Black Shoe Degenerates: Week 6

Welcome to Week 3 of Black Shoe Degenerates, your weekly gambling column written by the smartest gambling expert you know.

I CANNOT wait for this weekend. There are good games, and Penn State is off so I can actually watch them. Three top-25 matchups, all at different times? Let’s go!

Before we get into this week’s slate, let’s take a look back and review last week’s performance.

Last week’s picks:

ARob’s week 4: 3-2-1 (18-17-1 this season)

• Indiana -15 (loss)
• Army at Buffalo over 55 (push)
• Tennessee at Georgia over 52 (loss)
• South Alabama at Appalachian State over 56 (win)
• Penn State +4 (win)
• Kentucky -2 (win)

Pat’s pick: West Virginia -3.5 (win, 3-2 this season)

Second straight winning week! I’m heartbroken Rutgers covered, I was really hoping they would go 0-for-the spread this year. I’m glad I didn’t bet on Penn State straight up...

This week’s picks:

Maryland at Michigan, noon

My pick: Maryland +17

Like I said in the Big Ten recap this week, I think Maryland is sneaky good...? And Michigan struggled against the only good team it’s played. It should have lost last week against Northwestern for sure, and I think Maryland will be a bigger challenge than the Wildcats.

Kansas at West Virginia, noon

My pick: West Virginia -29

I’m riding the Mountaineers all year. Kansas is not good, despite what its game against Rutgers may have indicated, and West Virginia is the best team in the Big 12 right now in my opinion.

Florida State at Miami, 3:30 p.m.

My pick: Miami -14

This is more about Florida State being garbage than anything. The only team that’s worth a darn that the Seminoles have beat is Louisville, who is also trash. After a less-than-stellar opener against LSU, Miami has looked really good. I’m comfortable giving 14 points.

Kentucky at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m.

My pick: Kentucky +5.5

I believe in Kentucky. Benny Snell Jr. is the TRUTH, and I’m not 100% sold on Texas A&M. A 22-point loss to Alabama, a 2-point loss to a Clemson team that I think is low-key overrated, and 3 average wins. I feel better about Kentucky’s resume so far and think this line is insane.

SMU at UCF, 7 p.m.

My pick: under 75

This one is more S&P+ than anything. It says this game should be around 62 points, which makes sense. UCF is averaging 48.8 points per game, and I don’t think SMU can put up that 26. In two games against ranked teams, the Mustangs are averaging 16 points per game. I feel good about this one.

Vanderbilt at Georgia, 7:30 p.m.

My pick: Vanderbilt +26.5

I don’t know, I just don’t really trust Georgia yet. I feel like it hasn’t been really impressive in any game this year. Let’s put it this way — Georgia beat Tennessee at home by 26. Vanderbilt is better than Tennessee. So Vanderbilt should lose by less than 26, right?

Pat’s Lock of the Week: Notre Dame at Virginia Tech, 8:00 p.m.

Pat’s pick: Virginia Tech +7

Notre Dame has looked much better since going with Ian Book over Brandon “40-Year-Plan” Wimbush, but going into Lane Stadium at night is a different animal. While the Hokies were embarrassed against Old Dominion, it looks like it was the wakeup call they needed as they trounced a then-ranked Duke team 31-14 last Saturday. GIVE ME THE HOME DOGS!