College Football Week 5 Parlay Picks: Can We Trust Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State?

College Football Week 5 Parlay Picks: Can We Trust Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State?

We have a small three game slate to start Week 5 of College Football and we have two interesting matchups between Western Kentucky vs. Middle Tennessee and Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston. Let's break them down to see where the value is.

College Football Week 5 Parlay

Middle Tennessee vs. Western Kentucky Prediction

This is a game that should have a lot of points. Middle Tennessee State is no powerhouse by any means, but they have been on a steady decline for a few years now and are coming off a fairly embarrassing loss at home to Colorado State. Middle Tennessee State is one of the worst teams in the FBS at defending the pass and that does not bode well for them against a Western Kentucky squad who can absolutely sling it. MTSU is ranked 125th out of 133 qualified FBS teams in opponent average team passer rating. This basically means quarterbacks against MTSU are averaging a passer rating of 174.1... not very good for that MTSU defense.

MTSU is also ranked 111th in defensive passing yards allowed per attempt as their opponents are gaining 8.9 yards per attempt against them. So basically, every team their opponents drop back to pass it's a first down... again not good. This Western Kentucky offense loves to throw the ball with experienced QB, Austin Reed who is one of the best group of 5 QBs in the nation. Reed and this Western Kentucky team enter this matchup with a record of 2-2 but one of those losses was to Ohio State (a pretty much guaranteed loss) and the other was a road game against Troy in which they lost but covered as 3.5-point underdogs.

Reed and this high powered WKU offense have really yet to get going so far as they have faced some tough defenses, and this is the perfect get right spot for them against a very weak MTSU secondary. In their 2 home games against USF and Houston Baptist, they put up 41 and 52 points and I expect 40+ out of them tonight as well.

Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston State Prediction

This is another interesting Thursday night matchup between two teams in their first season of FBS football. Both teams were FCS powerhouses for many years before making the jump to FBS this season but only one of these teams has had success in the early going. Jacksonville state enters this matchup with a record of 3-1 with impressive wins over UTEP, ETSU, and Eastern Michigan.

Jacksonville State was known for their offensive prowess but that has not been the case early on as their defense is what has shined. In their three wins, they have allowed 14, three, and zero points for an average of just under six points per game. Jacksonville State currently ranks 20th in the nation in least yards allowed per game (305), eighth in defensive yards per play allowed (4.1), seventh in defensive third down percentage (27%), and seventh in defensive sack percentage. So, it is safe to say that Jacksonville State has a stout defense.

On the other side, Sam Houston has one of the most abysmal offenses I have ever seen at the FBS level through three games. They have had a bit of a tough schedule against Houston, Air Force, and BYU but that does not excuse their poor offensive play. SHSU is currently ranked dead last in the FBS in yards per game as they are only averaging 148 yards through three contests. For context, the next closest offense at second to last (Kent State) is averaging 224 yards per game. SHSU is ranked dead last in offensive yards per play, second to last in yards per rushing attempt, and 127th out of 133 teams in passing yards per attempt. They simply have no offensive game plan and not much talent at any skill position to move the sticks consistently.

College Football Week 5 Parlay Picks

Now that we have broken down each game a bit, I am going to be rolling with a two-team oneyline parlay of Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State. I do not usually parlay college football but each of these teams have dicey spreads of -6.5/7 that could easily get back doored, and I feel much comfortable taking the moneyline with each as I do not see either team losing tonight. With that being said, I am rolling with a moneyline parlay of Western Kentucky\Jacksonville State at -106 for 1.5u as my most confident College Football Play of the Day for tonight's action.

1.5u Western Kentucky\Jacksonville State ML Parlay -106 Click here to see which sportbook has the best odds for this pick

College Football Odds

• Click here for Middle Tennessee vs. Western Kentucky odds
• Click here for Jacksonville State vs. Sam Houston State odds
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