Fornelli’s Week 5 picks weigh six college football matchups
The CBS Sports columnist backs overs in two games and flags James Madison, New Mexico and UCLA as teams to watch against the betting market.
CBS Sports columnist Tom Fornelli has published betting selections for six Week 5 college football matchups, framing them as his opinions on the game lines rather than settled outcomes. The quoted lines may change.
For Ohio State against Iowa, Fornelli takes the over 45.5. He also backs Florida -4.5 against Missouri, citing Florida’s scoring form and concerns about Missouri’s ability to sustain long touchdown drives.
Fornelli expects fewer points in BYU–TCU, taking the under 47.5. He points to BYU’s offensive line injury concerns, while questioning TCU’s performance this season.
He selects USC -9.5 against Washington, and the over 61.5 for Purdue–Illinois. In the latter matchup, he argues Illinois’ defensive problems may persist after the team dismissed its defensive coordinator.
For Friday’s Pitt–Virginia Tech game, Fornelli takes Pitt at +140, saying he sees value in the price despite the road setting. Separately, he says James Madison, New Mexico and UCLA have caught his attention as potential “Wagons” — teams he thinks could outperform market expectations.
