We’re starting to get into the meat of the season and teams are starting to show us their true colors. Despite some unexpected upsets, DPJ and I are still surging in the right direction and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon!

Continue to ride the lightning with us this week and always remember to bet smarter, not harder.

Q’s Best Bets (6-7 overall) (3-0 Week 5)
Oklahoma vs Texas – Saturday, 10/9 (12:00 PM EST)
Pick: Texas +3.5

Despite letting me down in Week 2 (the only game that Texas hasn’t covered against the spread all season), I still have faith in this new look Longhorns team. Steve Sarkisian appears to be the long awaited coach Texas has meticulously searched for since the departure of Mack Brown years ago and the Sooner squad they will be facing this weekend has been trying to lose a game all season. Bijan Robinson has been quietly putting together a solid season so far (652 rush yards, 7 TDs) and is set to explode in the limelight on Saturday. These Red River Rivalry games always seem to come down to a single score and I honestly like the Longhorns to win this one outright. I’m expecting Sark to make his mark in this one (poet and didn’t know it) and for Texas to end the 3 year winning streak Oklahoma has coming into this series (or at the very least keep it within a field goal). Hook ‘em.

Michigan State @ Rutgers – Saturday, 10/9 (12:00 PM EST)
Pick: Michigan State -5

Let me start this one out by stating that I have absolutely no ties or allegiances to Michigan State whatsoever. Keeping in mind this non prejudice toward the team, I am absolutely baffled at the lack of respect they seem to get on a weekly basis. This Spartans team is super balanced on both sides of the ball. Payton Thorne has been putting on clinics this year, spreading the ball out beautifully to his talented WRs (Jayden Reed will play on Sundays) and letting his workhorse back Kenneth Walker III do his thing and wear down defenses all game. On the other side of the ball, this Spartans defense has been shut down and an absolute turnover machine with 19 sacks and 8 turnovers on the year so far. While Rutgers will be coming off of two back to back losses (against the only two ranked teams they’ve played all year), I don’t see them having the fire power to keep this one close. Michigan State is my sleeper pick to win the Big 10 this year and I’m going to keep riding with Sparty until the wheels fall off.

Boise State @ BYU – Saturday, 10/9 (3:30 PM EST)
Pick: BYU -2.5

Man has BYU’s football program taken several steps forward in the past few years. Provo has become a rowdy hotbed for ranked upsets as of late, it was recently announced that BYU will be joining the Big 12 conference (a move certain to bolster recruiting for the coming years) and BYU has broken into the top 10 rankings twice in the past two years (not ranking inside the top 10 since 2009 prior). It’s safe to say this BYU program is moving in the right direction under Kalani Sitake and I don’t see that trend changing this weekend at home against a 2-3 Boise State squad. While Boise State could easily be 4-1 this year, they haven’t played any ranked opponents and seem to be missing some of the identity this year we’ve grown accustomed to in the past. BYU’s QB situation is still up in the air, Jaren Hall suffering a rib injury and Baylor Romney dealing with a concussion, but the Cougars should still be able to lean on their stud RB Tyler Allgeier who ran for 218 yards and 3 TDs last week (only the 11th BYU player to eclipse the 200 yard mark in the history of the program). Oh and not to mention, the Cougars will be debuting their brand new all navy uniform combo for the first time ever in this weekend’s matchup (a move sure to get the people going). I’m riding with Cosmo in this one, arguably the most athletic mascot in sports, and expecting BYU to pull away late by a TD+.

DPJ’s Best Bets (3-6-1 overall)
New Mexico @ San Diego State – Saturday, 10/9 (9:00 PM EST)
Pick: San Diego State -18.5

Love me some late night Mountain West football. The Aztecs have rounded into form, opening 4-0 on the season with (2) Pac-12 victories over a crappy Arizona team and a formidable Utah team. Not only did they cover the spread against Utah, they won, and not only did they cover against Arizona, they won by 24 points. The Lobos on the other hand have shown almost no fight in two of their toughest matchups of the year. They were bounced by Texas A&M 34-0 and then embarrassed at home against Air Force 38-10. This is a team that does mind getting blown out. San Diego State should easily get an early lead and sustain that lead with their running game (14th best in the country at 251 yds per game).

UCLA @ Arizona – Saturday, 10/9 (10:30 PM EST)
Pick: Arizona +17 and Total Points Under 61.5

The Wildcats have been lousy this year, there is no mincing words about that. They are clearly in a rebuilding season after Kevin Sumlin ran the program into the ground. I’m an Arizona alum and have even bet against them several times this year because I know they stink. However…this week offers a different opportunity. The Cats are clearly hungry for their first win, they hung around and covered against a tough Oregon team in Eugene and were within a TD in the 4th Q. They also covered against BYU in week 1 who appear to be good this year. The two games they didn’t cover were when they were favored (SDSU and NAU), so long story short I think these Cats like being dogs. They’ve had two weeks to prepare for a reeling UCLA team that just got torn apart by ASU. I like Zona to keep this one within two touchdowns and keep the total under 60.

Best of the Best Bets – DPJ & Q approved (2-7 Overall)
Alabama @ Texas A&M – Saturday, 10/9 (8:00 PM EST)
Pick: Alabama -10 after first half

I’m going to dig deep into my sabermetrics bag here and throw out a couple of important stats. 1) Alabama has covered 13 straight first half spreads vs. FBS teams. 2) Since 2018, Alabama is 28-11 against the spread in the first half vs. all opponents. Now this may sound like I am chasing heat, but when you see a streak like that there is nothing more fun as a gambler than riding that wagon until the wheels fall off. Most importantly, I think Bama is poised to kick the crap out of Texas A&M. The Aggies have lost two games in a row, and I can’t think of a more difficult opponent for them to find their footing against than Alabama. The Tide will have their foot on the gas from the first snap and we like them to cover both the 1H spread and the full game spread of -16.5. Can I get a Roll Tide? Roll Tide. – DPJ

Other Action (4-6 Overall)

Notre Dame @ Virginia Tech: Notre Dame -1

Alabama @ Texas A&M: Alabama -16.5

Risky Business (0-6 Overall)

3 Team – 7 Point Teaser (+130 odds): Coastal Carolina (-9.5), Ohio State (-13.5), UGA (-7)

Disclaimer: SidehustlebetsMJQ.com is not an online gambling operator or a gambling site of any kind. Our insights about sports/sports betting are purely for entertainment purposes only.