Rivalry picks are in

51% on the year, time to pad the bankroll for bowl season

We’ve made it to the finish line. The final week of the college football schedule, rivalry week. In many ways this is the best week to wager. You can basically throw away all the stats, put your brain on mute. This week is all about gut feel.

We have the most elite teams in the country attempting to retain their standing as playoff worthy. We have the great teams atop each conference trying to lock up their place in their respective championships. We have the most elite players in the nation making their final case for the Heisman Trophy. And even around the middle of the pack, we have a load of five win teams who need one more win to be bowl eligible. For many seniors, it’s a matter of continuing their football career or preparing to join the real world workforce. It’s going to be the last time many of these players get to play in front of their family and friends.

Conversely, we have pre-season top-10 programs that were eliminated from playoff contention over a month ago. We have standout players on non-playoff teams looking ahead to the NFL draft. And we have teams with no hope of making a bowl game.

What I’m saying is there are tremendous incentives and disincentives weaved throughout the week 13 board, and that’s to say nothing of the deep-seated rivalries at play. These are kids, not professionals (despite NIL), and this is what makes college football so great. The only thing higher than the motivations this week will be the strong emotions. There is no calculation that can capture that. It’s gut check time and here is what the old boiler is telling me: