Week 13 of the 2024 College Football offers the penultimate week of conference play. And spots in each of the Power 5 FBS conference games will likely remain up for grabs. The schedule features a Big Ten, College Football Playoff Ranking Top 12 showdown between Indiana and Ohio State. The loser of that game will be watching the Big Ten title game on TV.

Bettors will be taking a deep look at college football odds with serious interest. College football betting sites have posted lines for dozens of games this week.

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There are no other top-10 matchups on the schedule this week. This means oddsmakers will be trying to balance potentially large point spreads with teams who need to produce lopsided wins in the case of potential tiebreakers in determining conference title game foes. And you can expect at least one upset among the nation’s best teams this week. 

Where may that be? We’ll try to find out. 

Opportunities abound all week and weekend on sports betting apps. For instance, BetMGM, FanDuel and ESPN BET have posted a healthy slate of futures concerning the college football playoff and season awards. 

Take a look at our favorite college football picks for Week 13 of the 2024 season. Any team rankings are from the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

College Football Week 13 Best Bets To Back Today

Thursday, November 21
NC State at Georgia Tech, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Buzz: The Yellow Jackets have made Bobby Dodd Stadium into its own mini-house of pain. Just as the Miami Hurricanes. Tech’s only lost once at home – to Notre Dame. Tech is bowl eligible, while the Wolfpack is on the verge of getting a postseason bid. NC State has not won or lost more than 2 straight games this season. The question remains which version of the ‘Pack will show up on a Thursday night. Both teams lost to Notre Dame. But Tech beat Duke, while the Devils topped the Wolfpack. NC State is 5-5 SU but just 2-7-1 ATS. ESPN Analytics gives Georgia Tech a 77.4% chance of winning. And Tech’s average margin of winning is 16.7 points.

Best Bet: Georgia Tech -9.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Saturday, November 23
Ole Miss at Florida, 12 p.m. (ABC)

Buzz: The Lane Train pulls into Gainesville on a high after upending Georgia at home and the bye. Ole Miss keeps its SEC title game hopes alive if it can beat Florida and Mississippi State. The Rebels have a 35.5-pont average winning margin. The Gators are on to 2025. But could still be bowl eligible with wins here and over Florida State. (They visit Death Valley on Saturday) ESPN Analytics gives Georgia an 81.3% chance of winning. Still, the Gators are nasty in the Swamp. And should be able to keep this close.
Best Bet: Florida +11 (-110) at DraftKings

Indiana at Ohio State, 12 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: The Hoosiers have run the table thus far in 2024. In addition to their 10-0 start, Indiana is 8-2 ATS. But IU did not cover a 12-point line in a 20-15 home win against Michigan. That team was IU's first legit Big Ten opponent in an otherwise soft-sided conference schedule. Indiana enters The Horseshoe in Columbus off the bye. Ohio State is No. 2 in the CFB Playoff Rankings. (No 1. Oregon beat Ohio State 32-31.) ESPN Analytics gives Ohio State an 73.1% chance of winning. The Bucks have failed to cover 4 times ahead of their game at Northwestern. Still, this number is a bit of a discount at just 2 scores. And style points matter more than ever.

Best Bet: Ohio State -11.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Kentucky at Texas, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

Buzz: Texas (8-1) is the top SEC team in the College Football Rankings. But the Longhorns are 3^rd in the SEC Standings. Texas plays Texas A&M next week. The winner could face Tennessee in the SEC title game. Here, the issue of the College Football Playoff Ranking comes into play when looking at this number. Kentucky (3-6) is no longer considered a quality SEC opponent. Thus, anything short of a decisive win here by Texas will be seen as a blemish by the committee. Texas (6-3 ATS) has covered in 4 of 5 games when giving 20 or more points.

Best Bet: Texas -21 (-110) at DraftKings

BYU at Arizona State, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Buzz: BYU won its first 9 games and survived a scare against The Cougars are No. 7 in the College Football Playoff Rankings and would get a round-bye if they win out through the Big 12 title game. As they would be the 4^th-highest ranked conference champion. They survived a real scare in a 22-21 win over Utah. They play host to Kansas Saturday. BYU has covered in all 4 games as an underdog. Both BYU and Arizona State are 7-2 ATS. The Sun Devils have a big-time positive surprise in the expanded Big 12 and are bowl eligible. They’ve only missed one cover in their past 5 games ahead of Saturday’s game against Kansas State. ESPN Analytics gives BYU a slim 50.5 change to win.

Best Bet: BYU +1 (-110) at DraftKings

Alabama at Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)

Buzz: Alabama (7-2) served notice to the SEC and College Playoff Ranking committee with a dominant 42-13 at LSU in Week 11. The Tide rose to No. 7 in the playoff poll. Despite being just the 3^rd-highest ranked SEC team. The Tide will miss the SEC title game this season. Thus, they’ll need to hold serve in the rankings. All 4 wheels have fallen off the Sooner Schooner this season. OU has lost 4 straight in the SEC. It is coming off the bye here. Neither team is especially impressive on the line. But the Tide is coming in at the right time for Alabama. Brent Venables is coaching for his future in Norman. He got the proverbial “kiss of death” public expression of support from the OU’s president. Never a good sign.

Best Bet: Alabama -13 (-110) at DraftKings

Texas A&M at Auburn, TBD

Buzz: Texas A&M has a shot at a top-tier bowl and a shot and the college football playoff. The 7-2 Aggies are 15^th in this week’s poll. And the top two-loss team on the outside looking in. There’s no room for error, or close calls against sub-par SEC teams. They play New Mexico State in a tune-up this week. That's the perfect get-right opportunity after that loss at South Carolina. Auburn (3-6) runs a quasi-scrimmage against UL Monroe. QB Payton Thorne is nursing an injured shoulder. And at this point of the season, we’ll begin to see multiple “injured” players begin to sit as the transfer portal beckons.

Best Bet: Texas A&M -4.5 (-110) at DraftKings

USC at UCLA, TBD

Buzz: This game is an answer to the most surprising trivia question in the new and expanded Big Ten: “What is the shortest road trip between stadiums in the Big Ten?” The Rose Bowl and LA Coliseum are just 12.21 miles apart. This time, the Bruins and Trojans play in the most elegant setting in the Big Ten: the Rose Bowl. These teams are relatively even. ESPN Analytics gives USC a 73.4% chance of winning. The Bruins are 6-3 on the line, despite their 4-5 record. They visit Washington this week. USC has Nebraska. Take the points here given that it’s more than a field goal in what should be a very close game.

Best Bet: USC +3.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Penn State at Minnesota, TBD

Buzz: Penn State is the odd team out in the College Football Playoff Rankings when it comes to the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are 4^th overall, but Oregon and Ohio State remain at No. 1 and 2. And Penn State loses any tiebreaker. Thus, the Lions are locked in on claiming a home playoff game in the snow of Happy Valley. To do that, they’ll need a convincing win here to impress the committee. Especially with Indiana looming at 10-0. For now. ESPN Analytics gives Penn State a 73.2 % chance of winning.  

Best Bet: Penn State -10 (-110) at DraftKings