College Football Week 5: Predictions and Betting Picks

As college football enters Week 5, Howie Kussoy, known as the Pigskin Profit, has released his predictions and best bets for the upcoming matchups. Kussoy, a seasoned handicapper for the New York Post since 2013, offers insights into which teams are favored and which underdogs have a strong chance of covering the spread.

Key Matchups and Predictions

The highly anticipated game between Mississippi State and Alabama features a promising young quarterback for the Bulldogs, Kamario Taylor. After a challenging start to his season, Taylor has emerged as a breakout star, leading Mississippi State's offense, which ranks third nationally. The Bulldogs face an Alabama defense that has shown vulnerabilities against the pass. Kussoy picks Mississippi State (+6) to cover the spread at home.

Another critical contest involves Penn State facing Northwestern. The Nittany Lions are motivated by a late-game collapse in their previous outing and are set to play against a Northwestern team that has been waiting to debut its new stadium. Penn State is favored by 2.5 points.

Notre Dame is heavily favored (-21) against North Carolina. The Fighting Irish boast the nation's top-scoring defense, allowing an average of 8.3 points per game, and have won their last 14 games by double digits. This streak includes an average margin of nearly 30 points in their last five road contests.

Michigan faces Minnesota with the Wolverines having a narrow average margin of victory in their non-UTEP games. Minnesota, coming off a win against Washington, is given 5.5 points at home against Michigan.

Betting Insights and Trends

In other matchups, Houston is favored by 12.5 points over UCF, with Scott Frost's road record since returning to the Knights being 0-6. Vanderbilt is a significant underdog (+24.5) against Georgia, but coach Clark Lea has a strong record against the spread when his team is an underdog.

Missouri is favored by 5 points over Florida, with the Tigers having a strong home record and a notable performance against the spread after a loss. Austin Simmons is expected to perform well against Florida's 118th-ranked pass defense.

Iowa, as a 14-point underdog, is expected to challenge Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium, a notoriously difficult venue. The Hawkeyes have a strong record against the spread as underdogs and have a history of strong home performances against ranked opponents.

Tennessee is favored by 7 points against Auburn. The Volunteers' defense is considered a playoff contender, while Auburn's offensive line struggles with sacks allowed.

BYU, coming off a bye week, is a 6.5-point favorite against TCU, having dominated them last season. The Cougars have a strong recent record against unranked teams.

Texas Tech is a 13-point favorite against Colorado, whose coach, Deion Sanders, has a .500 record against power-conference teams.

USC faces Washington with USC's defense ranking 105th against the pass, leading to Washington being a 9.5-point underdog.

Clemson is a 16.5-point underdog against Miami, facing their largest spread as a head coach. Rutgers is a 24-point underdog against Indiana, with Rutgers having struggled against top-10 teams.

Kussoy's best bets for the week include Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and BYU. This season, his overall record is 34-26, with an 8-4 record on his best bets.