Week 12 of the college football season was another frustrating one for this weekly CFB Parlays column. We hit three of the four Longshot Parlay legs, which was the closest we came to cashing any of our three parlay cards.
Week 13 brings us rivalry week, including “The Game” between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan. We also have several other rivalries and other miscellaneous landmines to avoid, and hopefully, we can get back on track.
This will likely be my last CFB Parlays column of the year, as we gear up for the road to the 2024 CFB National Championship. Thanks for taking this ride with us. Hopefully, you made a little money.
Best CFB Parlay This Week
We lost our Best CFB Parlay last week. The only team that covered was Ohio State.
It was a strange day in the Big Ten, and this week could be even stranger as rivalry week can produce some interesting results and upsets.
This week, we’ll play three moneyline favorites and lay -6 with the Kansas Jayhawks to cover against Cincinnati. We’ll back this card with our usual $100, hoping for a $311 payout plus the $100 stake.
Phil Naessens TGD CFB Best Parlay Record: 6-7 (+$370.48)
CFB Week 13 Parlay (+311)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
- Western Kentucky (-380)
- Kansas -6 (-112)
- Clemson (-298)
- West Virginia (-345)
This is the most challenging week of the college football season. That’s what makes this card fun as avoiding the potential upsets Rivalry Week can produce can be tricky, to say the least.
I wasn’t comfortable laying Western Kentucky -10 on the road against FIU, but even with a 2-3-0 away record, it should defeat FIU handily. Clemson and West Virginia are in similar situations as Western Kentucky, as both teams may have trouble covering the spread, but should win its respective games.
The only spread bet on this card is Kansas -6 over Cincinnati. The Bearcats have had difficulties adjusting to life in the Big 12. Kansas has dropped two straight, but quarterback Jason Bean is expected to return to the lineup, which should give a stalled offense a spark.
CFB Week 13 Long Shot Parlay Bet
We hit three of the four legs last week, but Coastal Carolina laid a stinker and lost outright to Army. Our CFB Week 13 Long Shot Parlay Bet is a four-leg mixed bag with a potential payout of $292.49 on a $25 stake.
Phil Naessens TGD CFB Long Shot Parlay 2023 Record: 2-11 (+$45.28)
CFB Week 13 Long Shot Parlay (+1131)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.25 Units
- UNLV (-155)
- Marshall (-135)
- Georgia -24 (-110)
- NC State (+114)
UNLV is a short favorite at home against San Jose State. A win seals the Mountain West title for a Rebels side with an 11-1-0 ATS record this season.
Marshall is one win away from bowl eligibility with a 4-1-0 home record. Arkansas State is bowl-eligible with a losing away record. We can’t trust 3-8-0 ATS Marshall to cover the -2.5, so we played the moneyline.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is a Heisman candidate. Look for him to have a huge game on the road to end its third consecutive undefeated season. The No. 1 ranked Bulldogs are 4-1-0 ATS in their last five against their instate rival.
Finally, North Carolina has a big offense with little defense. NC State is a short home underdog in a rivalry where it has won three of its previous five encounters with the Tar Heels.
CFB Week 13 Same-Game Parlay Pick
I haven’t had much luck with the same-game parlay picks this season. That’s probably why the sportsbooks have a national 18% hold rate on SGP cards.
We will use “The Game,” also known as Ohio State-Michigan, for this week’s card and wager our $25.90 profit on this matchup.
Phil Naessens TGD CFB Same-Game Parlay Pick 2023 Record: 2-11 (+$25.90)
CFB Week 13 SGP Ohio State vs. Michigan (+188)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.25 Units
- Michigan (-170)
- Over 46.5 (-110)
This is the big one. The winner will likely make the FBS playoffs and the right to play Iowa next Saturday for the Big Ten championship.
Both teams are undefeated. Ohio State has allegedly played a more difficult schedule, but it should’ve lost to Notre Dame and Penn State. Those two teams were the “strongest” teams the Buckeyes have played.
Michigan should win this game. It has won 21 consecutive games in the “Big House,” with 23 consecutive victories over conference opponents, including two straight over the Buckeyes.
Great defenses are playing in this one for sure, but despite what could be poor weather conditions, these teams will exceed the total. Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. might be the best offensive player in the country, and Michigan has a healthy All-American running back named Blake Corum.
