Posted on 11/2/2007 12:00:59 AM

NCAA Football Betting Odds – Week 10 Free Picks

By Tim Furious

Wisconsin was a team that opened up the season in the top-10, but has a series of tight wins coupled with two big losses has dropped them to the bottom of the pile. The Badgers would love to turn around their season by grinding past the Buckeyes and their top-ranked defense, and they have history on their side. Wisconsin has won the last two games against Ohio State.

#21 Wisconsin Badgers (7-2) vs. #1 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)

Saturday, November 3rd --- Ohio Stadium, Columbus --- 12:00pm EST

Opening college football line: Ohio State -16.5 (44)

Yet the Badgers are a tough team to gauge, which is obvious in their 3-4 ATS record. Despite scoring 30.1 points per game behind Tyler Donavan’s arm, the defense has given up 20.8 points per game. The team can still run like the wind, rushing for 205.4 yards per game, but P.J. Hill simply hasn’t been the game breaker he was hyped up to be.

Ohio State has had a nasty habit of coming out in a big way against big name schools. That was clearly evident in their 37-17 demolishing of Penn State last weekend. Todd Boeckman has entered the Heisman talks and Chris Wells is having a great season. He has 996 yards on the year with 7 touchdowns, and Ohio State’s vaunted rushing attack gains 202.1 rush yards per game.

At this point in the season, it is impossible to bet against Ohio State’s defense. They are the best overall defense and are stymie opponents to 93.0 passing yards when playing at home. Their rushing defense holds teams to 61.6 yards when playing at home, so don’t expect big things out of P.J. Hill. Bet on Ohio State as they steamroll to victory.

NCAA Football Free Pick: Wisconsin 10 Ohio State 28

#3 LSU Tigers (7-1) vs. #17 Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2)

Saturday, November 3rd --- Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa --- 5:00pm EST

Opening college football line LSU -7 (48.5)

Nick Saban will face his former college team for the first time since becoming the head coach at Alabama, after a brief and forgettable stop in Miami. The Crimson Tide can put a stranglehold on the SEC West with a win, but are 3-7 SU against LSU including four straight losses. Both teams have been brutal against the spread. LSU has gone 3-5 ATS, while Alabama has only managed a 2-5 ATS record.

Alabama really does not have the offensive punch to expose LSU’s fifth ranked defense. Two weeks ago they dropped 41 points on Tennessee, but this is LSU we are talking about. There is no way in hell the Crimson Tide even come close to that on Saturday. LSU holds teams to 15.4 points per game.

LSU is a team predicated on the run, which is why they rush for 224.3 yards on the ground per game. Alabama allows 131.4 yards on the ground per match. Look for Les Miles to control the game by rushing Jacob Hester often, freeing up passing lanes for Matt Flynn. LSU is thirteenth overall in rushing yards per game, and are a safe bet to run right past Saban on Saturday.

NCAA Football Free Pick: LSU 27 Alabama 17

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-3) vs. #13 Connecticut Huskies (7-1)

Saturday, November 3rd --- Rentschler Field, East Hartford --- 7:15pm EST

Opening college football line Connecticut -3 (46)

Connecticut is coming off two of the school’s biggest wins ever, while Rutgers is still trying to shake the humiliating defeat at the hands of West Virginia. The Huskies beat South Florida and Louisville in back-to-back weeks to catapult themselves to sixteenth in the AP Rankings and thirteenth in the BCS Standings. Their offense has managed 30.3 points per game, while their defense holds teams to 13.0 points against.

Their wins, however, have been tainted by poor officiating. That may taint the victory, but the fact that they were in the games against Louisville and South Florida indicates that the Huskies relatively unknown football program is better than we think. The main area of concern is the UConn rush defense, which allows 117.3 yards per game and will have to contend Ray Rice, who has 519 yards in his last three games.

Rutgers is a yo-yo team and it’s time for them to go back up. They beat South Florida two weeks ago, lost in tremendous fashion to a much better West Virginia squad, and will now expose Connecticut as well. Their wins over Louisville and South Florida should not be overstated because those teams are simply not that good. Rutgers has the third best passing defense on the road and will stifle Dixon and the UConn rushing attack. Football games are won in the trenches, and the offensive and defensive lines for Rutgers simply outmatch that of the Huskies.

NCAA Football Free Pick: Rutgers 27 Connecticut 24

Florida State Seminoles (5-3) vs. #2 Boston College Eagles (8-0)

Saturday, November 3rd --- Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill --- 8:00pm EST

Opening college football line: Boston College -7.5

The Patriots are not the only undefeated team in Boston. Boston College has contributed to the unbelievable joy the Boston area has enjoyed in the sports world this year and, after this weekend, may be the only undefeated football team when all is said and done. Boston College is 5-0 SU in their last five games at home and it is impossible to imagine them losing after an incredible two touchdown barrage in the final two minutes against Virginia Tech.

Confidence wins football games, and Matt Ryan has it in spades. His Eagles are soaring to 32.0 points per game behind an astounding 307.6 passing yards per game. His ability to usually put opponents on their heels has helped the rush defense hold opponents to 55.1 yards against on the ground because teams have to take to the air. When that becomes the case on Saturday, there is no reason to believe the erratic Drew Weatherford can play catch-up with the current leader in the Heisman race.

Boston’s betting faithful should keep their stock with the Eagles and watch their finances soar along with this surprising team’s BCS Championship chances.

NCAA Football Free Pick: Florida State 17 Boston College 31

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