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One of the hard parts of being a college football fan while trying handicap the games is putting your personal biases aside. It is ironic that the teams that you’re likely to have the most information about are the teams you’re least likely to want to bet on.

Perfect case in point was last night’s Central Michigan-Northern Illinois game. I suspected Central +4 would have been a very good play and despite their second half implosion, the Chippewas were still able to pull out a win, though it looked like it was going to be a blowout in the first half.

Still, if I had bet on them and they had then gone on to lose the game I would have felt doubly bad. Not all sports bettors have the same issues and can effectively bet with their head and not with their heart. I’m envious.

It is a pretty crappy slate of games this week, though next week promises quite a few interesting contests.

Top Games

South Carolina (+22) at Florida — Florida’s a damn good team, but c’mon? 22 points? Isn’t that about what the line was against Ole Miss? Wouldn’t surprise me to see South Carolina take this one down to the wire.

Air Force (+5.5) vs. Brigham Young — Air Force is massively underrated and I’ll gladly take the 5.5 points at home against a BYU team that has been scuffling the last few weeks. The Cougars might also be looking ahead to the big rivalry game against Utah.

Boston College (+7) at Florida State — I hate betting on the ACC, but if I have to I don’t mind getting a whole touchdown for the underdog.

North Carolina (-3) at Maryland — Pretty much just guessing here to be honest. Who knows which Maryland team will show up?

Kansas (+13) vs. Texas — I think the Jayhawks will be able to score enough points to keep the game close. The Texas defense is a cause for concern lately.

Best Bets

Buffalo (+3) at Akron — This game could determine not only the MAC East champion, but also the MAC West champion (long story). The Bulls winning out and claiming a division title would be a great story after being stuck in among the dregs of the FBS for so long.

Wyoming (+7) at UNLV — I don’t know if UNLV is good enough to be giving seven points to a team with the same record. Both teams are fighting for bowl eligibility and the home advantage will be negligible with no one in the stands at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Notre Dame (-4) at Navy — I can’t imagine Navy beating Notre Dame two years in a row. Charlie Weis calling the plays isn’t going to make a difference — the massive difference in talent between the two teams will though.

Ohio State (-9) at Illinois — I know a lot of people don’t believe in payback games, but what does matter is Illinois is struggling big time and Ohio State needs this win to have a shot at the conference title.

San Jose State (+15) at Nevada — I had to look twice at this spread. San Jose State isn’t actually a horrible team — in fact they’re already bowl eligible.

Last Week

3-7 last week, 62-46-3 overall

Top Games

1-4 last week, 32-21-2 overall

Best Bets

2-3 last week, 29-25-1 overall

Actual Bets

0-2 last week, 10-14-1 overall, -$106