College Football Picks Today: Best Bets for Oct. 19

• We might be starring down the greatest College Football Slate in history Saturday, October 19, 2024
• There are a million great games, but two have caught my eye, and both need to be slammed
• Check out the best way to bet on these Saturday college football games below

I’m going to come clean right now. At first, I wasn’t a big fan of the whole college realignment. I just wasn’t. Like any old guy, I only know one thing. Change is bad. No matter what the change is, I’m going to think it’s bad. That’s just how change works. But after a few weeks of this whole college football change, I’ve changed my mind. It’s the greatest thing ever.

I didn’t realize that with realignment, we’d get more incredible matchups. Last week it was Ohio State/Oregon and Penn State/USC. Since when do they just play in October? Short answer, they don’t. But now they do and that’s pretty sweet. This week we’ve got a matchup between Georgia and Texas. That’s literally the best possible game we could get. On top of that, we’ll see an old-school battle between Michigan/Illinois.

This could easily be the greatest Saturday of our lives.

College Football Odds

All odds as of Oct. 18 from FanDuel. Claim the FanDuel promo code to sign up and tail our picks. 

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK

Offer

T&Cs

Bet $5 & Get $250 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins

Must be 21+. T&C Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

LOCK IN PROMO

SIGNUP PROMO

BET $5
GET $250

BET NOW

Illinois Is Not That Bad

I know the biggest Nebraska guy on the planet and a few weeks ago, so I watch the Cornhuskers games. One of the last ones I saw was the one where they took on Illinois. Going into that game, I thought Illinois was going to get rolled because I thought Illinois sucked. Turns out, they’re not that bad, and ever since, I’ve been waiting on an opportunity to back them.

Why not do it in a game they’re dedicating to everyone who has ever had anything to do with them.

A game to honor all those who built this program. #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/jul2ntP9vW

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 14, 2024

Here’s a little “boots on the ground” analysis since I’ve seen Illinois play before. Their quarterback, Luke Altmyer, is a Dawg. Notice the capital “D”. I’ll admit, he doesn’t look like much but if you cut him open, you’d be able to see the Dawg in him. It’s gross to think about, but the Dawg is noticeable. I’m going somewhere with this, I promise.

The reason that’s important is because Michigan is giving it up through the air lately. They are clearly not the same defense they were last season. They just aren’t. The last three teams they’ve played have had a QB throw for 250+ on them and every single one of those teams hung at least 24 points. I think we’re going to see another team in Illinois move the ball through the air Saturday and when they do, they’ll drop at least 23 points. Feels right.

• The Pick: Illinois Fighting Illini Team Total Over 22.5 (+112) – FanDuel (Alt Line)

Texas Is Not a Joke

Do you want a little honesty? I’ll give you some. When this season started, I thought this game wouldn’t matter that much. I thought Georgia would have been undefeated and Texas would have already lost at least twice. That would have made the Alabama/Tennessee game the “marquee” game of the week.

But fast forward to now, and we’re looking at the College Gameday game. What a world.

Gearing up for Gameday 🤘@CollegeGameDay x @TexasLonghorns pic.twitter.com/n63aYB0KH5

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 17, 2024

Since this is the primetime, nationally televised game, we need to get down on this thing. Imagine Saturday night rolling around and us not having any action on this thing. That is simply not a world I want to live in. It’s disgusting to even think about.

Luckily, the books are in the worst possible spot they can be in. We’ve got a Georgia defense that has just recently started to give up points facing a Texas offense that has scored at least 31 points in every single game they’ve played this season. In a situation like that, you always take Texas to score at least 31 points. Feels right.

• The Pick: Texas Longhorns Team Total Over 30.5 (+116) – FanDuel (With 50% Boost)
• 2024 NCAAF SBD Release Results – 6-6 (+.76 Units)