Godzilla's Five Monster Picks for Saturday
John Fredericks lays out five college football plays for Saturday's biggest games, from Columbus to Stillwater.
Godzilla Game DayThe marquee games are stacked, the lines are moving, and Godzilla is breathing fire on Saturday's slate. Here are five plays for the day's biggest games. Lines are current as of Saturday morning and can move before kickoff.
No. 1 Ohio State visits No. 4 Texas at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, with the Longhorns favored by 1.5. Take Ohio State and the points.
Texas has the home field and Arch Manning, but Ohio State has the best player on the field in Jeremiah Smith, and the Buckeyes have already beaten Texas twice in the last 21 months. Manning has to show it this time.
This is a heavyweight fight, but Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin has the poise, the protection and the weapons to survive Austin.
Godzilla's call: Ohio State wins outright.
No. 11 Oklahoma is a 4.5-point favorite at Michigan. Take Oklahoma.
Michigan barely escaped Western Michigan 13-12 last week, and that finish was a warning, not a fluke. Bryce Underwood and the offense never found rhythm. Now Oklahoma arrives off a 51-0 rout of UTEP. Quarterback John Mateer gives the Sooners the clear edge under center, and Brent Venables will bring pressure from every angle.
The Big House will not save Michigan. Oklahoma controls the line, forces the turnovers and pulls away.
Alabama is favored by 10.5 at Kentucky. Take the Wildcats and the points.
This is upset-alert territory. Alabama should win, but this is freshman Keelon Russell's first SEC road start, and the Crimson Tide are missing starting right guard Michael Carroll. Kentucky gets key pieces back under new coach Will Stein, whose offense already looks sharp: quarterback Kenny Minchey threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns in the opener.
Kentucky has enough offense to make Alabama work for four quarters, or make a statement in front of its own crowd. Take the points in Lexington.
Tennessee is favored by 11.5 at Georgia Tech, a number that opened around 8.5 and has climbed all week. That tells you where the money is going. Take the Volunteers.
Georgia Tech's front held up against the run last week, when Colorado, under Deion Sanders, ran the ball 49 times against it. But Tennessee brings more speed, more depth and more firepower than Colorado did, and once the Volunteers get ahead and force Georgia Tech out of its rhythm, the Yellow Jackets will be in trouble.
Rocky Top rolls into Atlanta. Lay the points.
Oregon is favored by 23.5 at Oklahoma State. Take the Ducks to cover.
That is a massive number, but Oklahoma State's problems are bigger. Oregon beat the Cowboys 69-3 a year ago, and Oklahoma State opened this season with a rough performance of its own. Oregon, meanwhile, is looking to make a statement after slipping in the polls.
Stillwater is a tough environment, but atmosphere does not block for the offensive line or cover a receiver. Oregon's speed and depth are the difference. The Ducks pour it on again.
Godzilla's best bets of the week: Oklahoma -4.5, Ohio State +1.5 and Tennessee -11.5. The upset call: Ohio State wins outright.
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John Fredericks is the publisher of Disruptor Sports and the founder of the John Fredericks Media Network. He hosts The John Fredericks Show weekday mornings across the network's stations, and on Saturdays he is Godzilla, host of Godzilla Wins, the network's NFL and fantasy football show. Every one of his picks lives on the Godzilla Wins picks page, record and all. The desk's model has its own read on every game on The Card.
This column was written by John Fredericks. It was fact-checked and copy edited by the Disruptor Sports desk working with Claude, a generative AI model made by Anthropic. How our newsroom works.
