Week 13 rolls into the afternoon slate, headlined by a West Coast Big Ten matchup between USC and Oregon.
Aside from that, our college football experts are locked in on a few other spots, including FIU hosting Jacksonville State and FAU hosting UConn.
Read on for our College Football Best Bets and NCAAF Week 13 picks for Saturday, November 22.
College Football Best Bets, Picks for Saturday Afternoon
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Saturday afternoon's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 3 p.m. | |
| 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 3 p.m. | |
 | Afternoon | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
USC vs. Oregon Pick
With injuries abundant for both teams, the most critical may come in the secondary for the USC defense.
The Trojans are one of the best tackling teams in the country, ranking 15th in PFF tackle grading and broken tackles allowed. However, backup strong safety Christian Pierce subbed in for Fitzgerald and immediately missed three tackles against Iowa.
With the emergence of Kenyon Sadiq and the potential return of Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr. at wideout, Oregon's offense could be at full strength to create explosives at the second level.
Those aspects only encompass Oregon's passing game, but running backs Noah Whittington and Jordon Davison should produce numerous 10-plus yard gains on inside zone carries.
The USC defense has been poor against all run concepts. Davison has become the workhorse option for Oregon with 12 rushing touchdowns on the season.
The Trojans will have the ability to gash the Oregon defense on the ground, but running back Waymond Jordan is once again expected to sit out the trip to Eugene with an injury.
Backup King Miller did see a decline in his numbers against Iowa, lowering his yards after contact to just 2.2 while generating only one explosive run.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava should get the offense moving, but the Ducks have specialized in shutting down opposing passing attacks through quarters coverage.
Read Collin's full USC-Oregon breakdown and more in his Week 13 Card:
Pick: Oregon TT Over 34.5
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Jacksonville State vs. FIU Pick
By Stuckey
This is a tricky situational spot for the Gamecocks, who head to Florida after upsetting Kennesaw State to take over sole possession of first place in Conference USA. They also have a major showdown against Western Kentucky next week, a game that could determine who hosts the title game.
The Gamecocks could lock up a place in the title game with a victory, but I wouldn't be shocked if they came out a bit flat.
Meanwhile, I think you get a home-run effort from the Panthers in their final home game of the season with a chance to clinch bowl eligibility, which would be a very nice step in the right direction for the program under first-year head coach Willie Simmons.
Since Caden Creel has taken over at quarterback, Jacksonville State has gone 5-0 in league play following a blowout home loss against Southern Miss. However, let's take a closer look at those wins, as well as one earlier in the season over Liberty.
- W by 10 vs. Liberty (out-gained 534-390)
- W by 2 at SHSU (walk-off 52-yard FG)
- W by 14 vs. Delaware (out-gained 456-388)
- W by 3 at MTSU (even game)
- W by 3 at UTEP (coin flip game)
- W by 9 vs Kennesaw (out-gained 579-451)
Yes, they have gone 3-0 on the road in league play, but by a combined 8 points over three of the worst teams in the conference (UTEP, Sam Houston, MTSU) in games that easily could have gone the other direction.
The Gamecocks were also out-played statistically in several other contests, but have benefited from extreme turnover and fourth-down luck. It certainly doesn't hurt to have a +9 turnover margin in conference play, but that's a very unsustainable way to make a living.
Yes, TCU transfer running back Cam Cook has been a revelation for Jacksonville State. Still, he's been dominant all season, yet the Gamecocks are still barely pulling out these games. The pass game still lacks juice, and the defense has plenty of holes that FIU can exploit.
While I'm not sure if quarterback Keyone Jenkins will return from injury for FIU, I could make a case that the offense operates more efficiently with Joe Pesansky under center. Jenkins has had a pretty disappointing season, and his numbers leave a lot to be desired in 2025.
- Jenkins: 258 drop backs 6.2 YPA, 5 BTT, 13 TWP, 8.2 ADOT, 62.8% completion percentage
- Pesansky: 116 drop backs 7.1 YPA, 8 BTT, 4 TWP, 11.4 ADOT, 63.4% completion percentage
I could make a case that Jacksonville State is one of the most overrated teams in the country and has played much worse away from home against very poor competition.
Ultimately, I don't see much difference between these teams despite where they sit in the C-USA standings.
Plus, I fancy the spot for a now-healthy FIU defense that got absolutely shredded a few times earlier this season when riddled with injuries.
Check out all of Stuckey's Week 13 Situational Spots here:
Pick: FIU +1 or Better
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UConn vs. Florida Atlantic Pick
One of the most impressive streaks in college football came to an end last week as UConn’s Joe Fagnano finally threw his first interception after 385 pass attempts – on a tipped ball.
Even with the blemish, Fagnano has been fantastic this season, tossing 25 touchdown passes and leading the Huskies to an 8-3 record.
Wide receiver Skyler Bell leads the nation with 93 catches and 13 touchdowns, but the offense is well-balanced with running back Cam Edwards already over 1,000 yards.
UConn ranks top 25 nationally in scoring and total offense, presenting a brutal matchup for FAU’s below-average defense.
Teams that can run the ball have shredded the Owls, and Edwards should be in for a big day on the ground.
For Florida Atlantic, this is a terrible matchup.
The Owls' offense ranks 103rd nationally in Success Rate but 11th in Explosiveness. They don’t move the ball consistently and exclusively rely on creating big plays. They rank third nationally in passing rate. The Owls don’t even try to run the ball, and when they do, they don’t do it well.
Unfortunately for the Owls, UConn's defense is elite at preventing big plays.
The Huskies rank 14th in Explosiveness allowed, keeping everything in front of them. They’re also much better against the pass than they are at defending the run.
If you want to beat UConn’s defense, you must attack them on the ground, but FAU is not capable of doing that. Trying to rely on big plays through the air plays perfectly into UConn’s strength.
UConn does all the little things right. The Huskies protect the football, don’t take penalties, and they cash in on scoring chances. The offense is elite, and the defense has a great matchup to limit big plays.
Check out all of Ianniello's Group of 5 picks for Week 13 here:
Pick: UConn -7 or Better
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USC vs. Oregon Player Prop Pick
By Doug Ziefel
The Game of the Week takes place in Eugene, Oregon, where the Ducks host the Trojans.
This matchup is star-studded, and USC's star wideout Makai Lemon is the guy to watch.
Lemon has had a tremendous season as the Trojans' top target. He has an 81% catch rate and averages 8.8 targets per game.
However, he has the toughest possible matchup in the Oregon secondary, which ranks first nationally in receptions allowed.
We can count on the Ducks to do everything they can to take Lemon out of the offense, which will minimize his target volume and keep him under this total for the sixth time this season.
Pick: Makai Lemon Under 7.5 Receptions
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New Mexico State vs. UTEP Pick
This game triggered one of our Action PRO betting systems, powered by Evan Abrams.
Bounce Back Fade is a college football system that capitalizes on public overreaction to teams coming off a poor performance.
In conference play, when an opponent has just lost by more than three points and enters with only a one-game home or away streak, bettors often expect a strong rebound effort.
Oddsmakers know this tendency and may shade the line toward that team, creating hidden value on the other side.
By focusing on spreads between three and 16 points, the system captures games that are competitive enough for the line to matter but not so close that small swings decide the outcome.
In these situations, fading the supposed bounce-back team has historically delivered consistent returns, as motivation alone does not erase underlying weaknesses that caused the initial loss.
UTEP is reeling after three straight losses, but is it really worth betting on the Miners to bounce back?
The Miners can't move the football. They rank 134th nationally in EPA per Play and 130th in Success Rate.
UTEP has an elite defense (sixth nationally in EPA per Drive allowed, -0.78), but New Mexico State's defense is almost as good (14th, -0.48).
In what projects as a low-scoring grinder, I'll happily take the points.
While UTEP can't do anything on offense, the Aggies have a somewhat respectable, top-100 passing attack (94th in EPA per Dropback). Logan Fife has pieced together six 240-plus yard passing performances this year, and the Aggies pass at the seventh-highest rate nationally.
Fife's arm might be the difference in a game that should feature plenty of third-and-longs.
Additionally, New Mexico State has a far better special teams unit, which could swing this type of low-scoring, high-variance ballgame.
Want more PRO betting systems? Get an Action PRO subscription here:
Pick: New Mexico State +3 or Better
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Breese's Full Action App Card
Need more picks for the rest of Saturday's slate? It's always wise to see what our guy Breese is betting on.
Additionally, if you haven't already, make sure you download the free award-winning Action Network App to track all your bets and tail all of your favorite experts:
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