to right the ship. Offensively, the Falcons are in freefall, checking in at 115th in Success Rate and 120th in Havoc Allowed. Everyone is getting to Connor Bazelak, and it shows in his stats, as he sits outside the top 100 in QBR.
From a situational standpoint, this is also the time to fade the Falcons. Since taking over as BGSU’s head coach, Loeffler is 8-15 ATS on the road. That’s the worst mark in the MAC.
But the main reason I want in on the Yellow Jackets laying a big number is their offense.
Haynes King has jump-started his career by making the move from College Station to the Atlanta. In four games, he’s accounted for 12 touchdowns and thrown just two interceptions. He’s averaging 320 total yards per game and should carve up the Falcons with the help of Eric Singleton Jr.
The true freshman slot receiver has been a revelation. He’s a darling of the advanced metrics community, ranking as one of the top-rated receivers in the 2026 class. He's been a big play waiting to happen and has already found the end zone four times.
He’ll shred a BGSU that’s 110th in explosives allowed through the air.
I would play this up to 27.5, and I believe an alternate line is worth exploring as well.
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Boise State vs. Memphis
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By Pete Ruden
I’m expecting Memphis to win this one going away.
The Broncos are going to get shredded by Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan, who's found a way to progress as a signal-caller each season with the Tigers. He now has a career-high 69.4% completion percentage and over 1,100 yards through the air in four games.
While the days of Calvin Austin III are gone, Henigan still has several capable targets in Roc Taylor and Demeer Blankumsee, as well as running back Blake Watson.
Watson has been solid for the Tigers on the ground and through the air, leading the team with 342 rushing yards and four scores while ranking second with 213 receiving yards and another touchdown on 24 receptions.
He’ll cause some problems for a Boise State defense that ranks outside the top 100 in both Passing Success Rate (114th) and Rushing Success Rate (125th).
And when the Tigers cross over into Broncos territory, they should have no problem coming away with touchdowns, as Memphis ranks 42nd in Finishing Drives while Boise State sits 113th.
Throw in the fact that Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan has mitigated the Broncos’ biggest offensive strength — quarterback Taylen Green’s running ability — and I feel even better about the Tigers keeping the door shut.
Memphis sits fourth in Defensive Passing Success Rate and fifth in PFF coverage grading, which could be a major problem for Boise State if Green is forced to beat the Tigers using his arm.
I’ll lay the points with the Tigers here, as they should expose a weak Boise State defense early and often.
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