Our 7 best bets for Week 11 of the college football season

Penn State (-6.5) over Minnesota*

This is a terrifying trap spot for Penn State, who, after the first playoff ranking, looks poised for a win-and-in showdown against Ohio State in a few weeks. But we're backing the Nittany Lions to win on Saturday by calling on one of the most time-honored traditions in college football heckling: Minnesota ain't played nobody.

The Golden Gophers have big wins over Maryland and Rutgers that look impressive in the box score but have also had to scrape out one-score victories over the likes of Fresno State, Georgia Southern, and Purdue. You can only play whoever's on the schedule, but Penn State is a stronger team on every side of the ball, so barring a disaster, expect the Nittany Lions to roll in this one.

LSU (+6) over Alabama*

Far be it from me to dismiss the most impressive college football dynasty in modern history, but this feels like too many points to give to an LSU team that has looked every bit as impressive as Alabama so far this year.

More than anything, I'm hoping this is a game that can live up to the hype and finish with a thrilling result, and thrilling results tend to mean a game decided by less than a touchdown.

Clemson (-33) over NC State*

NC State is coming off of a 21-point loss against Boston College and a 34-point loss to Wake Forest. Now they have to play a Clemson team that was just left out of the top-four in the first playoff ranking despite being the undefeated reigning champions and is looking to prove to the world that they don't appreciate such disrespect.

Oregon State* (+10) over Washington

Washington's season has gone off the rails in their past two games, dropping back-to-back games to Oregon and Utah to put the nail in the coffin of a disappointing season.

While there's the threat of a bounce-back game looming for the Huskies, it's tough to imagine Washington having the drive in them necessary to blow out a talented Oregon State team.

Northwestern* (-2.5) over Purdue

Northwestern has burnt our best bets multiple times this season already, but we're taking them again this week based strictly on the numbers.

According to the Action Network, 65% of bets on this game are on Purdue, but 68% of the money is on Northwestern. The big bettors seem to believe in Northwestern in this spot, and I believe in the big bettors.

East Carolina (+21.5) over SMU*

This is another play based on money. 56% of the bets on this game are on SMU, but a whopping 81% of the money is coming in on East Carolina.

SMU is undoubtedly the better team. Still, ECU has proven an ability to score even in losses, putting up 28 points against UCF and scoring 43 against Cincinnati in a heartbreaking loss last weekend. This is too many points to give to an offense with that kind of firepower.

Boise State* (-14.5) over Wyoming

Boise State blew it for us last week, failing to cover as 17-point favorites against San Jose State after a slow start saw the Broncos go down 14-0 to open the game.

This week, we're backing Boise not to get caught sleeping to start the game and take back our lost wages with a big win over Wyoming.

Now check out our best bets for Week 10 of the NFL season...

NFL WEEK 10: Our official predictions for who wins this weekend