Three out of four who will cover on the road
Top wagering picks for college football Week 5 based on lines from Tipico Sportsbook:
No. 11 Arkansas (4-0) at No. 2 Georgia (4-0)
Georgia enters this battle of the unbeatens on an absolute roll. It has the nation’s best defense (allowing 3.3 yards per play) and it’s moving the ball at will after some early struggles against Clemson (521.7 yards per game since Week 2).
Arkansas has been just as impressive, however, as it covered the spread in all four games and is coming off a 20-10 win over then-No. 5 Texas A&M. Georgia should win, but Arkansas is good enough to keep this within a couple of touchdowns.
Pick: Arkansas +18.5
No. 14 Michigan (4-0) at Wisconsin (1-2)
Both of Wisconsin’s losses were against top-10 teams (No. 6 Penn State in Week 1; No. 7 Notre Dame in Week 4). The Badgers’ defense is elite (4.0 yards allowed per play; fourth in the nation), however, the offense has scored 23 points in two Power Five games. The Michigan offense is averaging 7.3 yards per play (10th nationally) but hasn’t played a defense remotely close to the caliber of Wisconsin’s, and this will be the Wolverines’ first road game of the year.
Pick: Wisconsin -0.5
No. 22 Auburn (3-1) at LSU (3-1)
LSU has won three in a row after its opening-week loss to UCLA, but the defense gave up 371 passing yards to Mississippi State last week without star CB Derek Stingley Jr. Auburn has faced easy competition in three of its four games, but it boasts strong defense in terms of yards per game. It’s tough to go against LSU on a Saturday night in Death Valley, but Auburn has shown it can hang in a hostile road environment (Penn State in Week 3). Pick: Auburn +3.5
Texas (3-1) at TCU (2-1)
Texas switched to QB Casey Thompson after its Week 2 loss to Arkansas, and the results have been fantastic (11.4 yards per attempt, 7 TDs, 2 INTs). With star RB Bijan Robinson leading a top-10 rushing attack, look for the Longhorns to put up some points here. TCU has yet to cover the spread in any of its three games against iffy competition and is coming off a 42-34 loss to SMU.
Pick: Texas -5.5