College Football Week 13 Lines & Predictions

Get a jump on the College Football Week 13 lines and odds. Check out the College Football Week 13 lines and predictions from our Lineups writing staff.

College Football Week 13 Lines

Oregon State Beavers At No. 4 Oregon Ducks

This is a massive moment for the Oregon Ducks. It will be one of their last opportunities to prove to the college football playoff committee that they are worthy of being one of the four teams selected to compete in the playoff. Ironically, there are more similarities between the Oregon State Beavers and the Oregon Ducks than just their location. They are primarily rushing teams as Oregon ranks third in rushing yards per game in the nation, while Oregon State ranks fifth. Additionally, both teams throw for just over 200 passing yards per game and don’t rank too well overall in the air. The Ducks have separated themselves from the Beavers defensively, allowing five points less and 30 fewer yards. The most important thing to consider, though, is that the Beavers are 6-4 overall, but only 1-4 on the road. Meanwhile, the Ducks are 6-0 at home and have been dominant at Autzen. If Oregon can get through Utah this week and Oregon State next week, then the CFP committee will have a hard time leaving them out of the playoffs, mainly because the Ducks knocked off the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road earlier in the season. The Ducks know this fact and do not want to leave anything to chance, having come so far this season.

Best Bet: Oregon Ducks ATS
Author: Andrew Norton

Penn State Nittany Lions At No. 7 Michigan State Spartans

In a game that will have an impact on the CFP rankings and a possible berth in a New Year’s six bowl game, the Penn State Nittany Lions travel to East Lansing to play the Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten finale for both teams. The all-time series between Michigan State and Penn State is tied at 17-17-1. The Nittany Lions have won the last two games in the battle for the Land Grant Trophy, outscoring the Spartans 67-31 in those games.

The Spartans have won at least nine games in a season for the first time since 2017. Mel Tucker has done an outstanding job in turning around the Spartans through the transfer portal and a strong running game.

Michigan State is averaging over 445 yards of total offense and scoring more than 33 points per game in 2021. The Spartan offense is led by quarterback Payton Thorne, who has thrown for more than 2,400 yards and over 20 touchdown passes on the season. Jayden Reed is one of the top receivers in the Big Ten, averaging over 18 yards a reception in his second season as a Spartan after transferring from Western Michigan. But when you think of Michigan State football this season, the one name at the top of the list is Heisman Trophy candidate running back Kenneth Walker III. In 2021 the Wake Forest transfer has run for over 1,400 yards and well into double digits in touchdowns. He’s also gained over 1,500 in total yards from scrimmage and is the player Penn State must stop if they want to retain the Land Grant Trophy for a third straight year.

The Spartan defense is led by defensive ends, Jacub Panasiuk and Jeff Pietrowski who each have 5.5 sacks on the season. They’ve combined for 15.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries on the year.

After winning their first five games of the season, Penn State has lost to upper echelon Big Ten teams in Iowa, Ohio State and Michigan over the past few weeks. A win against the Spartans on the road would certainly boast their bowl opportunities.

The Nittany Lions are averaging over 375 yards of total offense and scoring more than 24 points per game. Quarterback Sean Clifford who has battled injuries this season is the leader of the Penn State offense. In 2021, he has thrown for more than 2,500 yards and over 15 touchdowns. When he has time to throw, he’s a dangerous passer. Jahan Dotson has emerged as one of the nation’s top wide receivers. The Nittany Lions #5 has over 75 receptions and has gone over 1,000 yards from scrimmage this season. He’s the only Penn State player with double digit touchdowns in 2021. The Penn State rushing attack has struggled this season, averaging around 105 yards per game. Keyvone Lee and Noah Cain have combined to rush for more than 650 yards on the year.

The Nittany Lions defense is led by linebacker Ellis Brooks, who has 85 tackles on the season (50 solo and 35 assists). He also has three tackles for loss and a sack on the season.

The Spartan defense is vulnerable in the passing game, but I don’t think the Nittany Lions have enough weapons on offense to take advantage of that deficiency. With a Heisman Trophy candidate and a talented group of receivers, Michigan State has plenty of firepower to overwhelm the Penn State defense. There will be a Sparty Party a few days after Thanksgiving in Spartan Stadium.

Best Bet: Michigan State ML
Author: Scott Steinberg

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. No. 11 Baylor Bears

Baylor earned one of the biggest wins of the season when they knocked off Oklahoma, but in truth that Sooners team had been due for a letdown after winning by just one score against inferior programs such as Tulane, West Virginia, Nebraska, Kansas State, and Texas, not to mention a game in which they were losing 10-0 at halftime to Kansas. Baylor was simply the first school to follow through on the upset, and I believe they are not a powerhouse program simply for that victory – after all, they lost to TCU the week prior.

Gerry Bohanan has been underwhelming for Baylor all season at quarterback and I’d give the edge to Texas Tech’s freshman Donovan Smith in this game after he threw for three touchdowns against a solid Iowa State defense. Heading into Week 12, Baylor ranks 17th and Iowa State ranks 21st in Football Outsiders’ defensive efficiency metric, which suggests Smith should be able to move the ball against Baylor. Myles Price has had a massive game against Iowa State with nine catches for 175 yards and a touchdown, and he’ll be a big part of the game plan this week.

All that being said, I’m taking Baylor by about a touchdown here. Abram Smith has had an awesome season with 164 carries for 1,203 yards and 11 touchdowns heading into Week 12. Texas Tech held a similarly excellent Breece Hall to just 2.8 YPC, but they’ve had other games where they’ve really struggled to defend the run. Texas Tech and Baylor are both averaging over 440 yards per game, so they should both be able to move the ball up and down the field, and it will come down to which team finishes their drives with touchdowns more frequently. I’m expecting a bit of a shootout in Waco.

Best Bet: Texas Tech ATS (play to +7.5), over (play to 55)
Author: Jacob Wayne