Betting News & Analysis

Premium Content Sign Up

Best Weekday College Football Bets for Week 5: Spreads, totals & player props

Iowa junior quarterback Spencer Petras calls the play to his Hawkeyes teammates in the fourth quarter against Colorado State at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. 20210925 Iowavs Coloradost

The weekday slate for Week 5 of the college football season looks to be an exciting one. We have a couple conference showdowns as Miami hosts Virginia and fifth-ranked Iowa takes on Taulia Tagovailoa and Maryland. The lines had just come out at the time of this writing, which is the perfect opportunity to find some betting value. Remember, the earlier you can get in on these lines, the better value. 

It should be noted these projections are coming from my own model and not PFF Greenline. To date, my model is sitting at 52.7% ATS, with a RMSE of 15.6, which isn’t too bad. PFF Greenline is an amazing betting resource, and when it comes online for this week I highly encourage you to use it in conjunction with the betting articles. More knowledge will make you a smarter bettor every time.


Click here for more PFF tools:

Rankings & ProjectionsWR/CB Matchup ChartNFL & NCAA Betting DashboardsNFL Player Props toolNFL & NCAA Power Rankings


Virginia Cavaliers VS. Miami Hurricanes (-3.5)

Pick: Over 62
Cover Probability: 55.4%

With the top of the ACC starting to open up, both of these teams are looking to gain some footing in the Coastal Division. Miami ranks 62nd in the country in offensive grade (73.0), which is basically average. The Hurricanes come into this game after a tune up game against Central Connecticut State. The biggest surprise this season is the Miami defense. The Hurricanes currently rank 109th in overall defensive grade (62.4) and second-to-last in the nation in tackling (29.8). They will have to find some answers quickly because the Virginia offense can be downright dangerous. 

Virginia is 13th in the country in PFF offensive grade (84.3). This has been primarily driven by the passing game and QB Brennan Armstrong, who continues to lead the nation in passing grade (92.3). Even in their disappointing loss to Wake Forest, Armstrong was solid, grading out at 83.9 overall. Similar to Miami, the Cavaliers have struggled defensively, grading out 120th with a 54.9 defensive grade. My model likes the over in this game off the backs of two competent offenses and two mediocre defenses. 

Related content you might like:
Why betting early is critical to beating NFL markets via Robby Greer
How Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III is already hot in his pursuit of college football stardom via Trevor sikkema

DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32

Unlimited Fantasy League Sync
Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire
WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools
Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks
PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools
NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades

Already have a subscription? Log In

Betting Featured Tools

  • PFF's Best Bets Tool reveals the bets PFF's data and algorithms give the biggest edge to within spread, total, player prop, and moneyline markets.

    Available with

  • PFF's Player Props Tool reveals betting opportunities within player prop markets.

    Available with

  • Power Rankings are PFF’s NFL power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. These power rankings are adjusted based on coach, quarterback and the market each season.

    Available with

  • PFF predictions and real time spread, moneyline and over/under lines for each NFL game.

    Available with

  • PFF predictions and real time spread, moneyline and over/under lines for each NCAA game.

    Available with

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit