Saturday College Football Picks & Predictions for Noon Games
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 12 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
What. A. Slate.
Week 7 of the college football season is upon us, and there are big games from opening kickoff through the late-night window.
While Ohio State vs. Oregon in the afternoon window and Ole Miss vs. LSU in the late window will inevitably steal the show, the noon games can't be ignored.
Our college football writers came through with three noon best bets, including picks for Washington vs. Iowa, Wisconsin vs. Rutgers and Ball State vs. Kent State.
Read on for our three college football picks and best bets for Saturday's noon games — and be sure to check out our top predictions for the afternoon and evening kickoffs as well.
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Washington vs. Iowa Pick & Best Bet
Washington +3 is the way to go against Iowa in their Week 7 matchup on Saturday.
This recommendation is backed by insights from two distinct PRO Systems, both indicating that the Huskies are likely to cover the spread.
The first system, known as the Road Streak, focuses on the performance of home favorites following a poor offensive showing. Specifically, when a home favorite scores fewer than 10 points in its previous game, it only manages to cover the spread 41% of the time.
Iowa is in precisely this situation after its lackluster outing against Ohio State, in which its offense struggled significantly. This statistic suggests a potential vulnerability for Iowa and an opportunity for Washington to capitalize on it.
The second system to consider is the "Conference Matchup Heavily Bet" model.
This system highlights scenarios where sharp, experienced bettors focus their attention and money on specific conference games. Such activity often indicates confident support for an underdog or less favored team.
This week, sharp bettors have identified Washington +3 against Iowa as an attractive option.
Pick: Washington +3
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Wisconsin vs. Rutgers Pick & Best Bet
By Alex Hinton
Rutgers is coming off its first loss of the season at Nebraska, but it still allowed just 14 points. It ranks 18th in the FBS, allowing just 15.8 points per game.
Offensively, the Scarlet Knights are led by the two-headed monster of Kyle Monangai and Samuel Brown at running back. With 41 rushing attempts per game, Rutgers wants to control time of possession and play to its defense.
Running the ball — and defense — has been the foundation of Wisconsin’s program for decades. It’s averaging 170 rushing yards per game after rushing for 228 yards against Purdue last week.
The Badgers should find success on the ground against Rutgers, but finding the end zone won’t be nearly as easy as when it dropped 52 against a hapless Purdue team last week.
Wisconsin held Purdue to six points a week ago and is allowing 22.6 points per game. However, if you remove its two games against Alabama and USC — who are far more dynamic offensively than Rutgers — that number drops to 11 per game.
Like Rutgers, Wisconsin also runs more than it passes (56% clip).
When these teams do pass, neither is particularly effective at it, with each starting quarterback (Braedyn Locke and Athan Kaliakmanis) completing 55% of their passes.
That means we’ll have two squads with a ground-first approach, and that will keep the clock running.
The under has hit in three of Rutgers’ five games this season, as well as three of the last five meetings in the series.
Two of those games have finished with 37 points, including a 24-13 Wisconsin victory last season.
Pick: Under 44 (Play to 38.5)
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Ball State vs. Kent State Pick & Best Bet
By Joshua Nunn
Ball State and Kent State have two of the worst overall defensive units in FBS football.
Ball State has surrendered an average of 561 yards and 51.5 points per game against FBS competition this year. The advanced metrics for Ball State are rough, as it ranks just 129th nationally in EPA per play and 134th in EPA per pass defensively.
The Cardinals are just 98th in defensive Havoc achieved and allow a ton of explosive plays.
Meanwhile, Kent State has allowed at least 50 points in every game this season involving an FBS opponent, albeit against much stiffer competition. Kent State is 130th in defensive EPA per play nationally.
The Flashes are also 128th in defensive Havoc, 125th in defensive pass success rate and 116th nationally in defensive finishing drives.
The Flashes have had a really tough time matching up with their opponents and shouldn’t be considered reliable to get stops at any point.
Ball State has shown some life offensively in MAC play, averaging 38 points per contest against WMU and CMU. In those MAC games, quarterback Kadin Semonza completed 51-of-74 passes for 592 yards with six touchdowns.
Ball State has totally changed the dynamic of its offense due to its struggling rushing attack, and it’s been reliant on moving the ball through the air all season. This is an area where Ball State should have success against Kent State.
While Kent State looked hopeless early on playing Pitt, Tennessee and Penn State — along with a loss against FCS St. Francis (PA) — its offense came to life against EMU. The Flashes scored in every quarter and ended with 33 points and 446 total yards in the shootout loss.
Quarterback Tommy Ulatowski had his best game of the season, throwing for 345 yards and three touchdowns.
Ball State has been torched against the pass all season, and I believe Kent State can have success here with a rejuvenated offense with Ulatowski at the helm.
This total is just too low given how bad these two defenses are. Both teams have played shootouts in MAC play this year, and I look for this contest to soar over the posted total of 60.
Pick: Over 59.5 (Play to 62.5)
