College Football Playoff<\/a>.<\/p>\nIn the 11 weeks since Manning was the consensus preseason Heisman favorite for the nation\u2019s top-ranked team, the prince of football\u2019s first family has become a national punchline in his first season as a starter, ranked 48th in quarterback rating and 59th in QBR. He has thrown for fewer than 175 yards in nearly half of his starts and thrown at least one interception in more than half of his starts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, 11 weeks after stumbling at defending champion Ohio State, Manning gets another swing at a season-defining moment in an SEC Championship rematch against No. 5 Georgia (8-1).<\/p>\n
No. 10 Texas (7-2) has hope, coming off a bye and four straight wins, with Manning\u2019s past two performances marking his best two efforts of the season. Head coach Steve Sarkisian finally made changes to help Manning thrive behind a shaky offensive line and weak ground game, allowing the quarterback to get out of his head by getting the ball out of his hands quickly. That strategy may not even be necessary against an uncharacteristically unthreatening Georgia defense, which ranks 128th in the nation in sack percentage, and has contributed to the once-dominant Bulldogs having most games come down to the wire.<\/p>\n
Manning doesn\u2019t need to be his uncles or his grandfather to give Texas (+6) a chance. His defense \u2014 which leads the nation in sacks and is ranked second against the run \u2014 will do that. But everything is on the table if he can finally live up to his name.<\/p>\n
Clemson (+3) over LOUISVILLE<\/p>\n
The Cardinals coughed up their playoff hopes in last week\u2019s stunning home upset against Cal, falling to 2-6 against the number as a favorite and 2-4 at home against power conference teams since last season. With two more wins, Dabo Swinney will become bowl-eligible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
OREGON (-25.5) over Minnesota<\/p>\n
The Gophers have lost their past two road games by a combined 77 points, failing to reach the end zone in either game (Ohio State, Iowa). The Ducks need to flex some muscle after back-to-back underwhelming efforts from Dante Moore.<\/p>\n
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrates with running back Roman Hemby (1) after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
Wisconsin (+29.5) over INDIANA<\/p>\n
A blowout is certain, but the Badgers are coming off an upset of Washington and possess a top-25 defense despite playing the nation\u2019s second-toughest schedule. This will be Wisconsin\u2019s fourth matchup against a team currently in the top 10, having lost by an average of 19 points in trips to Alabama and Oregon.<\/p>\n
South Carolina (+19.5) over TEXAS A&M<\/p>\n
The Gamecocks have nothing to lose and a new play caller (Mike Furrey), who has had two weeks to prepare for a defense that ranks 11th in the SEC in yards allowed per carry. In five games against ranked opponents, South Carolina has lost by an average of 12.2 points.<\/p>\n
Ty Washington #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates a touchdown during the third quarter against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium on November 08, 2025 in South Bend, Indiana. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Notre Dame (-12.5) over PITTSBURGH<\/p>\n
The line keeps growing, but the movement is justified given the Irish\u2019s sixth-ranked average scoring margin (19.9) and a soft Pitt schedule, which has put the Panthers in the ACC title race despite their five conference wins coming against opponents who are a combined 6-25 in league play. Barring a monumental upset in the closing weeks, Notre Dame can lock up a playoff spot with its eighth straight win.<\/p>\n
NORTHWESTERN (+11.5) over Michigan<\/p>\n
The Wolverines (2-4 as a favorite against the spread) and double-digit lines mix like vodka and vinegar. Michigan\u2019s 60th-ranked offense has struggled against worse defenses than a top-20 Wildcats unit, and freshman Bryce Underwood hasn\u2019t thrown a touchdown pass in nearly a month, having produced 231 yards passing in his past two starts combined.<\/p>\n
Ty Simpson #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks to pass against the Georgia Bulldogs during the third quarter at Sanford Stadium on September 27, 2025 in Athens, Georgia. Getty Images<\/p>\n
ALABAMA (-6) over Oklahoma<\/p>\n
The Sooners\u2019 second-ranked run defense won\u2019t have much to do against an Alabama attack entirely reliant on the right arm of Heisman contender Ty Simpson (21 touchdowns, one interception). The Tide will find redemption after fumbling a playoff spot last season at Oklahoma, which has allowed 708 passing yards in its past two games.<\/p>\n
TEXAS TECH (-24) over Ucf<\/p>\n
The Red Raiders won\u2019t get complacent in a crowded Big 12 race and haven\u2019t shown any sign of a letdown during this dominant season, with an average margin of victory of more than 33 points. Tech remains undefeated on the field and against the spread with Behren Morton under center. The Knights are winless on the field and against the spread in conference games on the road.<\/p>\n
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal. AP<\/p>\n
N.C. State (+14.5) over MIAMI<\/p>\n
Never lay multiple touchdowns with a guy (Mario Cristoabal) who has more losses as a double-digit favorite (five) than any other head coach in the country in the past three years.<\/p>\n
USC (-6.5) over Iowa<\/p>\n
You could flip a coin if this was on a neutral field. At the Coliseum \u2014 1,800 miles and seven days removed from Iowa\u2019s gut-punch loss to Oregon \u2014 the advantage belongs to the Trojans, who have lost one Big Ten home game in two years while averaging 36 points per game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Florida (+15.5) over OLE MISS<\/p>\n
If Florida found a few breaks, and Ole Miss didn\u2019t receive so many, the top-10 team and 3-6 embarrassment wouldn\u2019t be so far apart. The Gators will show some fight after a bizarre blowout loss to Kentucky, playing a playoff-bound team that has nearly been defeated by three sub-.500 teams (Arkansas, Kentucky, Washington State).<\/p>\n
Utah (-8.5) over BAYLOR<\/p>\n
The Utes\u2019 average margin of victory in seven wins is more than 36 points. After beating the Bears in back-to-back seasons while running for nearly 200 yards per game, Utah (7-2 against the spread as a favorite) returns from a bye with Wayshawn Parker, Devon Dampier, and the nation\u2019s fifth-ranked ground game (5.9 yards per carry) to face Baylor\u2019s 114th-ranked run defense.<\/p>\n
Betting on College Football? <\/p>\n
Ucla (+31.5) over OHIO STATE<\/p>\n
The Buckeyes will win with ease, but the reigning champs\u2019 disinterest in style points \u2014 ranking 26th in scoring (32.1 ppg) \u2014 makes the massive spread too risky, as demonstrated in last week\u2019s backdoor cover by Purdue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
BYU (-4.5) over Tcu<\/p>\n
The Cougars are 33-4 in night games in the past seven seasons under head coach Kilani Sitake. Their top-20 defense will bounce back from their first loss of the season against Josh Hoover, who has thrown six interceptions in TCU\u2019s three losses.<\/p>\n
BEST BETS: South Carolina, Florida, BYU.<\/p>\n
SEASON: 73-92 (10-23).<\/p>\n
2014-24 RECORD: 1,392-1,309-31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York Post may be compensated and\/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49725,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133,5075,28315,261,5389,154,5390,5958,537],"class_list":["post-49724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-betting","tag-bettors-guide","tag-college-football","tag-college-football-betting","tag-sports","tag-sports-betting","tag-sports-picks","tag-texas-longhorns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}