This article is part of our College Capper series.
Chris' Picks
This feels like it's been a good year for underdogs. That doesn't seem to work well for me, whose brain seems to only work in thinking a team wins by more than a number rather than doesn't lose. Last week was brutal, so maybe we should rename this column College Capper, Fade My Picks, Week 6? Or maybe we accept that it can't be much worse. To my modest credit, I've had two winners in the comments recently, and I've stayed away from some obvious traps. This week, that trap seems like Notre Dame (-20.5) vs. FSU. What am I missing? Anyway, on to this week's favorites, where I'm clearly setting myself up for failure with plenty of games in the path of Hurricane Delta.
Syracuse (+2.5) vs. Duke
The 'Cuse are normally a team I want to go against, but so is Duke. So why land here? Duke doesn't deserve to be favored over anyone, especially on the road. Duke ranks 60th nationally in run defense (out of 74), allowing 193.5 yards per game, allowing 5.89 yards per carry and seven touchdowns in their last two games. Syracuse may have found something in freshman RB Sean Tucker, who ran for 112 yards and two scores in their last outing against Georgia Tech. This line moved from (-1.5) to (+2.5), and I'm happy to try that movement.
Florida (-6.5) at Texas A&M
This one does feel a bit like a trap, but I thoroughly enjoy teams that