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2024 college football Week 5 picks against the spread, odds, lines, trends: Vegas expert reveals picks

Legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall has studied the trends and found the best betting values during the Week 5 college football schedule

24 Sep 2024, 11:41 · CBS Sports

The top-five clash between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama will be in the spotlight for many bettors, but the Big Ten also has several intriguing matchups involving playoff hopefuls. No. 19 Illinois takes on No. 9 Penn State, No. 8 Oregon travels to UCLA, while Wisconsin heads to No. 13 USC in the 3:30 p.m. ET Big Ten on CBS matchup. The Nittany Lions are -17.5, the Ducks are -8 and the Trojans are -14.5 in the latest Week 5 college football odds via SportsLine consensus for those matchups.

How should you play those Week 5 college football lines, and what trends do you need to know about as the Bulldogs are 2-point road favorites against the Tide? Before locking in any Week 5 college football picks on those games or others, be sure to see the college football betting guide from legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall.

For years Vegas-based Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter. With a background in play-by-play work and sports information while in college, Marshall joined TGS in 1981 when hired by the legendary Mort Olshan and served as executive editor for many years.

An in-demand guest on numerous sports talk radio and TV shows across the country, Bruce's vast array of editorial work has been featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the New York Post and many other outlets. He has won various handicapping titles and also is working on several book projects. Bruce also enters the Week 5 college football schedule on a 12-7 roll (+423) on his official SportsLine college football spread picks.

Now, using his Tech Corner technique that evaluates all the trends and the latest college football odds, Marshall has turned his attention to college football betting for Week 5 and revealed picks for each matchup. Head here to see every pick.

Top college football predictions for Week 5

One of the top college football picks Marshall is recommending for Week 5: He's backing No. 12 Michigan to cover as a 9.5-point favorite against Minnesota in the battle for the Little Brown Jug at noon ET on Saturday.

Michigan used a dominant defense and run game to pull the upset over USC in Week 4. Minnesota, meanwhile, has yet to win or cover against a Power 4 opponent, including losing 31-14 to Iowa (-2.5) last week.

Marshall notes that the Golden Gophers are just 1-5-1 ATS as underdogs dating back to last season and they were 1-4 ATS as visitors last year. See which other picks to make here.

How to make college football picks for Week 5

Marshall has evaluated every other matchup and he's found an alarming 21-4 betting trend you need to know this week. Get betting analysis for each matchup at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and what alarming trend do you need to know about in one of the week's biggest games? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams to back, all from the legendary Vegas expert who has won multiple handicapping titles, and find out.