College football’s Week 5 Saturday slate is loaded with big-time matchups, including No. 8 Arkansas vs. No. 2 Georgia, No. 7 Cincinnati vs. No. 9 Notre Dame and No 12. Ole Miss vs. No. 1 Alabama.
In a somewhat unusual scheduling twist, all three of those games will kick off between noon ET and 3:30 p.m. ET, giving fans an action-packed afternoon of high-profile contests.
And in very unsurprising news, these are currently the most heavily bet games, in terms of the number of tickets, of college football’s entire Week 5 schedule.
Bettors will undoubtedly be keying in on these matchups, but let’s not forget about the rest of Saturday’s slate, which is littered with solid values from start to finish.
We’re not saying you need to watch the games that offer Saturday’s smartest betting picks, so feel free to keep your TVs tuned to the day’s biggest games while tracking all of you action via The Action Network’s FREE mobile app.
With this in mind, below we detail the three top college football Week 5 betting predictions for Saturday’s slate.
College Football Week 5 Betting Predictions
*Odds and betting data as of Friday afternoon
Nevada vs. Boise State Betting Prediction
3:30 p.m. ET | FS1
I can’t imagine a ton of eyes will be on this game compared to the afternoon’s much bigger games, but Nevada vs. Boise State is undoubtedly one of the top bets of the day.
Boise State opened as a 5.5-point favorite over Nevada at BetMGM and floated up to -6.5 as recently as Friday afternoon, and that’s exactly when sharp buyback hit the market.
Wiseguy action hammered Nevada and the points, driving the line down to +5 at most shops, with some even ticking down to +4.5.
According to The Action Network’s College Football PRO Projections, there still is value in that number as well.
Our model projects the Nevada vs. Boise State spread at Wolf Pack +3, providing a 4.7% edge when compared to the consensus line of +5.
PRO Report Pick: Nevada +5
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Troy vs. South Carolina Betting Prediction
3:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network
Another unsexy matchup, yet another smart bet.
BetMGM opened the Troy vs. South Carolina spread at Trojans +8 and sharp bettors pounced almost immediately.
Two separate waves of smart, market-moving money have come flowing in on Troy, driving this price through +7 and to +6.5.
Worried that you’ve lost too much value because of the line move through a full a touchdown?
Don’t be.
Our PRO Projections have Troy as just a 1.3-point underdog against South Carolina, meaning that even at the current line of +6.5, the Trojans are still offering the biggest betting edge (16.4%) of Saturday’s slate.
PRO Report Pick: Troy +6.5
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Arizona State vs. UCLA Betting Prediction
10:30 p.m. ET | FS1
Did you say sharp action, key numbers and betting edges?
Here’s another for you.
Arizona State was +3.5 against UCLA earlier in the week, but sharp money convinced oddsmakers that the hook off 3 was simply too much.
While this edge isn’t as eye-popping as Troy vs. South Carolina above, our PRO Projections still suggest that the Sun Devils are worth your consideration on Saturday night.
The Action Network’s college football betting model projects this number at Arizona State +0.4 — a 7% edge when compared to widely-available +3.
PRO Report Pick: Arizona State +3
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