Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Odds to triumph the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year grant aren’t disposable astatine immoderate ineligible sportsbooks successful Nevada, but a runaway favourite has emerged successful different shops. And bettors who person ne'er seen the marketplace tin astir apt easy conjecture his identity.
First-year UCLA manager Bob Chesney is leaving his contention successful the particulate with his squad undefeated some straight-up and against the spread. The Bruins are the past of the 138 Football Bowl Subdivision teams without a azygous point-spread decision aft downing Michigan State 28-10 past week arsenic closing 16-point favorites.
BYU was besides 6-0 against the dispersed going into Week 8 but fell 39-31 successful treble overtime to UCF arsenic 7.5-point favorites.
But the Cougars’ occurrence this play was somewhat much expected. UCLA’s buzz was overmuch smaller, considering it was arsenic precocious arsenic 33-to-1 to marque the College Football Playoffs.
The Bruins are present odds-on favorites to marque the 12-team tract astatine likelihood of -130 (i.e. risking $130 to triumph $100) astatine Caesars/William Hill. That’s the aforesaid statement terms connected Chesney to triumph the Bear Bryant astatine sportsbooks extracurricular of Nevada.
He became the favourite aft starring UCLA to a 17-15 triumph astatine Oregon arsenic 10.5-point underdogs 2 weeks ago, but it’s the past 2 weeks that person secured the spot. The Bruins person kept rolling successful some games contempt losing backmost Nico Iamaleava to a season-ending genu injury.
Replacement Ty Dieffenbach besides got wounded successful the triumph against Michigan State but returned to the game, with Chesney downplaying immoderate imaginable semipermanent impact. All signs constituent toward Dieffenbach, not third-stringer Madden Iamaleava, starting for UCLA this play erstwhile it hosts UNR arsenic 23-point favorites.
The Bruins should beryllium important favorites successful each of their adjacent 3 games heading into a somewhat much challenging last 2 weeks traveling to Michigan and facing disconnected with archrival USC. At this rate, Chesney mightiness already person the country’s apical coaching grant locked up by then.
He’s been the designer of the champion turnaround successful assemblage shot truthful acold this year.
Read connected for my point-spread handicaps of each Week 9 FBS games. Lines are the champion presently disposable successful Las Vegas connected the chosen side. Picks are labeled successful 1 of 3 assurance categories — plays, leans and guesses. The grounds for the twelvemonth picking each crippled stands astatine 222-219-5 (80-71-1 connected plays, 79-73-2 connected leans and 63-75-2 connected guesses).
Big Games
Arizona +3.5 astatine Texas Tech, over/under: 55. Priors tin lone transportation a squad for truthful long. Texas Tech has been priced arsenic adjacent to unstoppable successful the Big 12 each twelvemonth due to the fact that of its supremacy past twelvemonth but it hasn’t hit, fto unsocial maintained, that level this season. Arizona’s metrics this play stroke distant Texas Tech’s — the erstwhile is No. 15 successful the federation by expected points added (EPA) per play to the latter’s No. 38 — to hint this should beryllium person to a pick’em. Play: Arizona +3.5.
Wisconsin +3 astatine Iowa, over/under: 36.5. Wisconsin’s back-to-basics, run-first attack has served it good this play but this mightiness beryllium wherever it encounters immoderate issues. That benignant is Iowa’s domain. The Hawkeyes are excessively imposing connected defense, with NFL Draft imaginable Bryce Hawthorne starring the mode successful the middle, to let the Badgers to outmuscle them. Lean: Iowa -3.
Auburn +13.5 astatine Ole Miss, over/under: 57. Ole Miss’ offense, sitting astatine No. 26 successful the federation by occurrence rate, is simply a tad overrated portion its defense, No. 55 successful occurrence rate, is middling astatine best. Admittedly, Auburn isn’t elite successful immoderate country but it’s hard-nosed and tin bent wrong 2 touchdowns of immoderate squad connected a bully day. This enactment should beryllium astir 10. Play: Auburn +13.5.
Florida +11 vs. Georgia successful Atlanta, over/under: 56. There are holes successful Georgia’s walk defense, and Florida violative coordinator Buster Faulkner should beryllium capable to find them with a bye week to hole — careless of which of 2 quarterbacks helium starts. That doesn’t mean Florida is bound to bushed Georgia outright successful the uncommon mentation of this rivalry person to the latter’s campus, but this is simply a large — and getting bigger — dispersed for a rivalry crippled betwixt 2 explosive and susceptible teams. Play: Florida +11.
Minnesota +19 astatine Indiana, over/under: 42.5. The assemblage shot satellite is wide putting down Indiana and diagnosing its violative problems with perchance injured backmost Josh Hoover disconnected a 13-6 triumph against Michigan arsenic 7.5-point favorites. Meanwhile, Minnesota is being celebrated for a 13-10 triumph against Iowa arsenic 7.5-point favorites wherever it could hardly muster 3.5 yards per play. Buy debased connected the defending champions and merchantability precocious connected the tough-but-flawed Gophers. Play: Indiana -19.
Utah -6.5 astatine Cincinnati, over/under: 58. This enactment has gotten a small carried distant successful upgrading Cincinnati for its 37-24 triumph against Texas Tech arsenic 10.5-point underdogs past week. The Bearcats played their champion crippled against a Red Raiders broadside waiting to beryllium exposed. They were coming disconnected a two-game losing streak earlier that. Utah is much consistent, with nary outright losses and lone a azygous noncover each year. Lean: Utah -6.5.
Miami -14.5 astatine North Carolina, over/under: 52. Maybe Miami’s focused and merciless 52-23 beatdown of Pittsburgh arsenic 21-point favorites past week was a motion that the Hurricanes are done messing astir and acceptable to play astatine the afloat grade of their powers connected a play basis. If they do, nary squad successful the ACC tin interaction Miami. Play: Miami -14.5.
Ohio State -7.5 astatine USC, over/under: 51. This dispersed was identical coming into the season, and present Ohio State has mislaid its backmost with 2025 Heisman finalist Julian Sayin retired indefinitely. Sure, USC is simply a small worse than expected — and coming disconnected a 24-7 nonaccomplishment to Wisconsin arsenic 3.5-point favorites — and Ohio State mightiness beryllium amended overall. But fixed the diminished authorities of backup quarterbacks passim assemblage shot since name, representation and likeness (NIL) deals began to regularisation the sport, there’s large origin for interest with the Buckeyes turning to Luke Fahey. Lean: USC +7.5.
Big Plays
Baylor pick’em astatine UCF, over/under: 48.5. Baylor has been truthful inconsistent that it fired manager Dave Aranda past weekend, with an chartless successful antiaircraft coordinator Joe Klanderman stepping successful arsenic the interim head. UCF has been steadier, keeping an ascent that mightiness not beryllium done aft the BYU upset, considering however backmost Keyone Jenkins is progressing. Play: UCF pick’em.
California +7 astatine NC State, over/under: 56.5. This enactment is inexplicably moving toward California, which opened connected the different broadside of a touchdown underdog. But the Bears person been an unmitigated disaster. NC State fired longtime manager Dave Doeren aft its latest loss, but Todd Goebbel mightiness beryllium an interim worthy getting down arsenic a programme staple for astir a decennary with a beardown violative background. Play: NC State -7.
Kansas State -3 astatine Colorado, over/under: 48. Much of the Kansas State optimism for the play revolved astir elder backmost Avery Johnson, who’s present wounded and sounds apt to miss his 2nd consecutive game. There’s a large drop-off to freshman backup Jacob Knuth. Colorado has played amended than its grounds and traditionally has a beardown home-field vantage due to the fact that of Folsom Field’s elevation. Let’s anticipation the Buffaloes tin enactment it unneurotic for 4 quarters for erstwhile alternatively of bumbling done mediocre endgame execution. Play: Colorado +3.
South Carolina +5.5 astatine Oklahoma, over/under: 44.5. South Carolina outplayed Tennessee much than the 27-24 last people past week indicated. A watercourse of wealth came successful connected the Gamecocks for that contention portion the other is occurring this week. The anti-South Carolina sentiment is funny considering Oklahoma’s discourtesy has been excessively constricted to reliably screen large spreads. Play: South Carolina +5.5.
Oklahoma State -8 astatine Iowa State, over/under: 57. Iowa State seems to instrumentality aboriginal wealth this week, but the returns person diminished. The Cyclones’ discourtesy has intelligibly declined from an early-season feistiness that appeared to drawback opponents disconnected guard. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, lone seems to beryllium getting amended connected that broadside of the ball. This enactment should beryllium treble digits. Play: Oklahoma State -8.
Oregon State -7 astatine Fresno State, over/under: 57.5. It’s hard not to emotion watching the energy created by Oregon State backmost Braden Atkinson and big-play, top-target Jesse Legree but the prime of walk defenses the duo has faced precocious leaves overmuch to beryllium desired. Fresno State volition beryllium a large step-up successful that department, with its discourtesy having besides travel astir to look competent the past fewer weeks.Play: Fresno State +7.
Other games
Plays
Delaware +1 astatine Western Kentucky
Sam Houston +5 astatine Missouri State
Tulane -10 astatine Charlotte
San Diego State -2.5 vs. Washington State
Liberty -14 vs. Florida International
Kennesaw State +3 astatine Middle Tennessee
South Florida -7.5 vs. UAB
Colorado State +7.5 astatine Utah State
UTEP +25 vs. North Dakota State
Leans
Virginia +14 astatine Wake Forest
James Madison -21 vs. Troy
Bowling Green +13.5 astatine Western Michigan
South Alabama +5.5 vs. Louisiana Tech
Clemson +6 astatine Florida State
Sacramento State +10.5 vs. Kent State
UL Monroe +4 vs. Southern Miss
Rutgers +14.5 vs. Michigan
Washington +9.5 astatine Nebraska
Texas State +12 astatine Boise State
UNR +23 astatine UCLA
Stanford +22.5 astatine Louisville
Pittsburgh -7.5 vs. Georgia Tech
Appalachian State +5.5 astatine Georgia Southern
San Jose State +14.5 vs. New Mexico
Mississippi State +21 astatine Texas
Lean: Old Dominion +3 vs. Marshall
Florida Atlantic +13.5 astatine North Texas
Penn State -7.5 vs. Purdue
SMU -9 astatine Syracuse
Illinois -2.5 astatine Maryland
Connecticut +3 astatine Air Force
Guesses
Duke -6.5 vs. Boston College
Army +6.5 astatine Memphis
New Mexico State +3.5 vs. Jacksonville State
TCU -5.5 vs. Kansas
Oregon -3.5 vs. Northwestern
East Carolina -5.5 vs. Temple
UNLV -24 vs. Northern Illinois
Arkansas +10 vs. Missouri
Navy +30.5 vs. Notre Dame
BYU -16 vs. Arizona State
Coastal Carolina +6.5 astatine Georgia State
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