College Football Lines: Vegas Bets Week 3

October 20, 2012; Corvallis, OR, USA; Utah Utes running back John White (15) is tackled by Oregon State Beavers defensive end Scott Crichton (95) at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

I’m staying away from the Game to End All Games. Let the public try to figure that one out, while I stick to the real value plays.*

Boston College +13.5 at USC

It shows where the USC program is right now that BC is a reasonable play here. I don’t think the Eagles are particularly good—they were far from dominant in beating Villanova or Wake Forest—and they have to travel across the country for this one, and yet I’m not sure USC deserves to be favored by this much against anyone right now. I expect a low-scoring game.

Oregon State at Utah -3

In Utah’s first two seasons in the Pac-12, it started 0-4 in league play. I think this is the year the Utes get off on the right foot. Despite being the conference opener for both teams, it feels like a very important game. They seem evenly matched, but I like the Utes at home.

September 15, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) throws the ball against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee at Oregon -28.5

This is obviously a big spread for a Tennessee team that won its opener 45-0 and smacked a Western Kentucky team that many (including myself) thought had a chance of the upset. But teams not familiar with Oregon’s attack seem to have no chance of slowing it, especially in Autzen.

*Says the guy with the losing record.