BETTING: Arnold Against The Spread Szn 2: Week 9

We’re sitting at a solid .500 record for the season. Cheers to that!

• By
  
  
  Jay Arnold
  
  
• on October 25, 2023 9:15 am

What a turnaround it’s been over the past two weeks. After a disastrous start to the 2023 season, we’ve managed to go 8-1 and 7-3 in Weeks 7 and 8, bringing our overall record to 34-34. That’s right – we’ve reached .500. Now, the question is whether we can continue to improve and finish the season on a positive note. Let’s examine the odds* presented by our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook. Please note that this blog does not constitute financial advice.

Liberty -5.5 at Western Kentucky

Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

Liberty appears to be a clear choice to win Conference USA, and I believe they will continue their conference dominance tonight against Western Kentucky. This game has always felt like the de facto CUSA championship to me, but with Jacksonville State’s victory over the Hilltoppers, I believe Liberty will remain in control from here on out. The Flames have already defeated Jacksonville State and New Mexico State, the teams currently occupying second and third place in the conference. I predict that Liberty will win by a touchdown on the road against WKU.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was written before Tuesday’s contest, but due to an outage, the article could not be published until Wednesday. However, we have no integrity, so we’re definitely counting it for this week’s record anyway.

Oklahoma at Kansas +10

Following a thrilling victory against Texas, it’s not surprising that the Sooners faced a bit of a scare against UCF. Unfortunately for Oklahoma, I believe they will encounter a similar challenge on the road against the Jayhawks. Although starting QB Jalon Daniels remains doubtful to play, I think Kansas will give OU a run for their money, especially since the game is taking place in Lawrence.

Houston at Kansas State Under 60

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas State demonstrated against TCU that they are capable of playing exceptional defense, especially when they’re playing at home in Manhattan. Although Houston has shown improvement in recent weeks and possesses a potent offense, I don’t anticipate this game turning into a high-scoring shootout. I predict the scoring will be lower, so I recommend betting on the under.

Mississippi State at Auburn Under 43.5

Auburn’s 21 points against Ole Miss mark the highest-scoring game the Tigers have had in SEC competition this season. In fact, the only other games in which the Tigers scored more than 21 points were against UMass and Samford. On the other hand, Mississippi State just won a game in which neither team scored double-digit points. So, I suggest betting on the under.

Oregon at Utah Over 48

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Utah boasts an incredibly talented defense and is still without their starting QB Cam Rising. However, that didn’t stop Kyle Whittingham’s team from defeating USC in a high-scoring game last week. While I don’t expect exactly the same scenario in this game as Oregon can play defense as well, I believe there will be enough points to surpass the over/under threshold of 48.

Duke +4 at Louisville

This might seem like a foolish pick considering Duke might be without their starting QB Riley Leonard, but I firmly believe that the Blue Devils’ defense is more than capable of keeping them in this game. I anticipate a low-scoring affair where Duke will have a chance to stay within a field goal of Louisville.

Tulane at Rice Under 54.5

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Tulane continues to showcase themselves as one of the top Group of 5 teams in the country, even after their scare against North Texas last week. The Green Wave are still ranked and hope to maintain their perfect conference record as they travel west on IH-10 to face the Rice Owls. Although the Owls have the ability to generate big plays with QB JT Daniels, I believe this game will be more low-scoring. So, I recommend betting on the under.

Wyoming at Boise State Under 49

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