To all you early-bird bettors out there hoping to get ahead of Saturday's noon action so you can enjoy betting on Friday Night Lights in peace, we tip our proverbial cap. And to those night owls fumbling through the morning after staying up to sweat Friday night's Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Appalachian State "Funbelt" game deep into the late-night hours, we're right there with you — and we're also here to help.
Our staff has broken down the odds and highlighted their favorite betting positions for the Week 14 Saturday college football slate. Starting with the noons, we've got you covered with our favorite bets for the noon and afternoon Saturday college football kickoff windows:
- 12:00 p.m. ET | "The Noons"
- 3:30 p.m. ET | "The Midday Heat Check"
Looking for our Best Bets Recommendations for the Afternoon kickoffs? Check out the link below:
Saturday College Football Best Bets for Week 14:
Check our top Saturday picks below, each of which comes from one of the following three games. This column focuses on "The Noons" and includes our staff's three favorite bets for the slate-opening games, beginning at noon ET.
"The Noons"
Click any of the noon games below to navigate to a specific matchup. Alternatively, click on any of the other four games among our staff's best bets this week to navigate to our Afternoon Best Bets column.
“I see all this money through my Ohio State Buckeyes.”
— Aubrey Graham, "Uptown"
The Rest of our Best (Bets)
- 3:30 p.m. ET | #16 Wisconsin vs. #12 Indiana
- 5:30 p.m. ET | #13 BYU vs. #18 Coastal Carolina
- 6:00 p.m. ET | Florida Atlantic vs. Georgia Southern
- 7:00 p.m. ET | Arizona vs. Colorado
- 8:00 p.m. ET | #1 Alabama vs. LSU
All odds have been updated as of Friday afternoon and are via DraftKings.
CLICK THE DROPDOWN ARROW TO EASILY NAVIGATE TO ANY GAME
#15 Oklahoma State vs. TCU
 | |
| Oklahoma State Odds | PK [BET NOW] |
| TCU Odds | PK [BET NOW] |
| Moneyline | -108 / -113 [BET NOW] |
| Over/Under | 51 [BET NOW] |
| Time | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
The story for most of the season was the success of the Oklahoma State defense. After allowing just 17.8 points per game through the first six games, the Pokes have allowed 41 and 44 points over the last two weeks. Giving up 41 points and 492 yards against Oklahoma is understandable and can be excused, but allowing 44 points and 639 yards to Texas Tech is a cause for concern.
Despite the struggles recently, Oklahoma State still has one of the best secondaries in the Big 12. Cornerbacks Rodarius Williams and Jarrick Bernard-Converse are both elite shutdown defenders on the outside.
The Pokes defense ranks eighth in the country in Passing Success and should have no problem shutting down a TCU passing attack that has been non-existent this season.
The Horned Frogs are averaging just 119.5 passing yards over their last four games. They rank 115th in the country in passing Success Rate this year.
The TCU defense has been strong all season, no surprise for a Gary Patterson-led team.
But the Horned Frogs have benefited from strong performances against the bad teams in the Big 12. Against Kansas State, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Kansas, TCU allowed just 286.5 yards per game.
But against Iowa State, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia, the TCU defense allowed 425.3 yards per game.
Oklahoma State has been inconsistent this year, but it has been able to win even when it isn’t at its best. The Pokes know they need to win out to have any chance at the Big 12 title game.
Tylan Wallace, a Fort Worth native, will be the best player on the field for either team, and as good as the TCU defense is, it has no answer for Wallace.
TCU is too one-dimensional on offense, and the Pokes defensive line has been fantastic all year, ranking 21st in Stuff Rate, 28th in Line Yards, and seventh in Power Success.
This line has been bouncing all over the place, and Oklahoma State is actually listed at +1 at the time of this writing. If the Pokes remain the underdog, I would take them on the moneyline. If it swings back to them as favorites, I would take them up to -2.5.
Pick: Oklahoma State ML -108 or better
CLICK THE DROPDOWN ARROW TO EASILY NAVIGATE TO ANY GAME
Purdue vs. Nebraska
by Pat McMahon
 | |
| Purdue Odds | -1 [BET NOW] |
| Nebraska Odds | +1 [BET NOW] |
| Moneyline | -115 / -106 [BET NOW] |
| Over/Under | 62.5 [BET NOW] |
| Time | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV | Big Ten Network |
In a game involving two teams with a combined 3-7 record, you’re not going to see many elite units on the field. However, the Purdue passing game has been fantastic this season and is the one unit for either team you can trust to produce on a nightly basis.
The Boilermakers have one of the most talented wide receiver duos in all of college football in Rondale Moore and David Bell. Moore was out with an injury for the first three games of the season, but the future first-round draft pick hasn’t missed a beat since his return to the lineup. He’s already amassed 22 receptions for 192 yards and a rushing touchdown in just two games. Bell has been a constant all season, posting nearly 500 receiving yards and seven touchdowns through five games.
Starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell has missed the last two games with an injury, but the Purdue passing game has been just as good with backup Jack Plummer under center. Plummer is an experienced player who started six games for the Boilermakers a year ago. In fact, Plummer’s numbers the past two games have actually been better than O’Connell’s in the first three. Plummer has a higher passing rating than O’Connell and is completing 71.4% of his passes. Plummer has had the benefit of getting Moore back into the lineup, which would make any quarterback’s life easier.
On the flip side, the Nebraska quarterback position has been a back and forth battle between Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffrey all season. Neither has performed well enough to secure the starting job for good, and the offense as a whole has struggled to find any sort of consistency.
Martinez got the start last week at Iowa and posted his best passing performance to date, going 18-of-20 through the air for 174 yards. However, he still only managed to put together two touchdown drives in the loss. Nebraska has failed to get the deep ball going at all this season, and it’s unlikely it’ll have a fix this year with its current personnel.
McCaffrey is a dangerous runner, but the offense has become too predictable when he’s in the game. Turnover and accuracy issues were a big reason he saw his snaps reduced last week.
With two suspect defenses and a pair of offenses that have struggled to finish off drives, I’m willing to back the passing attack that can consistently move the chains and will give its team more scoring chances on Saturday. Getting the Boilermakers at home laying less than a field goal to the Huskers is too good to pass up.
CLICK THE DROPDOWN ARROW TO EASILY NAVIGATE TO ANY GAME
#21 Marshall vs. Rice
 | |
| Marshall Odds | -22.5 [BET NOW] |
| Rice Odds | +22.5 [BET NOW] |
| Moneyline | -5000 / +1300 [BET NOW] |
| Over/Under | 45 [BET NOW] |
| Time | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
The Rice Owls (1-2) and No. 21 Marshall Thundering Herd (7-0) both come into this affair ranked in the top 50% of total offenses in FBS. Rice has scored 10 touchdowns in three games this season all through the air. Rice is ranked 35th in FBS passing offense. Marshall has scored 34 touchdowns this season, evenly split at 17 through the air and on the ground. Marshall is ranked 51st in passing offense.
Rice is ranked 11th in FBS passing play Predicted Points Added with 0.49 points per passing attempt this season. Marshall has an excellent defense, with its passing defense being slightly weaker than its run defense. The Marshall passing defense is ranked 23rd in the country. Rice will have to look to pass the ball heavily in this outing.
Marshall is ranked 39th in FBS passing play PPA with 0.36 points per passing attempt this season. It would be ranked higher in this metric if it threw the ball more, but it features a solid run game. In terms of defensive rushing PPA, Rice’s run defense is better than its passing defense. I expect Marshall to look to the air early and often against the Rice defense in an effort to open up the run game.
My model has the total for this game at 55.5 points. Marshall is averaging 37.4 points per game while running the ball on more than 60% of plays. Rice is averaging 27 points per game with all scores coming from the passing game. The Owls will be forced to pass to keep up with the undefeated Herd. Marshall has the top-ranked rush defense in the country, so I expect the Rice passing attack to be a top priority. Take the over here as a motivated and undefeated Marshall will look to make a statement.
