College Football Odds: SEC Week 12 picks against the spread
Nov 7, 2015; Athens, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Drew Barker (7) throws the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Kentucky 27-3. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
- Date: Saturday November 21, 2015
- Time: 7:30 PM Eastern
- Location: Lexington, KY
- TV Channel: SEC Network+
- Spread: Kentucky -24.5
- Over/Under Total: 56
Like Vanderbilt, the Kentucky Wildcats need two wins over the next two weeks to secure a bowl bid. Luckily for UK, the Wildcats have a better chance of picking up a victory in their must-win Week 12 matchup against Charlotte.
The 49ers are in their first season as a member of the FBS, and are 2-7 overall with seven consecutive losses heading into this week’s clash in Lexington. Kentucky is also on a terrible losing streak, having lost fine in a row dating back to Oct. 3.
A big part of the issue for the Wildcats has been inconsistent play from quarterback Patrick Towles (2,077 passing yards, 9 TD, 13 INT), who has thrown for fewer and fewer yards in each of his last four games. That trend should continue as head coach Mark Stoops finally made the decision to bench Towles in favor of redshirt freshman Drew Barker (107 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), who will make his first career start after Towles started 22 straight dating back to the 2014 season opener.
Kentucky is 2-8 against the spread this season, which makes the 24.5-point spread an especially large number. It’s a very tough call because there’s been no reason to trust the Wildcats since September.
However, with Barker now pairing with running back Boom Williams (678 rushing yards, 3 TD) to provide a shot in the arm for the offense, plus a defensive unit that has shown modest improvement in recent losses to Georgia and Vanderbilt, UK can get the job done and extend their quest for a bowl game one more week.
— Who do you like in the SEC this week against the spread? Let us know in the comments below.