While we don’t have many high-leverage college football games in Week 13, this is also one of those weeks that can result in wild and shocking outcomes.
LSU isn’t playing an FCS team and neither is Georgia — unlike some of their SEC brothers. The two top-ranked teams in the SEC will need to be focused on this week and not get caught looking ahead to what could be the biggest game of the year if those two meet in the SEC title game in Atlanta in early December.
Ohio State and Penn State play in the biggest game of the weekend, but don’t sleep on Baylor vs. Texas. Those two are also ranked and face off after both teams suffered devastating losses last week.
Here’s a look at the Week 13 college football betting odds for teams in the Top 25.
CFB Top 25 Week 13 odds
Arkansas at No. 1 LSU
If you needed another stat line to help you pick Joe Burrow for the Heisman, he gave you one last week against Ole Miss. On the road, the LSU QB threw for a career-high 489 yards and five touchdowns as the Tigers followed up their huge win at Alabama with a 58-37 win over the Rebels. While it’s not great that LSU gave up 37 points, the Tigers were up 28-0 at one point and coasted the rest of the way.
This week, LSU is again a massive favorite over a two-win Arkansas team that has already fired their head coach. At 0-6 in the SEC, the Razorbacks simply lack the talent to keep up with the best offense in the conference.
No. 9 Penn State at No. 2 Ohio State
This game is the biggest one of the weekend as Ohio State tries to win the Big 10 East while Penn State tries to take over first place in the division. The Buckeyes are 10-0 on the year and 7-0 in conference. OSU has scored 129 points the last two weeks and is now averaging 51.5 points per game, which is tops in the county.
Penn State’s defense is giving up just 13. 5 points per game, seventh-best in the country. PSU has won at Iowa and at Maryland but lost at Minnesota. Penn State lost 39-38 in Columbus in 2017. The Nittany Lions lost 27-26 at home last year. Is the third time the charm? We are going to find out.
No. 24 Texas A&M at No. 4 Georgia
The Bulldogs were challenged by the Playoff Committee to go to Auburn and score a big win. They passed the test. It wasn’t easy as Georgia gave up 14 fourth-quarter points to hang on for a 21-14 victory. The win secured UGA’s third straight SEC East crown. With two games left before the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, the Dawgs just need to hold serve and win their remaining games. Meanwhile, Texas A&M has won four games in a row and would love to score a win over a top 5 team.
Western Carolina vs. No. 5 Alabama
It was a rough weekend in Tuscaloosa and it’s going to be a long few weeks of asking “what if?” Alabama won easily at Mississippi State but the loss off QB Tua Tagovailoa for the season is going to allow the Playoff Committee to overlook the one-loss Crimson Tide. Head Coach Nick Saban is taking a lot of heat for his decision to play Tua in a blowout. Alabama has played an FCS opponent in this spot of the schedule since 2010 and has averaged nearly 50 points per game in them. Expect a huge number as ‘Bama tries to get Mac Jones ready for the Iron Bowl next week.
No. 6 Oregon at Arizona State
With the injury to Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama’s chances of making the playoffs are slim. That opens up an opportunity for a 12-1 Pac-12 Champ to land one of the coveted top four spots. However, Auburn’s loss to Georgia last week doesn’t help the Ducks chances as they lost to Auburn in the first week of the season.
Georgia also has one loss but has wins over Auburn, Florida, and Notre Dame. Oregon doesn’t have a resume that can match what the Dawgs have faced this season. The Ducks clinched the Pac-12 North last week but Arizona State can still become bowl eligible with a win this or next week against Arizona.
TCU at No. 7 Oklahoma
Down 28-3 at Baylor, Oklahoma had a comeback for the ages in a 34-31 victory to stay in playoff hunt. Baylor was handed its first loss as QB Jalen Hurts threw four touchdown passes against a team that OU could see again in the Big 12 title game. The Sooners are 9-1 and have won their last three games by a combined 11 points. Is that good news for TCU? Maybe. The Horned Frogs won at Texas Tech last week and would love to get revenge for the 52-27 loss last year to OU.
No. 8 Utah at Arizona
Utah has won six games in a row after defeating UCLA 49-3 last week. The Bruins had won three games in a row before running into the brick wall that is the Utes defense. Utah put up 201 yards on the ground behind the power running of Zack Moss. The outcome was the most dominant in the conference for the Utes since joining the Pac-12. Arizona has lost five straight and will struggle to score like it did versus Oregon last week.
No. 11 Minnesota at Northwestern
It was a tough loss for Gopher backers last week as three-point underdogs at Iowa. Minnesota missed an extra point late in the game that would have given bettors a push but instead, the Gophers failed to cover on the road. The missed kick had little impact on the outcome of the game however as Iowa scored three touchdowns on three straight possessions in the first half and hung on to win its fifth straight Floyd of Rosedale trophy.
Northwestern is going to face an angry bunch of Gophers on Saturday as Minnesota can still play in the Big 10 title game if it wins this week and next week versus Wisconsin.
No. 12 Michigan at Indiana
Michigan has to be careful not to overlook the Hoosiers this week as their big rivalry game with Ohio State is up next. If the Wolverines don’t play up to their abilities, they can lose easily to an Indiana team that fought hard last week in a seven-point loss at Penn State. That loss snapped a four-game winning streak for IU.
Michigan has won three games in a row since losing at Penn State and its offense has really come to life. The Wolverines have scored 45, 38, and 44 in those three wins. Indiana better be ready to put up points in this one.
No. 13 Baylor vs. No. 19 Texas
How will Baylor respond to its first loss of the season? The Bears were up 28-3 and blew it last week at home against Oklahoma. However, Baylor can still play in the Big 12 Championship if it wins out.
Texas is also shaking its head after blowing a lead on the road at Iowa State last week. The Longhorns couldn’t get a running attack going against the Cyclones but QB Sam Ehlinger did throw for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Both teams need a win but Baylor can play Oklahoma again if they get past Texas.
No. 14 Wisconsin at Purdue
Wisconsin is still in the race for the Big 10 West after winning at Nebraska last week. The Badgers are 5-2 in the Big 10 and will play Minnesota next week on the road for the division if they can beat Purdue this week.
The Boilermakers are playing well with wins over Northwestern and Nebraska. At 4-6, Purdue has to win this game and then against Indiana next week to become bowl eligible. There is a lot riding on this game.
Boston College at No. 15 Notre Dame
So much for the Irish being on upset alert against Navy last week. Notre Dame took out some frustration against Navy and blew out the Midshipmen 52-20 to improve to 8-2. The Irish defense played well but QB Ian Book stole the show by throwing for 284 yards and five touchdowns. Four of those went to wideout Chase Claypool who tied a Notre Dame record with a career day.
Boston College is 5-5 and must win one of its last two games to become bowl eligible. The Eagles lost to Florida State last week, 38-31, so it’s more likely they will beat Pitt next week than Notre Dame this week.
No. 16 Auburn vs. Samford
Auburn is playing an FCS opponent like several other SEC teams elect to do during this week. The Iron Bowl is on deck with Alabama coming to town. Expect a lot of young players to see action in this one. Samford is 5-5 but this is its last game of the season and it’s not expected to be a happy ending.
Temple at No. 17 Cincinnati
If it wasn’t for the blowout loss at Ohio State, a lot more people would be talking about the season for the Bearcats. At 9-1, UC has won eight games in a row, including a 20-17 win over South Florida on the road.
Temple has won two games in a row and is 4-2 in the conference, two games behind Cincy. The Owls need help, and with two games to play, they have to win this game if they want any shot at playing in the AAC Championship Game. Temple has already lost at SMU and at Buffalo, so winning at Cincinnati might be a lot to ask.
No. 18 Memphis at South Florida
South Florida has lost three of its last four but is playing hard. This game will not be a walk in the park for Memphis. The Bulls led Cincinnati 10-0 at halftime last week but couldn’t stop the Bearcats from kicking a game-winning field goal with no time remaining.
Memphis is tied atop the AAC West at 5-1 but holds the tiebreaker over both SMU and Navy thanks to beating them both head-to-head. After playing at USF, Memphis must face Cincy at home. The race to see who plays in the AAC title game is going to come down to the final week, most likely, but the Tigers have to win this week to make it happen.
No. 19 Boise State at Utah State
The Broncos control their own destiny for the Mountain West Conference title game. At 6-0 in the MWC and 9-1 overall, Boise State has a lot to play for down the stretch. A New Year’s Six Bowl Game is very likely if they win out and end the season 12-1. In order to do that, the Broncos have to win at Utah State and at Colorado State.
Given that the only loss of the year came at BYU, it’s not crazy to think that BSU could get tripped up. Utah State is 5-1 in the MWC and can move into a tie for the division with a win.
Illinois at No. 20 Iowa
The Hawkeyes were one of the more popular plays last week with professional bettors and they rewarded their faith with a four-point win over Minnesota. Iowa is now 7-3 and has won three of its last four.
Illinois pulled off one of the craziest comebacks of the season two weeks ago, rallying back from a 31-10 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Michigan State. Riding a four-game winning streak, the Illini are bowl eligible and would love to keep their hot streak going against a ranked Iowa team.
No. 21 SMU at Navy
This is an elimination game for the American Athletic Conference West Division as both these clubs are 5-1. Navy got its doors blown off at Notre Dame last week but that was a non-conference game and really didn’t matter much.
SMU bounced back from its loss at Memphis to beat East Carolina. SMU has one of the best offenses in college football, averaging 45.1 points per game (6th best in the country). Navy leads the country in rushing yards per game (349.3) but couldn’t get going last week. Expect Navy to bounce back against an SMU defense which has allowed at least 17 points in every game this season.
Texas State at No. 22 Appalachian State
With a 9-1 record, the Mountaineers have been ranked for most of this season even though they have yet to face a ranked opponent this season. App State has won two games since the loss at George Southern, which cut the lead in the Sun Belt East Division to just one game. Texas State has only three wins and has lost four of its last five.
No. 23 Oklahoma State at West Virginia
At 4-3 in the Big 12, the Cowboys are not going to catch the top teams in the league. OSU is 7-3 and has a chance to enter next week’s game against archrival Oklahoma on a four-game winning streak. West Virginia is 4-6 with two games to go to become bowl eligible, so you know the Mountaineers will be fired up for this one.
No. 25 San Diego State at Hawaii
SDSU can clinch the MWC West Division with a win over Hawaii in this game. At 5-2, the Aztecs have a one-game lead on the Rainbow Warriors at 4-3. San Diego State beat Fresno State 17-7 last week while Hawaii won on the road at UNLV. The Aztecs have not played Mountain Division leader Boise State yet this season and a win this week would make for a huge matchup for the conference title.