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Mike's CFB betting picks against the spread for Thursday, November 28, 2024. Which teams can you win money before Saturday this week? How did the picks go for Week 13?
We had our largest week since Week 3 in college football, which did not disappoint! I was backing a lot of the dogs this week. Did it help or did it hurt? We'll take a look back at Week 13 before we get to the one pick in the article this week.
There is only one game on Thanksgiving again this year, but it's not the Egg Bowl. However, it does feature a ranked team, so it's not a total loss. There are still more reasons to watch that one game than the NFL ones.
We have a busy Friday during rivalry week with 14 games. Those will be featured in its separate article this week. We'll have this one for Friday, then the giant Saturday extravaganza that ends the regular college football season.
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CFB Betting Picks for Thursday, November 28, 2024
I will pick every college football game every week. Not a top five. Not a top 10. All of them. Big deal, right? Lots of people make picks. Well, I do them all against the spread. I take the odds of each game and average them out at all the Vegas casinos and round to the nearest half. There will be no ties here. Ties are for the other (European) football.
Memphis at (17) Tulane (-13.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I'm not betting against Tulane right now and the Memphis defense is nothing special. I'm still riding the Green Wave.
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CFB Betting Picks - Last Week's Results
I promised transparency and you will get it, warts and all. I don't like to be wrong, but I will admit when I am. Why listen to someone who won't admit the good or the bad? This year's results will be tracked on this sheet. I have tabs for previous seasons on there and will update the all-time stats on the 2024 tab when I get caught up.
Winners against the spread will be in BOLD. My result will follow.
Akron (-9.5) at Kent State: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Because I'm psych(ot)ic and can see the future, Kent will go winless in 2024...the only FBS team to do so. Even Southern Miss won a game!
Western Michigan (-6.5) at Central Michigan: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This was an ugly game. You know, for a team that's centered around their rushing attack, Western Michigan isn't very good at running the ball...
Northern Illinois at Miami (OH) (-2.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
The Redhawks are right in the thick of everything once again.
Buffalo at Eastern Michigan (-1.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
CJ Ogbonna is going to be a problem for the MAC next year if he sticks at Buffalo.
Ohio at Toledo (-2.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Toledo fell apart. Just because you have six running backs doesn't mean that you have to use them all...in every game. Parker Navarro was a suitable replacement for Kurtis Rourke. I really wish Sieh Bangura had stayed at Ohio for one more year instead of never playing at Minnesota.
North Carolina State at Georgia Tech (-8.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
It was apparent early enough in this game that Haynes King shouldn't have been on the field. His shoulder was nowhere near where it needed to be. The Yellow Jackets did the right thing and took him out of the game. It also meant that Tech had little chance of covering this. So, it goes.
Temple at UTSA (-16.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Owen McCown transformed this team, and Robert Henry is a really good back. I'm glad the Roadrunners rebounded to go to a bowl this year.
Purdue at Michigan State (-13.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
The Spartans didn't score a single point in the second half. Jerks...
(24) UNLV (-7.5) at San Jose State: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
UNLV is having a great season. 6-0 on the road including at Houston and at Kansas. They just beat San Jose State on the road for the first time since 1993. pic.twitter.com/jChVnixNtH
— Dane Miller (@DaneMiller_SWS) November 25, 2024
The deluge slowed down the Rebels. I'm just glad there were enough breaks in the rain for them to cover.
(5) Indiana at (2) Ohio State (-10.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This was a fair fight. Ohio State dominated the special team's aspect. Both teams played well enough on defense, but if you're Indiana, you can't afford turnovers against a team that is that much more talented than you. Ohio State capitalized and ran off with it.
As for Ohio State running up the score, so what? Every team does it if they can. It's a necessary evil when you have 25 teams that could be in a 12-team playoff. Indiana did it early in the season, Notre Dame has done it trying to make up for the inexplicable loss to Northern Illinois.
Wake Forest at (8) Miami (FL) (-23.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Speaking of running up the score, Miami scored 22 in the fourth quarter to blow this wide open. It was a close game after three (20-14).
(9) Mississippi (-10.5) at Florida: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I wish I had more confidence in this. I did make a small bet on the Florida money line at least.
The Florida football team took Ole Mississippi’s basketball hoop, put a Gator logo on it, and then started taking turns dunking after beating them 24-17. pic.twitter.com/dOE4WxabQ4
— Talia Baia (@talia_baia) November 23, 2024
(13) SMU (-9.5) at Virginia: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
That's one-loss SMU to the haters...and it wasn't even in the conference!
(25) Illinois at Rutgers (-1.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This was a fantastic game with 37 points scored in the fourth quarter alone. Too bad most of the college football world didn't see it. Thanks a lot, Peacock!
Iowa (-6.5) at Maryland: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Another methodical beating by Iowa.
Connecticut at Syracuse (-10.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Kyle McCord threw for 470 yards and the Orange needed every bit of it for the win.
North Carolina (-2.5) at Boston College: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Mack Brown deserved to be fired after this abomination. But the sad thing is I don't know that it will make North Carolina better. It might even make them worse.
Sam Houston at Jacksonville State (-5.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
It wasn't Tre Stewart who carried the Gamecocks. It was quarterback Tyler Huff running for 177 yards.
Massachusetts at Georgia (-42.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
Going down 7-0 to Mass should eliminate Georgia from the playoffs.
— St. Wolfgang (@ArinEaston) November 23, 2024
UMass led twice in this game...and Georgia still won by 38.
UTEP at (11) Tennessee (-40.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
The Tennessee offense got in a well officiated practice.
Western Kentucky at Liberty (-1.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Maybe UMass is better than we think. That's the only rational explanation.
Bowling Green (-10.5) at Ball State: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I certainly could have used that day from Harold Fannin Jr. in the midweek MACtion DFS slate.
Rice (-6.5) at UAB: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I expected a close game, but UAB showed up in this one.
New Mexico State at Middle Tennessee State (-3.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
It's certainly ugly when a 2-8 team beats you by 15 on your home field...
James Madison (-7.5) at Appalachian State: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I did not see JMU getting spanked by App State this week but here we are.
Arizona at TCU (-10.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
How in the world is Arizona this bad?
Florida International (-8.5) at Kennesaw State: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Kennesaw is going to be an interesting team next year. They remind me a lot of 2023 Sam Houston...except the Bearkats weren't morons and fired their coach in the middle of the season.
Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas State (-2.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Ahmad Hardy put on a great show in the loss. He's going to be excellent on some team next year.
South Alabama (-21.5) at Southern Mississippi: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
That damn hook got me...
Charlotte (-2.5) at Florida Atlantic: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Freshman QB @Dpurdie0 has eclipsed 300 passing yards on the day...
» First 300+ yard passer for @CharlotteFTBL since Chris Reynolds on Oct. 1, 2022
» First @CharlotteFTBL true freshman to ever throw for 300+ yards pic.twitter.com/fwCxcO5N5a
— Charlotte Stats & Info (@CLTStatsInfo) November 23, 2024
Things are happening in Charlotte. The coach is fired, they beat FAU in Boca, and Deshawn Purdie threw some beautiful passes. Tim Brewster should have that interim tag stripped right now. Purdie already said that he's returning next year.
Kentucky at (3) Texas (-20.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Texas had no real interest in covering, but the game was never in doubt either.
(4) Penn State (-11.5) at Minnesota: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Minnesota played well enough to win but couldn't get over the hump.
(14) BYU at (21) Arizona State (-3.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
The Sun Devils made me sweat it after getting out to a big lead, but it was so worth it!
Meanwhile, with 1 second left in Arizona State vs. BYU…. pic.twitter.com/wtAYtdzhFg
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 24, 2024
It took them nearly 15 minutes to put the goalposts back up and clear the field, but Arizona State got the win and is staring down a playoff berth.
(16) Colorado (-2.5) vs. Kansas at Kansas City, MO: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I knew better. I knew this Kansas team was a team on a mission.
Northwestern at Michigan (-10.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I pick Northwestern and they give up half a hundred. Why am I not surprised?
Wisconsin at Nebraska (-1.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Well...so much for the losing streak. This Nebraska team is different if for no other reason than they can beat Wisconsin.
Stanford at California (-14.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Yeah, that was a dumb line in a rivalry game. I wish I would have put more on it.
Texas Tech (-3.5) at Oklahoma State: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Maealiuaki Smith is going to be a special one for the Pokes.
Central Florida (-2.5) at West Virginia: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
...and there it is. RJ Harvey came back for nothing since UCF won't even make a bowl. Are they going to bring back Scott Frost?
San Diego State at Utah State (-4.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Utah State Quarterback @USUFootball
Bryson Barnes ?@bryson_barnes10
Barnes rushed for a career-high 193 yards, setting a school record for a quarterback.
He was 13-of-15 passing for 139 yards and three touchdowns.
His rushing yards are the second-most by a Mountain West… pic.twitter.com/mzaEilcmA8— Don De Mars Photography (@DonDeMarsPhoto) November 27, 2024
Bryson Barnes did that in just over a half of football. Maybe Spencer Petras getting hurt was a blessing in this one.
Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina (-2.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I knew better. #nevercoastal
East Carolina at North Texas (-2.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Nope. Not surprised.
Tulsa at South Florida (-17.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Is it possible that somehow USF got not one but TWO stud quarterbacks? Bryce Archie is making fans forget about Byrum Brown.
Louisiana Tech at Arkansas (-22.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I won't venture as far as to say that the Bulldogs played a good game, but hey, they won me the bet.
Pittsburgh at Louisville (-7.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
That's the Nate Yarnell we know and loathe.
(23) Missouri (-7.5) at Mississippi State: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
Michael Van Buren Jr. has hit a wall, and Luther Burden III is still that dude.
Troy at Louisiana (-10.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
That's more like it.
(19) Army vs. (6) Notre Dame (-14.5) at Yankee Stadium: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Well Army, it was fun while it lasted. Does this mean Notre Dame wins the Commander-in-Chief Trophy since they beat all three service academies? When does the Space Force get a football team so the Irish can play them too?
(12) Boise State (-22.5) at Wyoming: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Boise didn't even score 23 points. But they still won. That's what matters to the Broncos.
Washington State (-11.5) at Oregon State: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I guess the Cougs didn't care too much about the Pac 2 Championship. How much fun is it going to be to see these teams play twice next year?
this washington state vs oregon state game is the prime example of why the country needs this conference to stay alive and why conference realignment sucks
— LaBelly (7-4) (MV3) ?? (@szassexslavee) November 24, 2024
Baylor (-7.5) at Houston: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Bryson Washington and Sawyer Robertson saved Dave Aranda's job.
Georgia State at Texas State (-20.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Much to my chagrin, Jordan McCloud still can't help this defense.
(7) Alabama (-13.5) at Oklahoma: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
@espn is pushing one hell of a narrative here pic.twitter.com/4xGi6bv2My
— Save Farmageddon Matt (Blue Check) (@SFMattISU) November 24, 2024
I'm a horrible fan. The worst. I knew that the defense was capable of good things, but the offense had been such a disaster. We had no run game. We were still missing five of the top six receivers on the depth chart. The only thing Oklahoma had going for it was the home field.
Boy, did they show up? The fans there in Norman have almost as much of a right to this win as the team does. I was watching this game and feeling happy about Oklahoma football for the first time since Bob Stoops coached the bowl game after Lincoln Riley fled. I was proud to be a Sooner fan. BOOMER!
(15) Texas A&M (-2.5) at Auburn: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
This was a great game. Do you know what would have made it even better? If it didn't come down to a battle of stupid two-point conversions. Leave it to college football to take the best overtime in any sport and screw that up too...
(22) Iowa State (7.5) at Utah: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
This was rough. Utah's 15 fourth-quarter points screwed the cover.
Marshall at Old Dominion (-2.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This was a fun game. Colton Joseph did everything he could to help his team win but came up just short.
Vanderbilt at LSU (-7.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
The hook goes my way. LSU isn't cursed because they still won the game. Mike must have forgiven them for their transgressions with the fake imported tiger from Florida.
Virginia Tech (-2.5) at Duke: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
The Hokies are a mess without Kyron Drones. The fact that they couldn't cover Eli Pancol didn't help either.
Eli Pancol owns the Hookies pic.twitter.com/z3zhzoDRtb
— Cornelius Davidson (@CorneliusDGNTV) November 24, 2024
Cincinnati at Kansas State (-8.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I knew better here too...
USC (-4.5) at UCLA: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
UCLA played well enough to win this. I'll go as far as to say that UCLA should have won this. They lost control in the fourth quarter.
Air Force at Nevada (-3.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Nevada missing Sean Dollars and having Savion Red severely limited was an unwelcome development.
Colorado State at Fresno State (-3.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
A horrible end to a horrible night. I was doing fine until the evening games started.
College Football Betting Season Results
I was back near .500 with a 30-32 week. That drops me to 330-344 on the season. I need a good final week of the regular season to rescue me. I know I lost points since I missed all of the max bets. How bad was it?
The weekly totals follow the bet. Season totals are in parentheses.
1. 2-2 (31-38) = -7
2. 15-13 (147-127) = 40
3. 11-13 (94-117) = -69
4. 2-1 (40-34) = 24
5. 0-3 (19-28) = -45
I ended up losing 13 points on the week, all of them during the prime-time kickoffs. I blame UCLA. I'm now down 57 points in the season with little time to make it back.
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