Welcome back everyone to another edition of Nikkel’s Picks!
We had a slight hiccup last week, dropping to 4-6 and I’m going to apologize for my losses. A lot of them were just bad decisions by me. Mizzou didn’t show up. Oklahoma State looked lost. South Carolina & App State got out played. Georgia didn’t cover and Payton Throne didn’t throw an interception (Be better Georgia defense) & that Bengals game was incredibly tough. My dude Evan McPherson had a bad hold and he missed a long 53 yarder. Then Derrick Henry ran to the red zone & Tucker kicked a field goal to win.
I am now 24-28 on the year and I got some work to do. Here’s your local picks first.
OSU has a bye (Thankfully)
Oklahoma vs Texas (Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT, ABC)
The pick: Over 50.5 points
The spread is too wide for a Red River Rivalry game… However, I can’t pull the trigger on it. The Red River rivalry is a very dangerous game to bet on! However, I do think the over is the play here. Ewers will be back and the Sooners desperately need to show something on offense. I think they will. Give me the over.
Lions at Cowboys (Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT, FOX)
The pick: Cowboys +3
The Lions are the better team. Jared Goff and the Lions are fresh off a bye and are seeking revenge after the “Taylor Decker incident”. However, it’s a principle bet. Bet on home dogs. I’m taking the Cowboys +3 here out of principle but it would not surprise me if the Lions blew them out.
Now onto the rest of the nation
Washington at Iowa (Saturday at 11 a.m. CT, FOX)
The pick: Iowa -2.5
This is a classic letdown spot for the Huskies. They defeated a “Top 10” Michigan team & now are playing Iowa on the road at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. The play is simple, Iowa is going to be more prepared in this spot and will play some boring football. Take the Hawkeyes here in a 20-14 snoozefest.
#2 Ohio State at #3 Oregon (Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, NBC)
The pick: Oregon +3.5
This is a massive game in the Big Ten & the college football world. Somebody’s 0 had got to go. Ohio State travels on the Oregon Trail and to be honest, the big stat that I’ve seen is that Big Ten teams are 1-7 when they travel 2+ time zones over. Ohio State is doing that, the safe bet is Oregon believe it or not.
#9 Ole Miss at #13 LSU (Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, ABC)
The picks: LSU +3.5 & Over 62.5 points
WE HAVE OUR FIRST DOUBLE PLAY OF THE SEASON! I love this Ole Miss-LSU game on Saturday. Both defenses are pretty meh but the offenses are on fire. This is a must win game for both teams if they want to remain in the hunt for the SEC Championship. Saturday Night at Death Valley in Baton Rouge is one of the most dangerous places to play at. I love LSU here as a home underdog and I love the over in this game too. I’m thinking we will see another 48-45 track meet.
A same game parlay with these picks has +233 odds on it by the way.
#11 Iowa State at West Virginia (Saturday at 7 p.m. CT, FOX)
The pick: West Virginia +2.5
Iowa State has looked like a bonafide contender this season. But their history gives you nothing to believe in. The Cyclones have never had a season in the program’s entirety where they’ve won 10 or more games. They have just three seasons where they’ve won nine, (1906, 2000, & 2020). They’re going to fall eventually. It’s only a matter of time and I think a night game in Morgantown, West Virginia is just the trick. I’ll take the Mountaineers here and watch the Big 12 descend into further chaos.
#18 Kansas State at Colorado (Saturday at 9:15 p.m. CT, ESPN)
The pick: Kansas State -4.5
This game is very very tricky the longer I think about it. I think Kansas State should roll comfortably in this game. However, the duo of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter is lethal. If Kansas State can get pressure on Sanders, the Wildcats should be fine. But I’m really considering not counting out Colorado at this point. Even though I don’t believe a ton of the hype around them. I only believe in Shedur and Travis, the rest of the team however, is shaky.
Colts at Titans (Sunday at 12 p.m. CT, CBS)
The pick: Colts +2.5
I originally was going to pick the Titans. Then, the Titans announced they will start Will Levis. Big mistake by the Titans. They should have started Mason Rudolph instead if they want to win this game. I’ll take the elite Joe Flacco instead. He’s been playing out of his mind and I think he’ll carve it up in Nashville and gash the Titans defense.
Cardinals at Packers (Sunday at 12 p.m. CT, FOX)
The pick: Over 47.5 points
The Cardinals and Packers have two very solid offenses. I think we see both of those offenses in action at the not quite frozen tundra of Lambeau Field on Sunday. I love Kyler Murray and Jordan Love and I think they’re gonna have quite a dual this week. Take the points and see you next week!
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