Thursday nights are for football.
Along with the NFL's Raiders vs. Broncos matchup, we'll be treated to two college football games: UTSA vs. USF in the American Conference and Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State in the Sun Belt.
Read on for our Thursday college football picks and NCAAF predictions on Nov. 6.
Thursday College Football Picks
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Thursday'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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
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. | ||
UTSA vs South Florida Pick
By Road to CFB
If you’re a fan of points, this game is for you.
An initial over/under of 67.5 wasn’t enough, and that’s been bet up to 68.5. At the same time, USF was bet up from a 12.5-point home favorite to a 14.5-point one.
Both teams are stout against the run but vulnerable against the pass.
They love giving up long passing touchdowns and quick strikes when the opposing offense is capable. Both offenses love running with pace and letting their respective quarterbacks control the game.
This season, every conference game for USF has exceeded 60 points, and the last one to not exceed this posted total saw two missed field goals. Memphis and USF combined for 25 drives, a pace that should have seen more than the 65 combined points.
Three of UTSA’s league games featured 60-plus points, with one team (not necessarily UTSA) scoring 48-plus. The “dud” of the group was the 27-21 game at Temple, where the first half bogged things down.
The Roadrunners went on two 12-plus play drives, resulting in a frenetic second half featuring 14 drives (plus a 15th to kill the clock), versus just nine in the first half.
The weather in Tampa is expected to cooperate, with calm winds and temperatures in the upper 70s.
Traylor’s name has died down as a prime candidate for some of the biggest openings across the board, at least compared to 2022 when he was on a 23-5 run with the Roadrunners.
If this is a no-nonsense competitive game from both coaches, I expect a boatload of points.
If this is an audition tape for any USF Bull that may get the inkling that head coach Alex Golesh is moving on after this year, I expect a boatload of points.
Even if this is a prime distraction game for the USF coaching staff, I expect lapses in coverage and a bunch of points for UTSA.
Any way you dice it, I expect plenty of points thanks to two very efficient offenses and defenses prone to giving up chunk plays.
Pick: Over 68.5
| |
Georgia Southern vs Appalachian State Pick
Georgia Southern boasts the worst run defense in the Sun Belt. The Eagles are also lousy against the pass, and they’re about to face a pass-happy App State attack that runs at a NASCAR tempo.
App State’s defense also can’t stop the run, and the Mountaineers have lost it on the back end, ranking 105th nationally in PFF’s Coverage grades and 121st in Pass Explosiveness allowed.
Georgia Southern games are 6-2 to the Over this season.
However, one of those losses came last week against Arkansas State, which finished with 58 points after the total closed at 59. That game featured an interception in the end zone, three field goals inside the opponent’s 10-yard line, and over 800 yards of total offense. That game should’ve easily cleared the closing total.
This total is off by three or four points. Georgia Southern games are clearing the total by an average of 6.8 points per game, which is the eighth-highest mark among Group of 5 squads.
Pick: Over 62.5
