Ole Miss vs. Georgia, Utah vs. BYU Predictions: College Football Odds, Picks

Lane Kiffin finally built a defense in Oxford.

All transfers scored.

Princely Umanmielen, JJ Pegues, Walter Nolen and Jared Ivey form the best defensive line in college football, while linebacker Chris Paul Jr. plays elite second-level football in coverage and against the run.

The Rebels’ front seven ranks first nationally in Havoc, second in sack rate and fourth in passes defended.

Six players have generated pressure at least 20 times this season and five have experienced multiple pass breakups.

They can’t compete against the Rebels, who are among the top 10 FBS defenses in rush success rate and EPA per rush allowed.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s offense looked shaky – the Bulldogs have fallen out of the top 50 nationally in EPA per play.

Part of the problem is a mediocre rushing attack, and part of that is a receiving corps that is sorely missing Brock Bowers.

The biggest problem, however, may be quarterback Carson Beck, who has regressed from last season. He’s struggled to handle the pressure – he’s completed just 36 percent of his passes in 66 busted pockets with four interceptions and seven turnover-worthy throws.

There will be a lot of pressure on Ole Miss, and I trust Beck and the Bulldogs to withstand that pressure.

I’m also hoping we get the “good” Jaxson Dart in a desperate situation – the Rebels need a win on Saturday to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. In the meantime, the Bulldogs can probably lose another game and still sneak into the 12-team field.

The pick: Ole Miss +2.5.

BOSTON COLLEGE (-2.5) over Syracuse

I have enjoyed watching and betting on the Orange this season.

I like their professional offense, led by quarterback Kyle McCord and tight end Oronde Gadsen, and I love running back LeQuint Allen.

But it’s time for the Orange bubble to burst.

They have won six of eight games this year despite averaging -0.16 net yards per game.

They are 4-1 in one-possession games and 2-0 in overtime, including a 38-31 OT win over Virginia Tech last week in a game in which the Orange had a 45-yard lead.

Some of this luck in the tight game will inevitably change.

Saturday is a good time considering the Orange were supposed to be gassed after last week’s overtime contest, while Boston College was enjoying a bye week – the Eagles haven’t played in 15 days.

The Eagles had an up and down year, but part of that hinged on the health of quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

At 100 percent, he is one of the most explosive quarterbacks in football, especially on play-action passes.

Syracuse’s defensive line is mediocre at best, which should allow Boston College to establish the run and then burn Syracuse’s hapless, lifeless secondary with Castellanos’ play-action darts.

UTAH (+3) over Byu

BYU is 3-0 in one-possession games, +7 on net turnovers and 15 of 18 on fourth-down conversions.

The Cougars are good. There’s no way they should be 8-0. And at some point they were supposed to lose a game.

Why not against Utah on Saturday?

Betting on college football?

Sure, the Utes’ offense is severely limited without quarterback Cam Rising.

But they can still run the ball to some extent, hopefully playing against a BYU defense that ranks 106th nationally in EPA per rush allowed.

First and foremost, I trust Utah to lean on its elite defense (9th nationally in EPA per plays allowed, 7th in EPA per pass allowed) to stay ahead at home against an overrated pass-happy BYU team have.

For what it’s worth, Kyle Whittingham’s Utes are 37-26 ATS underdogs since 2005.

Last week: 2:0. SMU (W). Minnesota (F)
2024 season: 16-12.

Why you should trust New York Post Betting

Tanner McGrath has been a professional sports handicapper since 2018. He specializes in college sports and baseball and is a die-hard fan of the Vermont Catamounts, the Miami Marlins and all the underdogs in his homeland. He found himself on the wrong side of the Miami Miracle in 2018, but made up for it four years later by beating Sandy Alcantara at 40/1 to win the NL Cy Young.