Two Pac-12 matchups and one ACC clash highlight my trio of Week 13 college football ATS picks. Sixth-ranked Washington will look to get it done on the road against in-state rival and 23rd-ranked Washington State while the Colorado Buffaloes look to hold it down at home against the Utah Utes.
Last but not least, the third-ranked Clemson Tigers will look to cap off their regular season by beating the South Carolina Gamecocks in an intriguing ACC clash. Now, let’s find out where the value is in all three matchups.
In Depth Analysis On The Week 13 College Football Pac-12 Matchups ATS Picks And ACC Clash Highlight
Washington Huskies (10-1) at Washington State Cougars (8-3)
When: Friday, November 25, 2016 at 3:30 PM ET
Where: Martin Stadium
NCAAF Odds: Washington -6 / Total: 64
Analysis: The sixth-ranked Washington Huskies will take on the 23rd-ranked Washington State Cougars in a PAC-12 matchup that looks like it could be one of the best matchups on the entire Week 12 schedule. The Cougars had their impressive eight-game winning streak snapped in their humbling 38-24 beat down this past weekend while never coming close to covering the college football betting line as a 6-point road underdog.
Sixth-ranked Washington bounced back from their Week 10 loss to USC to pound the hell out of Arizona State in its compelling 44-18 rout this past weekend. Washington State is averaging 42.5 points per game to rank 10th nationally in scoring, while Washington ranks a stupendous fourth in scoring (44.7 ppg) and has both, a very good quarterback in Jake Browning (37 TDs, 7 INTs) and a gifted rusher in underrated running back in Myles Gaskin (1,130 yards 10 TDs).
For this matchup, I’m going to urge you to roll with Washington to get it done despite being on the road. The Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their last five Friday games and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game. I know Washington State has gone 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games and 12-5 ATS in their last 17 conference games, but Washington has the big edge in coaching with Chris Petersen on their sideline and I believe they will have real sense of urgency as they try to reach the four-team playoff.
The Huskies are 6-2 ATS in their last eight rod games against the Cougars and I believe they’ll get it done in a thriller to reach the Pac-12 Championship game.
Pick: Washington 45 Washington State 35
Utah Utes (8-3) at Colorado Buffaloes (9-2)
When: Saturday, November 26, 2016 at 7:30 PM ET
Where: Folsom Field
NCAAF Odds: Colorado -10.5 / Total: 53.5
Analysis: The Utah Utes will be looking to bounce back from their heartbreaking 30-28 loss to Oregon last weekend that came on the game’s final play. The Colorado Buffaloes have won five straight and come into this Pac-12 pairing off a convincing 38-24 win over Washington State last weekend while covering the spread as a 6-point favorite.
The Utes are averaging healthy 30.9 points per game to rank 55th nationally in scoring as quarterback Troy Williams has completed just 56 percent of his passes for 2,419 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. Defensively, Utah has limited the opposition to 23.6 points per game to rank 40th overall in points allowed.
The Buffaloes are putting up a healthy 35.5 points per game to rank 33rd nationally in scoring as quarterback Sefo Liufau has completed a blistering 67.0 percent of his passes for 1,880 yards with 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Defensively, Colorado has limited the opposition to just 18.4 points per game to rank a stellar 13th nationally in points allowed.
I like the Colorado Buffaloes a lot this season, but no matter how hard I try to envision it, I just don’t see them beating a very good Utah team by double digits. Colorado is 11-1 ATS in its last dozen games, but Utah has gone 4-1 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss, 4-2 ATS in its last six games overall and 12-5 ATS in its last 17 road games. Defense rules the day as the Utes narrowly cover.
Pick: Colorado 27 Utah 21
South Carolina Gamecocks (6-5) at Clemson Tigers (10-1)
When: Saturday, November 26, 2016 at 7:30 PM ET
Where: Memorial Stadium
NCAAF Odds: Clemson -24 / Total: 50
Analysis: South Carolina Gamecocks has won four of their last five games including their 44-31 win over Western Carolina this past weekend as running back Rico Dowdle rushed for 226 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Clemson bounced back from their Week 11 loss to Pittsburgh to beat Wake Forest 35-13 this past weekend as running back Wayne Gallman rushed for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 22 carries.
While I like Clemson to get the win and challenge Alabama for the national championship after falling just short last season, I just don’t see the Tigers beating the Gamecocks by a whopping 25 points to cover the spread in this affair. I know the Gamecocks are offensively-challenged, but they’re also 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against their ACC rivals and 4-1 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss.
While Clemson has gone 4-0 ATS in their last four home games against a team with a winning road record, the Tigers are also just 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games in the month of November.
South Carolina is 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games against a team with a winning record and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game. The Gamecocks cover the spread in a losing effort.
Pick: Clemson 28 South Carolina 20
