2024 College Football picks Week 5: Kansas State to cover; Oregon team total Over

College football Week 5 features immoderate intriguing matchups, including 1 betwixt UCLA and Oregon that I person my oculus on.

One logic that I'm looking astatine that crippled is because Oregon is adjacent to my heart. I was a lineman location earlier my NFL career, truthful arsenic a player-turned-fan, I cognize much than a small erstwhile it comes to my Ducks.

Of course, location are a fewer different games that I deliberation are worthy a wager.

So let's dive into my champion bets for Week 5.

No. 20 Oklahoma State @ No. 23 Kansas State (noon ET, Saturday, ESPN)

Not each losses are created equal, and nan results of these teams from past play are a bully example.

Kansas State went connected nan roadworthy to play a feisty BYU squad successful a nighttime game. Kansas State was starring 6-3 pinch conscionable complete a infinitesimal earlier halftime. Six minutes of crippled clip later, nan people was 31-6 BYU. A fumble return for a touchdown, a fewer interceptions pinch short fields and a 90-yard punt return each wrong those six minutes doomed Kansas State. 

Oklahoma State was astatine location against Utah and nan Utes were without their starting quarterback. Utah walked into T. Boone Pickens stadium pinch a existent freshman backmost who hadn’t moreover gotten each nan first-team reps astatine believe that week and boat-raced nan Cowboys. 

Do not fto nan last people fool you. Utah was up 22-3 earlier Oklahoma State added 2 precocious touchdowns to make it person than it appeared. Oklahoma State’s violative statement and tally crippled continued to struggle while nan backmost play was atrocious. At 1 point, Alan Bowman was 8-for-22 for nether 100 yards.

So I’m backing Kansas State successful this crippled because nan Wildcats are better. 

I’m not letting six minutes of 1 crippled override their ascendant triumph against Arizona 2 weeks ago. Oklahoma State’s tally crippled mightiness beryllium 1 of nan astir disappointing units this season, and it’s not getting amended connected nan roadworthy against Kansas State. 

If Oklahoma State is forced to propulsion nan ball, nan Cowboys mightiness not people successful this game. On nan different hand, I spot Kansas State’s discourtesy to bounce backmost and enactment up of nan chains, which will let Avery Johnson to usage his legs and enactment distant from having to make his limb beryllium nan offense.

PICK: Kansas State (-5) to triumph by much than 5 points

Colorado astatine UCF: CFB Week 5 Super Six

Colorado @ UCF (3:30 p.m ET, Saturday, FOX and FOX Sports app)

Colorado is heading to Orlando aft an epic triumph against Baylor connected Saturday night. 

The Buffaloes converted connected a Hail Mary to unit overtime, quickly scored successful nan first overtime play and past forced a fumble connected Baylor’s OT possession to triumph nan crippled 31-24. 

The 2 champion players connected nan field, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, came up large successful those moments to get nan triumph for nan Buffs. Now, they are facing a UCF squad disconnected a bye aft a come-from-behind triumph complete TCU 2 weekends ago. This is an opportunity to return advantage of nan spot to wager connected UCF successful nan first half, pinch Colorado connected nan roadworthy aft an affectional triumph connected Saturday. 

UCF plays accelerated connected offense. The Knights rank eighth successful adjusted gait of play and seventh successful points per drive. They mean 75 plays per crippled and coming disconnected a bye, I’d expect this discourtesy to beryllium greased up. 

They will beryllium fresh to people quickly, and nan gait of play will beryllium an rumor for Colorado’s defense — a defense that does not play good successful nan first half. It is 101st successful points allowed successful nan first half this season, while only being 88th successful points scored successful nan first half. 

However, Colorado plays overmuch amended successful nan 2nd half of games. 

Colorado’s second-half adjustments do not get nan in installments they deserve. The Buffs defense goes from allowing 18.3 points successful nan first half to only 4.3 successful nan second. That’s bully for nan ninth-best second-half defense. 

The discourtesy operates successful nan aforesaid manner. 

It scores much points successful nan first half than successful nan 2nd and that’s because Sanders and Hunter are difficult to incorporate for 60 minutes. No matter really overmuch Sanders gets deed — and he will get deed successful this crippled — he continues to bounce back. It’s impressive. 

Considering each of nan above, I’m connected UCF for nan first half of this game. 

PICK: UCF (-7.5) to lead my much than 7.5 points successful nan first half

CFB Week 5 Best Bets: Oregon vs. UCLA, Rutgers vs. Washington & much

No. 8 Oregon @ UCLA (11 p.m. ET, Saturday, FOX and FOX Sports app)

Oregon is disconnected a bye and fresh to people points successful bunches against UCLA’s mediocre defense. 

The Bruins defense — having played Hawaii, Indiana and LSU — ranks 126th successful points allowed per drive. It is 130th successful passing occurrence complaint defense, 126th successful unit complaint and dormant past successful third-down defense.

Oregon’s discourtesy struggled a spot successful nan first 2 weeks, but aft figuring retired nan violative statement earlier Oregon State, nan Ducks came live successful Corvallis. 

They only had nan shot 8 times pinch scoring opportunities (not counting nan kneel-downs astatine nan extremity of each half) and they scored each 8 times. Ducks racked up six touchdowns and 2 section goals. The discourtesy is live now, and disconnected a bye, it will people a batch against UCLA. 

Also, worthy noting is that Oregon tends to play good successful Los Angeles because it is simply a showcase crippled for them successful nan region for recruiting. Players from nan area emotion showing astatine location and Oregon’s coaching unit knows recruits are watching nan game. 

Finally, erstwhile nan Ducks yet spell to their backup backmost Dante Moore, they will proceed to people points. Moore is simply a UCLA transportation and nan discourtesy does not extremity erstwhile he’s successful nan game. 

PICK: Oregon Over 40.5 points scored

Geoff Schwartz is an NFL expert for FOX Sports. He played 8 seasons successful nan NFL for 5 different teams. He started astatine correct tackle for nan University of Oregon for 3 seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 action his elder year. Follow him connected Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.

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