Bowl Pick Six: How to bet Miami-Washington State, UCLA-Nebraska – CBSSports.com

Every week, CBS Sports college football writer Tom Fornelli will make six picks for the upcoming weekend’s college football games. He promises that these picks will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams.

So last week’s Pick Six didn’t go so well.

In five games, I managed to go 1-4. The only game I got correct was Louisiana Tech covering against Arkansas State. I whiffed on the Lock of the Week, the Underdog of the Week and the Over/Under of the Week.

It wasn’t pretty.

Instead of accepting blame for this, however, instead I’m going to make a meaningless excuse. You see, there were only five games last week, so Pick Six was screwed from the start. It’s simple math, really. Pick Six can’t work when there are only five games.

But that won’t be a problem this week! There are six games on Saturday for me to choose from! Which means everything is going to be all right. Or it won’t be. You never know with bowl games.

Lock of the Week

Marshall (-5) vs. UConn: UConn has a very stingy defense, which helps the Huskies stay in games, and limits offenses like Marshall’s. The problem for the Huskies is that their offense typically needs a lot of help. In six games against teams with winning record, the Huskies managed 14.5 points per game. So while I don’t think Marshall is going to reach 30 points like it typically does, it will score enough to cover this spread. Marshall 24, UConn 17

Check out the SportsLine pick and prediction for Thundering Herd-Huskies

Underdog of the Week

Duke (+2) vs. Indiana: I’m not all that confident in any of the underdogs on Saturday, but of my options, I like Duke’s chances. Of course, Indiana is lovingly known as #ChaosTeam for a reason. Nothing is ever really over in an Indiana game until it’s over, so I expect this one to be close throughout, and when that’s the case, I tend to take the points. Plus, while both teams are fully capable of scoring points, I have a little more faith in Duke’s defense than I do Indiana’s. A little faith and one defensive stop may be all I need here. Duke 38, Indiana 35

Check out the SportsLine pick and prediction for Blue Devils-Hoosiers

Over/Under of the Week

UCLA vs. Nebraska (Under 61): The biggest reason I’m going with the under here is I just don’t know if either of these teams are all that motivated to be in this game. UCLA had bigger hopes than the Foster Farms Bowl coming into the 2015 season, with its eyes set on a Pac-12 title and a playoff berth. Then there’s Nebraska, which finished 5-7 and is only in this game because there weren’t enough bowl-eligible teams. Plus, the under has typically been a safe bet when it comes to UCLA games this year. UCLA 27, Nebraska 20

Check out the SportsLine pick and prediction for Bruins-Cornhuskers

The Rest

Miami (+3) vs. Washington State: I just don’t think this is the best matchup for Washington State. Miami’s defensive weakness is its run defense, but Washington State doesn’t run the ball. Seriously, there is no team that runs the ball less often than the Cougars, who average 22.4 rush attempts per game. Now, let’s remember that sacks count as rush attempts in college football. Washington State has allowed 38 sacks this year, so if you subtract those from their run total, the Cougars actually attempt only 19.25 rush attempts per game. That’s not how you beat Miami. Miami 31, Washington State 27

Check out the SportsLine pick and prediction for Hurricanes-Cougars

Southern Miss (+8.5) vs. Washington: I’m rolling with another underdog here, but my confidence level isn’t very high. This is more a result of Washington having a very strong defense, but not the greatest defense. I believe the Huskies will slow down Southern Miss’ offense, but I don’t think they’ll be able to really blow them out, either. Plus, Southern Miss is 10-3 against the spread this season, which doesn’t hurt. Just to make it more fun, though, I’m going to go with Southern Miss straight pulling the upset. Southern Miss 27, Washington 24

Check out the SportsLine pick and prediction for Eagles-Huskies

Virginia Tech (-13.5) vs. Tulsa: This is purely sentimental. It’s Frank Beamer’s last game at Virginia Tech, so you know the Hokies will show up to play. They’re going to want to send him out with a win. Plus, you know, Tulsa’s defense is horrible. Virginia Tech 41, Tulsa 24

Check out the SportsLine pick and prediction for Hokies-Hurricane

It’s impossible to pick against Frank Beamer in his final game. (USATSI)

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