Week 6 Nevada College Pick'em Contest picks

Kansas (+8.5) vs. Oklahoma

Don't let Kansas on the road against Oklahoma scare you. Not even a little bit. OK, OK. Maybe a little bit. The Sooners have lost three straight, and starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel is likely to play this week against the Jayhawks after not playing last week against Texas. But you know what? Offense really isn't the problem for the Sooners. It's their defense. 

Oklahoma has allowed 40+ points in three straight weeks, and even without starting quarterback Jalon Daniels, the Jayhawks offense is still dangerous. Backup quarterback Jason Bean threw for four touchdowns in last week's 38-31 loss to TCU, and make no mistake about it, TCU is a much better football team than Oklahoma. There's a good chance Kansas wins outright on Saturday, but at (+8.5), you have to jump on it. 

North Carolina State (+3.5) vs. Syracuse

NC State squeaked out a 19-17 win over Florida State last week, and the Wolfpack's only loss this season is to Clemson. Meanwhile Syracuse may be undefeated, but they've had plenty of one-score games already this season. The Orange only beat Virginia by two, and Purdue by three. And against a rival like NC State, I'm not so sure they win, and I'm even more confident that it's not by more than a field goal. And with the hook getting you the extra half point, it's worth taking NC State. Both teams have shown flashes of being a top 10 team in the country, and with these two being so even, take the points. 

Maryland (-11.5) vs. Indiana

Maryland has been in plenty of close games this season, but even on the road, take the Terrapins -11.5 against Indiana. The Hoosiers have lost three straight, and have looked bad in back-to-back conference games. Taulia Tagovailoa might not be as good as his brother — Tua Tagovailoa — but he's still pretty darn good. Tagovailoa is completing over 70% of his passes this season, and has 11 touchdowns to just five interceptions. That's pretty good, and don't be surprised to see Maryland put up 35+ points against Indiana. As for the Hoosiers, well, they just fired their offensive line coach, and have lost three straight. Maybe a new offensive line coach will slightly fix their problems, but not enough to stay within 12 points of Maryland.

Clemson (-3.5) vs. Florida State

Florida State surprised many with a 4-0 start to begin the season, but the Seminoles have dropped back-to-back games, and have yet to play a team of Clemson's caliber. Florida State has struggled to score in back-to-back losses, and expect that to be a problem again this week against the Tigers. Outside of allowing 45 points to Wake Forest, Clemson has kept everyone else under 20 points. And this Clemson offense is getting better each week. Neither team will probably break 24 points, but the Tigers by 3.5 is the right play. Expect a close game through three quarters, then for the Tigers to pull away by at least four in the fourth quarter.

Nebraska vs. Purdue (-13.5)

What has been our mantra all year long? You can't trust Nebraska. Does that ring a bell now? Well, it should. Yes, the Cornhuskers have played better under Mickey Joseph, but they're still bad. Back-to-back wins over Indiana and Rutgers shouldn't impress you, and even if this game is close for a while, expect Aidan O'Connell and Purdue to pull away in the fourth quarter. Nebraska really struggles to score, and the Boilermakers don't. O'Connell and the Boilermakers dropped 32 on Maryland last week, and you can count on Purdue to at least score 35 this week. Nebraska will be lucky to get more than 21 points this week against Purdue, which is why even despite a 13.5-point spread, the Boilermakers at -13.5 is worth it.  

USC (+3.5) vs. Utah

This is kind of a risky bet, but for the first time USC is getting points. And at 6-0, don't bet against the Trojans until they lose. The Trojans offense might not be as explosive as they were to begin the year, but the defense has exceeded expectations all year long. And they'll need both to play well if they're going to upset Utah, let alone stay within 3.5. If the hook wasn't included, we probably wouldn't take USC on the spread, but that's not the case. Utah will have its best crowd of the season on Saturday night, but coming off a 10-point loss to UCLA, you just don't know what you're going to get out of the Utes. USC has won seven straight over Utah, and don't be surprised if they make it eight straight, even as road dogs. Expect neither team to score over 30 in this one, but don't expect either to get up on the other by more than seven. There's a good chance this game comes down to a game-winning field goal, which is why we're taking USC and the points. 

Washington State (+3.5) vs. Oregon State

This is our riskiest pick of the week, but outside of losses to USC and Oregon, Washington State has yet to lose. Problem is Oregon State's only two losses are to USC and Utah. Make no mistake about it, these two teams are pretty darn even, and after barely beating Stanford last week, betting on Oregon State is too risky. Expect both teams to score 30 points apiece, but similar to USC vs. Utah, don't expect either to get ahead by more than seven. But the main reason you ask why we're going with the Cougars and the points? Well, that's simple. WSU has won eight straight over the Beavers, and even if they don't make it nine straight, expect this game to be a nail biter.

San Jose State (-8.5) vs. Fresno State

The Bulldogs have looked like one of the worst teams in college football since starting quarterback Jake Haener went down against USC, and don't expect that to change with Haener out again this week. FSU even loss to UConn. I know, UConn. And against a San Jose State team that is 4-1 and has won three straight, you have to take the Spartans (-8.5). SJSU's only loss is to Auburn, and that was by eight, and since then, have won each of its last three games by at least three scores. Expect the Spartans to jump out to an early lead and never look back.