Top Point Spreads for Best 2016 College Football Games

The 2016 college football season starts in less than two months, but the college football betting spreads for the highest-profile games of the upcoming season have already been released by the Southpoint Hotel. In an attempt to assist with the research ahead of the new season, we will be detailing and previewing some of the most noteworthy spreads from the already-released NCAA football game odds.

Check Out My Expert Overview of Top Point Spreads for Best 2016 College Football Games

Noteworthy Dates of the 2016 College Football Season

Outside the opening week of the new season and its NCAAF odds, here are the other top dates and point spreads you should take note of…

Saturday, September 17th

As easily one of the best top-heavy dates with the best games lined up in one day, Saturday the 17 of September is a day you should certainly mark in your calendar. The top games of this day include the following:

• Michigan State vs. Notre Dame (-6)
• Ohio State vs. Oklahoma (-6.5)
• Alabama (-4.5) vs. Mississippi
• USC vs. Stanford (-6.5)
• BYU vs. UCLA (PK)
• Texas A&M vs. Auburn (-6.5)
• Florida State (-2.5) vs. Louisville

Friday, September 23rd

• USC vs. Utah

Saturday, October 8th

The biggest reason we have this date earmarked is because it will be featuring some key games that are likely to have an impact on the SEC title race. These games include: Alabama vs. Arkansas, Auburn vs. Mississippi State, LSU vs. Florida, and Tennessee (-4.5) vs. Texas A&M. The weekend also includes some key Pac-12 and Big 12 games, as is highlighted below.

• Alabama (-7.5) vs. Arkansas
• Auburn vs. Mississippi State (1.5)
• BYU vs. Michigan State (-5.5)
• LSU (-8) vs. Florida
• Tennessee (-4.5) vs. Texas A&M
• Oklahoma (11.5) vs. Texas

Saturday, November 5

BYU vs. Cincinnati, Oregon vs. USC, TCU vs. Baylor, Alabama vs. LSU… Need I say more about this Saturday?

• Florida vs. Arkansas (-6.5)
• BYU (-3.5) vs. Cincinnati
• Iowa vs. Penn State (-1)
• Pittsburgh vs. Miami Fl (-4.5)
• Nebraska vs. Ohio State (-12.5)
• Oregon vs. USC (-3.5)
• Texas vs. Texas Tech (-5)
• TCU vs. Baylor (-8.5)
• Alabama vs. LSU (-3)

Saturday, November 12th

If you are all about conference and divisional rivalries, then Saturday, Nov. 12th is a day specially made for you. Some of the games to look forward to on this day include:

• Auburn vs. Georgia (-6.5)
• Michigan (-4.5) vs. Iowa
• Mississippi (-4) vs. Texas A&M
• USC vs. Washington (-6)
• LSU (-5.5) vs. Arkansas
• Stanford vs. Oregon (-3)

Saturday, November 19th

Rivalry, rivalries and more rivals await for you here.

• Ohio State (-4.5) vs. Michigan State
• Oklahoma (-8.5) vs. West Virginia
• Oklahoma State vs. TCU (-4.5)
• Oregon (-2) vs. Utah
• Stanford (-12) vs. California
• USC vs. UCLA (-3.5)

Saturday, November 26

From potentially fighting for divisional crowns (see Michigan vs. Ohio State) to playing in iconic bowl games (see Auburn vs. Alabama) or even striving for a chance to make the playoffs or big bowl games, Saturday, Nov. 26 has it all…

• Michigan State (-1) vs. Penn State
• Virginia vs. Virginia Tech (-9.5)
• UCLA (-7.5) vs. California
• Florida vs. Florida State (-11)
• Michigan vs. Ohio State (-5)
• Utah State vs. BYU (-9)
• Auburn vs. Alabama (-16)
• Georgia Tech vs. Georgia (-13.5)
• Kentucky vs. Louisville (-18)
• Mississippi State vs. Mississippi (-13.5)
• Notre Dame vs. USC (-6.5)

Select Picks and Predictions for Top 2016 NCAAF Point Spreads

Florida State (-2.5) vs. Louisville, Saturday, September 17th

NCAAF Pick: FSU (-2.5) Whether it is Sean Maguire or Deondre Francois as the starting QB in this game, FSU should be able to win this game, largely because the Noles have a very solid defense that can handle anything thrown at them by Louisville’s iffy offense.

USC (-1) vs. Utah, Friday, September 23rd

NCAAF Pick: USC (-1) USC, UCLA and Utah are three of the teams that look most likely to fight each in the quest to win the south division of the Pac-12 conference. This game is therefore likely to have its implications on the eventual winner of the Pac-12 south title and a shot at the Pac-12 Championship game. On paper, Utah’s run-oriented offense supported by an above-average defense will make life tough for the Trojans in this home game. Even so, USC has superior athletes and the talent to put up solid points offensively, while the Trojans’ secondary will get the job done to limit Utah’s receivers, which should allow the visitors to walk out Utah with the win and points.

Oklahoma (11.5) vs. Texas, Saturday, October 8th

NCAAF Pick: Oklahoma (-2.5) Last year, a lackluster Texas unit somehow managed to down the Sooners in the Red River Rivalry, a defeat that nearly condemned the Sooners out of the playoff race. With lessons learnt from that Week 6 defeat in 2015, don’t expect the Sooners to take any chances with the Longhorns in this game. Charlie Strong and his boys will get their points, but as long as 2015 Sporting News College Football Player of the Year QB Baker Mayfield is healthy, this game should end in a huge blowout win for Oklahoma.

Texas Tech vs. TCU (-8.5), Saturday, October 29th

NCAAF Pick: Texas Tech (+8.5) In his first season as a full starter with Texas Tech, standout Patrick Mahomes completed 364 of 573 passes (63.5 percent) for 4,653 yards (fourth-best in the nation and most in Big 12 since 2011), 36 touchdowns (No. 6 nationally) against 15 interceptions, while also decently running for 456 yards and 10 touchdowns. It is because of these impressive numbers that TTU finished the year second in the country in scoring, passing, and total yards. Unfortunately for Mahomes, his defense didn’t come through for him, condemning the Red Raiders to a rather unflattering 7-6 season. Coming off an offseason that focused on filling holes in the TTU defense, the expectation is that the Red Raiders will not only play better defense, but Mahomes will even succeed more with his stellar pass-oriented game. With that in mind, I’d expect Mahomes and Texas Tech to keep things tight against the Horned Frogs, who lost tons of talent in the offseason, including starting QB Trevone Boykin and his top receiver Josh Doctson. Heck, if all goes well, the Red Raiders could deliver an outright upset in this game.

Mississippi State vs. Mississippi (-13.5), Saturday, November 26

NCAAF Pick: Mississippi State (+13.5) Chad Kelly is a solid QB and I strongly believe that he will be having his best season ever in college football in 2016. Unfortunately, the Rebels have gotten into the habit of playing tough against solid opponents like Bama, only to drop the ball when playing in easily winnable games. Making matters worse for Kelly and Co., the Rebels are returning very few starters in the offense. So although Hugh Freeze is capable of working something decent with the talent at his disposal, I’d be wary of trusting Mississippi to win by as many as 13-plus points in this rivalry game that will most likely find the Rebels already eliminated from the divisional and playoff race, hence having little-to-no-motivation to play well here.