NCAAF betting is fun in general, but part of the fun is calling your shot on which underdogs that have a chance to either win outright, or at least keep the game close and cover the spread.
This is something that Newsweek is attempting to do weekly, so please check out our favorite college football underdog picks of the week.
Memphis +7 (-115) DraftKings
Memphis Tigers vs. Florida State Seminoles, 12 p.m. ET
While Florida State might figure it out at some point this season, at this point in time, they are pretty much a weekly fade. Not only are they 0-2, but they were heavy favorites to win in both of their losses, which just makes matters worse.
In their first game of the season, the Seminoles lost to Georgia Tech as 10.5 point favorites. They followed that up one week later with a lifeless loss to Boston College by 15 points as 16.5-point favorites.
Now, they are once again favored by about a touchdown in their third game of the season, and that is a little too rich for our blood.
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The biggest issue with FSU to start the year has been on offense, and specifically QB DJ Uiagelelei, who has struggled immensely. Uiagelelei was once a top recruit, but he is now on his third team, and he has never been able to live up to the hype.
In the first half of its game against Boston College, FSU had three separate trips to the red zone that ended with one turnover and two field goals. In the second half of that game, they were only able to manage one touchdown drive.
Their defense, for the second straight game, was dominated along the line of scrimmage and allowed BC to rush for an astounding 263 yards.
Memphis, meanwhile, is currently 2-0 on the season after a resounding 38-17 victory over Troy last week. The Tigers have now scored 20 or more points in 29 straight games, which is the longest streak in the country.
They should be able to take advantage of the porous FSU run defense, as they currently have the 24th-ranked rushing offense in the nation. They are also balanced on defense, with the 35th-ranked defense against the run and the 34th-ranked defense against the pass.
It is hard to think FSU figures it out, even with the 12 days off between games, so we will gladly take the points with Memphis here, and sprinkle the moneyline as well.
- Memphis +7 (-115): Risk 1 Unit
- Memphis ML +220 BetMGM: Risk 0.50 Units
Washington State +5.5 (-110 Bet365)
Washington State Cougars vs. Washington Huskies, 3:30 p.m. ET
Both of these teams come into this game 2-0, with Washington State also 2-0 against the spread, while Washington is 1-1 ATS. Even though the Huskies have won nine of their last 10 matchups against the Cougars, we like the underdog in this matchup.
Last year, these two teams faced off, and a much better Washington team eked out a 24-21 victory, failing to cover the 15.5-point spread. Keep in mind that was the same Huskies team that made a run to the national championship.
Washington QB Will Rogers has had a good start to the year after taking over for Michael Penix Jr., but this is going to be the Huskies’ first real test of the season. Their first two games of the season were against Weber State and Eastern Michigan, two emphatic victories for Washington.
Even with the two impressive victories, Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch is still looking to rebuild the roster after the loss of a ton of talent from last year’s national championship runner-up.
Washington State, meanwhile, had a much tougher test last week, and they passed it with flying colors, routing Texas Tech 37-16. They were actually 2.5-point underdogs heading into that game, but beat the brakes off the Red Raiders and looked impressive doing so.
Cougars QB John Mateer is an electric dual-threat QB, as he ran for 197 yards and one touchdown against Texas Tech last week. Overall, this Washington State team ran for 301 yards in that victory.
Through two games, Mateer, a redshirt sophomore, has 467 passing yards with six touchdowns to the one interception, and 252 rushing yards as well.
He is the team’s leading rusher, but they also have something in electric freshman running back Wayshawn Parker.
This is another situation where the spread is the safer play, course, while the moneyline is also worth a sprinkle.
- Washington State +5.5 (-110): Risk 1 Unit
- Washington State ML +175 Bet365: Risk 0.50 Units
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