You woke up early (for a Saturday) and got in your early bets, but by the time the afternoon games end, things aren't looking great. Good thing there are plenty of evening games remaining on the docket.
Our staff has broken down the odds and highlighted their favorite betting positions for the Week 10 Saturday college football slate. With Pac-12 After Dark returning, our staff has you covered.
Saturday College Football Best Bets for Week 10:
Check our top Saturday picks below, each of which comes from one of the following games. This column focuses on "The Evening Set" and includes our staff's two favorite bets for the late games, beginning at 7 p.m. ET and leading into the night.
"The Evening Set"
Click any of the evening games below to navigate to a specific matchup.
- 7:00 p.m. ET | UCLA vs. Colorado
- 7:30 p.m. ET | Oregon vs. Stanford
"I guess you lose some and win some.
Long as the outcome is income."— Aubrey Graham, "Over My Dead Body"
All odds are from DraftKings and have been updated as of Friday evening.
UCLA vs. Colorado Over 55.5
| UCLA Odds | -6 [BET NOW] |
| Colorado Odds | +6 [BET NOW] |
| Moneyline | -200/+165 [BET NOW] |
| Over/Under | 57 [BET NOW] |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
This matchup features two things that always point to an over: a fast pace and two terrible defenses.
In 2019, both UCLA and Colorado ranked in the bottom-four in Passing Success Rate Allowed. Additionally, neither team ranks in the top half of the country in returning production on defense. In terms of pace, UCLA ranked fifth in plays per game a season ago. Colorado has a new offensive coordinator in Joey Lynch, and he has stated he wants to play with a high tempo.
UCLA was actually an efficient offense last season in terms of moving the chains but was horrendous in the turnover department. The Bruins ranked 44th in Success Rate and 35th in First Down Rate but also ranked 102nd in Turnover Rate. The defense, however, ranked 116th in Success Rate Allowed, 103rd in Explosive Drive Rate, and 123rd in Finishing Drives. It also lost cornerback Darnay Holmes, who was easily the best player on the defense a season ago.
On the other side, the Colorado defense ranked 120th in Success Rate and 111th in Touchdown Rate. The offense ranked 44th in Success Rate, 19th in First Down Rate, and 10th in Havoc allowed but admittedly will need to replace a lot of production. Colorado will be starting senior quarterback Sam Noyer after he backed up Steven Montez early in his career.
When factoring in a slightly increased pace for Colorado, I project this game to be in the 60s. Even with Colorado breaking in a new quarterback, I have a hard time finding a path to an under in this game.
Oregon -8 vs. Stanford
| Oregon Odds | -9 [BET NOW] |
| Stanford Odds | +9 [BET NOW] |
| Moneyline | -375/+275[BET NOW] |
| Over/Under | 50.5 [BET NOW] |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ABC |
The main issues for Stanford offensively last season were in its running game. It ranked 105th in Rushing Success and gained only 3.7 yards per carry on the ground. Those issues likely won’t be fixed heading into 2020 as they have yet to find a capable running back. To make matters worse, two of its starters on the offensive line transferred in the offseason.
Davis Mills is a capable quarterback who was fine in his replacement of KJ Costello halfway through the season. He will have his entire receiving corps back in 2020, but it'll be facing one of the best pass defenses in the country from last year. The Ducks ranked 10th in Defensive Passing Success but will have to replace three starters in the secondary. However, the Ducks bring back almost every starter in their front seven, so Stanford could become one-dimensional on Saturday night.
Losing Justin Herbert is going to be tough for the Ducks, but they do have a capable replacement in Tyler Shough, who was Herbert’s backup last season. They also have Boston College transfer Anthony Brown, who came in during the offseason. Head coach Mario Cristobal has been coy about who will start on Saturday night, but it honestly won’t make a difference either way. The Ducks bring back impactful players from almost every skill position, including their trio of running backs who combined for over 2,200 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. They should have no trouble moving the ball against a Stanford defense that lost all of its main contributors from last season. The Cardinal's top three tacklers at the linebacker position are gone, as is their best corner in Paulson Adebo, who opted out of the season, leaving Stanford thin at almost every position.
