College football Week 13 best bets

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Every Friday during the college football season, theScore's sports betting writers release their best bets for the week. Each member has been given a fictitious $1,000 bankroll to manage throughout the season. If you decide to follow any of the picks, please gamble responsibly.

All lines are courtesy of theScore Bet.

Alex Kolodziej ($1,079)

Season record: 15-12-1, +79

Houston at Tulsa

Total: 58.5

It might have been an anomaly, but Houston's offense changed things up last weekend against Memphis. Typically an up-tempo unit, the Cougars unconventionally huddled and took 30-35 seconds off the clock between snaps before finding themselves in a negative game state. If Memphis didn't do their scoring quickly and force Houston to go at a quicker pace, we probably would have seen last week's game go under the total. The Cougars also had a tough time moving the ball, scoring on a fluky 68-yard quarterback draw and then on a blocked punt in garbage time. Posting 256 yards on Memphis' leaky secondary doesn’t inspire much confidence moving forward.

Now the Cougars get Tulsa's defense, which ranks inside the top 50 against the pass. The Golden Hurricane have a solid strength of schedule to date, facing UCF, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and SMU. Against Houston's floundering offense, Tulsa's defense won’t see anything it hasn't already.

Pick: Under 58.5 ($40)

Alex Moretto ($862)

Season record: 11-11-1, -$138

Texas A&M at Georgia (-13.5)

A team with a struggling offense that's averaging 22 points per game at home to Power 5 schools has no business laying nearly two touchdowns. On principle alone, Texas A&M should be the play. This is a battle-tested Aggies team that's already faced the likes of Clemson, Alabama, and Auburn, so it won't have any fear away at Georgia. The Aggies are 6-2 against the spread on the road under Jimbo Fisher in SEC games and catch the Bulldogs in a letdown spot following their demanding win at Auburn last week.

Pick: Texas A&M +13.5 ($70)

Kansas State at Texas Tech (-2)

Texas Tech's season hangs in the balance after losing a close one to TCU last weekend. The Red Raiders are 4-1 ATS at home under Matt Wells and should produce a big bounce-back effort here to remain bowl eligible. Kansas State has excelled as an underdog this season, but that's factored into this line. The public is and will continue to hammer the Wildcats, but look for Texas Tech to leave it all out on the field and secure the win in its final game of the season in Lubbock.

Pick: Texas Tech -2 ($50)

Thomas Casale ($436)

Season record: 9-15-1, -$564

Texas A&M at Georgia (-13.5)

I love the Aggies in this spot. Both teams have faced tough schedules and a two-touchdown spread seems high for a Georgia team that struggles to score points at times. The Aggies are 6-2 ATS in SEC road games under Jimbo Fisher, while the Bulldogs are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games after playing Auburn. Sharp bettors hit Texas A&M early, knocking the line off the key number of 14 down to 13.5. I'll follow the sharp money here and take the Aggies.

Pick: Texas A&M +13.5 ($75)

Illinois at Iowa (-15.5)

Iowa was in a good spot last week at home against a Minnesota team that was coming off an emotional win over Penn State. The Hawkeyes are in the exact opposite spot this week, laying over two touchdowns to the still undervalued Illinois. The Illini are coming off a bye and are 5-1 ATS as double-digit conference underdogs this season. It's a big letdown spot for Iowa so take the points.

Pick: Illinois +15.5 ($75)

Penn State at Ohio State (-18.5)

Penn State is probably the most talented team that Ohio State will face until the College Football Playoff. The trends scream Buckeyes, but I'll go Penn State. The Nittany Lions are a dangerous team and 18.5 is a huge number with Michigan and potentially playoff football ahead for OSU.

Pick: Penn State +18.5 ($75)

Texas at Baylor (-6)

This is my standard Tom Herman-as-an-underdog bet. After last week's 23-21 loss at Iowa State as a 7-point 'dog, Herman is now 16-3 ATS as an underdog with 11 outright wins. I'll keep riding this gravy train until it ends, especially after Baylor blew a 28-3 lead in a loss to Oklahoma last week to end its perfect season. Don't mess with Texas as an underdog.

Pick: Texas +6 ($75)

C Jackson Cowart ($330)

Season record: 5-20-1, -$670

East Carolina (-14) at Connecticut

East Carolina is an unlikely road favorite amid a 3-7 campaign, but the Pirates have been punching above their weight with narrow losses against Cincinnati and SMU - both top-25 teams - in their last two games. They've since had two weeks to prepare for a UConn team coming off a pair of blowout losses.

Since Randy Edsall rejoined the program in 2017, the Huskies are 10-19 ATS as underdogs, with a 5-14 ATS record since the start of last year. Two-touchdown favorites with a record as bad as ECU's have done well in this spot, and this line speaks to just how little oddsmakers respect UConn. Trust their judgment.

Pick: ECU -14 ($50)