To quote Tyler MacKillop on Twitter. “Where were you when the Akron Zips erased a 17-point deficit in the final 9 minutes of Wednesday MACtion to cover as 3.5-point favorites? A moment I’ll tell my future children about.” Sadly enough, we played them at -4 and got the push, but nonetheless, it was an epic finish to Wednesday Night MACtion. Two days of MACtion is more than enough, and it did not treat us too well. It’s time for some Thursday Night College Football outside of MACtion. These daily picks are no more than quarter-unit wagers and just give us something to sweat during the week. If you are looking for each and every pick I make, I will shamelessly plug that Twitter link here.
Thursday Night College Football is here, and we have a three-pack of games. Why not give out a pick for all three? Big 12, ACC, Sun Belt… Let’s get to it!
Week 10 Thursday Night College Football Picks
TCU at Texas Tech (-3) (O/U 59.5)
Both of these teams are on backup QBs, as both Chandler Morris and Tyler Shough went down earlier in the year. This game is going to come down to QB play because everything else checks out as a dead-even matchup. The three points to the home team show that. With a total that nears 60, we know the offense will be the name of the game, and that leads me to go with the slightly better offense.
The margins are small, but TCU’s offensive metrics are slightly better than Texas Tech’s. The Horned Frogs also have the QB with more reps, plus they are coming off the bye week, which will be huge for them. They are coming off an embarrassing performance against Kansas State and have had two weeks to prep for their rivals. Give us the Frogs!
The Pick: TCU +3
Wake Forest at Duke (-12.5) (O/U 44.5)
This is probably an uglier matchup than we expected a few weeks ago. Wake Forest is an absolute mess, and Duke has hit a bit of a wall. Primetime Durham is sneakily a tough place to play, and we have seen that this year. Duke looked awful against a solid Louisville team, but I like them to bounce back against a woeful Wake team.
Wake QB Mitch Griffis may return this week, but he has not lived up to expectations. Duke has one of the better defenses in the ACC, and I believe they will give Griffis and Co fits all game. Duke has the offensive firepower to put up some points and cover the double digits.
The Pick: Duke -12.5
South Alabama at Troy (-3.5) (O/U 44.5)
Thursday Fun Belt is a beautiful thing. Both of these teams are in the upper echelon of Sun Belt teams and can put some points on the board. Troy does, in fact, have a very solid defense, but this total is fairly low for College Football in the 21st Century. These teams will push each other, and they should have no issues getting over this total.
The Pick: Over 44.5
