Bettors are always looking for angles and trends when betting on football. One of those trends involves riding hot teams against the spread.
So, who are the best college football teams against the spread (ATS) this season?
Three teams are currently 6-0 ATS, but two of those squads might surprise you.
Let’s jump into which teams have started the season off on a hot streak in the betting world.
The first team on the list is the seventh-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, who are also 6-0 straight up (SU).
James Franklin’s Nittany Lions covered a 20.5-point spread against West Virginia by scoring a touchdown with six seconds left in a 38-15 win in their season-opener, and they’ve been rolling ever since.
But can you name the other two 6-0 ATS teams?
The answers lie in a Pennsylvania city 65 miles west of New York City and a desert city that is known for offering legalized sports wagering.
The Lafayette Leopards of the FCS Patriot League and the UNLV Rebels of the FBS Mountain West Conference are both also 6-0 ATS this season.
Can the three teams improve to 7-0 ATS this season?
The Nittany Lions face No. 3 Ohio State at noon ET Saturday on FOX and the FOX Sports App. The 6-0 Buckeyes are a 4.5-point favorite.
FOX Sports College Football Analyst RJ Young has Penn State fifth in his rankings, two spots higher than in the AP Top 25. The Nittany Lions are coming off a 63-0 win over Massachusetts, an FBS independent school.
“Penn State took care of business, they’re doing what I asked them to do to remain a top-five team. I’m not going to penalize them for scoring 63 and giving up zero, just because they don’t have a marquee win,” said Young, host of FOX Sports’ No. 1 College Football Show. “Precisely because they’ve got to play Ohio State on Saturday.
“Whether you like it or not, the ranking for Penn State and Ohio State is likely to change come next week. Because one of those two is going to knock off a top-10 team, and if it’s Penn State, it’s on the road. If it’s Ohio State, it’s the best team you’ve played not named Notre Dame, who, oh, by the way, might not be as bad as we thought.”
Young said the winner of the Nittany Lions-Buckeyes showdown will be on the fast track to a College Football Playoff berth.
“I find it ridiculous that we aren’t already hyping Ohio State-Penn State. … I’m already ready for Saturday because that game is really going to be a College Football Playoff quarterfinal,” Young said. “It’s going to be real difficult for the loser of that game to make the College Football Playoff — not impossible, but extremely difficult.”
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As for the other two teams, the Runnin’ Rebels (5-1 SU) are a 7-point favorite at home against Colorado State (3-3).
UNLV lost to Michigan 35-7 in Week 2 but covered as a 38-point underdog.
The Leopards (5-1 SU) of Easton, Pennsylvania, are 2.5-point favorites at the Holy Cross Crusaders in a Patriot League contest on Saturday.
Lafayette lost to Duke 42-7 in Week 2 but covered as a 42.5-point underdog.
Fun fact: The Leopards, one of the nation’s oldest college football programs, claim three national football championships (1896, 1921, 1926).
Are you backing any of the three teams to improve to 7-0 ATS this week? Follow FOX Sports for the latest college football gambling news.
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