College Football Best Bets of the Week: Week 13

We are in the home stretch of the season, and the College Football Playoff race is heating up. Week 13 offers plenty of opportunities to pad our bankroll and there are two bets in particular that I’m going to attack. Let’s get into it.

Charlotte vs. Florida Atlantic

(Charlotte -3, O/U 48.5, DraftKings Sportsbook)

This is a matchup between two AAC cellar dwellers, and it’s a game that would be ignored by the masses if not for the wonderful world of sports betting. The 49ers fired head coach Biff Poggi Monday after the team suffered a fourth consecutive loss. Associate head coach Tim Brewster will take over for the rest of the season.

To say it’s been a tough year for the 49ers would be an understatement. They currently have a 3-7 record and are averaging 21.6 PPG while giving up over 36 PPG. They especially struggle when it comes to defending the run and have surrendered 211.7 YPG on the ground to their opponents. That’s going to be a problem against FAU as they have a pretty strong RB room.

Don’t get me wrong, the Owls haven’t exactly been lighting the world on fire by any means. FAU is 2-8 on the season, and their defense has struggled mightily, allowing over 30 PPG. Oh, and did I mention that they’ve also promoted their coach to fan? Yes, both teams have fired their coach due to lackluster seasons. There seems to be very little middle ground for these situations as a team will either come out inspired for the interim coach or lay a giant egg as they look to the offseason.

At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to talent and FAU has enough playmakers to win on their home field. FAU will be without their usual starter at QB in Cam Fancher as he is out with a season-ending injury and backup Kasen Weisman will also be out. This means Junior Tyriq Starks will be under center. He has shown some rushing ability in the little bit of action he has received, but he really just needs to hand the ball off to CJ Campbell (594 yards/10 TDs) and Zuberi Mobley (441 yards/4 TDs). This game will be one in the trenches and in the hands of their dynamic duo.

The Pick

FAU +3

ULM vs. Arkansas State

(Arkansas State -3, O/U 52.5, DraftKings Sportsbook)

The Arkansas State Red Wolves are better than their 6-4 record show. Dual-threat QB Jaylen Raynor is a tough cover for most Sun Belt defenses, and he has racked up 362 yards on the ground this season.

The running back tandem of Ja’Quez Cross (543 yards/2 TDs) and Zak Wallace (403 yards/8 TDs) should feast against this Warhawks defense. They’ve given up nearly 200 YPG on the ground and it’s definitely an exploitable weakness. Receivers Corey Rucker (54-783-3) and Courtney Jackson (30-341-0) provide Raynor with solid weapons in the passing game.

ULM’s offense has been stagnant for the most part but have gutted out a 5-5 record through 10 games. Running back Ahmad Hardy (975 yards) will give the Warhawks a chance to control the clock in this game and it’s a strong DVP spot for him against the Red Wolves. However, their quarterback play hasn’t been consistent, and it’s led to lackluster production for the receivers.

Arkansas State has the more explosive offense, and we will lean on the home team once again in what projects to be a close battle.