College Football

'Bear Bets': The Group Chat picks Oregon-Utah, other best bets

Updated Oct. 26, 2023 11:35 p.m. ET

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Another weekend of college football is upon us, and Week 9 brings with it many exciting matchups to wager on!

FOX Sports' Chris "The Bear" Fallica and Geoff Schwartz had a lot of thoughts on the Week 9 slate, as did FOX Sports contributors Sam Panayotovich and Will Hill.

The Group Chat segment of the latest episode of "Bear Bets" broke down this week's biggest games.

Let's jump into the group's thoughts.

The biggest ranked matchup this weekend takes place in Salt Lake City, where No. 8 Oregon takes on No. 13 Utah (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). Are there any plays you like in this tilt?

The Bear: Lean Utah +6.5

"This Oregon line makes no sense. It's up to 6.5 now. Do people remember what happened the last couple of times Oregon has played at Utah? I know, previous regime and administration, but it has not been pretty. Utah has absolutely run roughshod over the Ducks. Is it the fact that maybe some bettors were holding onto hope that Cameron Rising was going to play and that's why the Utah numbers are a little bit shorter? There's no way you can lay 6.5, can you?"

Are Alabama and Oregon the only one-loss teams with playoff chances?

Schwartz: Lean Under 47.5

"Absolutely not [can you bet Oregon -6.5]. As an Oregon fan, I'm not betting Utah +6.5, either. … But, to me, the Under is certainly in play. In the first five games, Utah had 15 explosive plays on offense. Since then, they've had 14. So, they've been better the last two weeks. But the last two opponents they played were terrible on defense. They're playing a real defense again. I don't think they'll score many points here."

Hill: Lean Utah +6.5

"To me, it's Utah or nothing. I mentioned last week against USC that Utah's a good live bet team because if they ever get behind by 10 or two scores or whatever, they're in trouble because that's just not their game. But, to me, Utah will be right in this game."

Sammy P: Lean Under 47.5

"I'm going to tail Geoff. I think that move on the Under is real. It opened at 49. We're seeing 48, 47.5 and a couple of 47s. So, the wiseguys have already spoken on the Under. … I would still bet Under 47.5 before it gets through that key number of 47."

Michigan's sign-stealing scandal is the biggest story in college football right now. Do you think that it'll have any implications on J.J. McCarthy to win the Heisman Trophy after he became the betting favorite this week?

Sammy P: "Not in the slightest. I would make it -5000 that this doesn't get solved before the National Championship Game. This is going to drag on for months. I don't think the voters are going to do that. I think the voters are more inclined to wait for the official results [of the investigation].

"I feel like this thing is going to bleed out for months. At that point, we'll already have our McCarthy bets cashed or whatever, and good luck trying to pry [that money] from my cold, dead hands."

Hill: "To me, the most interesting thing is next year. If there are sanctions against Michigan, does this chase [Jim] Harbaugh away [to the NFL]? That's what interests me. I don't think there's any betting implications against McCarthy. I don't think that'd be fair."

Could Michigan’s scandal affect Heisman votes for J.J. McCarthy?

Many of the top-ranked teams are heavy favorites against unranked opponents this weekend. Do you like any of those big underdogs, or are there favorites you're siding with?

Hill: Kansas +9.5 vs. Oklahoma; Florida +14 vs. No. 1 Georgia

"You mentioned that some people in college football felt that, despite the stats, Oklahoma isn't as good defensively. That's where I'm at. I'm sure they'll move the ball on Kansas, but even if Jalon Daniels doesn't play, I think Kansas will move the ball on them. … I just think Oklahoma is a little overrated. It got a bit lucky to get out of that game last week.

"I also like Florida. It's a bit ugly, but I haven't loved this Georgia offense all year. I love it even less without Brock Bowers. I think Florida will have a good game plan to run the ball, shorten the game and Bill Napier has a good record as a 'dog."

Sammy P: Wants to bet Wisconsin +14.5 vs. Ohio State but can't get there. Going with Kansas +9.5

"They're going to be jumping around like maniacs in Camp Randall. I wish I could, but with Tanner Mordecai out, I don't how much Wisconsin is going to score. Can they get to 17? If they can, they can cover. Maybe make it 31-17? That'd be within the hook. But I'm terrified of going against this Ohio State team that looked unbelievable again last week.

"Jason Bean can move the ball. As we've talked about on ‘Bear Bets,' Lance Leipold is one of the best coaches in the country at manipulating safeties. … That should be a close game, and I would not be surprised at all if Kansas won that game outright."

Georgia vs. Florida, BYU at Texas & NC State vs. Clemson best bets

Schwartz: Don't bet Stanford +26.5 vs. Washington

"When you look at how Stanford played last weekend, I think people are going to say, ‘Hey, Stanford, they beat Colorado two weeks ago and can do it again.' Stanford has played three ranked games this year. It lost 56-10, 42-6 and 42-7. That's not good. I would be comfortable laying 26.5 points with Washington."

The Bear: Texas Longhorns -18.5 vs. BYU

"I think Maalik Murphy has a huge arm. I think they feel pretty comfortable with him. After getting up 21-0 last week and falling asleep on the lead, I don't think they'll do that again. I think they'll get up big in this game and throttle BYU."

Any other plays you like this weekend?

Hill: Arizona +3.5 vs. No. 11 Oregon State; Arizona State +5.5 vs. Washington State

"I kinda like these Arizona teams. Arizona has been one of the more underrated teams. They have three losses, but they're all coin-flip losses. Arizona State has been one of these weird, little pet teams that, I think, earlier in the year, they had so many turnovers that it skewed its stats. They've been scrapping as a ‘dog. They should've won last week against Washington."

Sammy P: Bet Brown-Penn Over if the number is at 52

"I think this Brown team is going to score a bunch of points again. We did them a couple of weeks ago on this show. This is Friday night FCS. If anyone has been following the Brown totals from opening until game time, these point totals have moved five or six points. I think if it's at 52, it's not going to last. Wink, wink. That doesn't mean it's going to win. But if you're betting these Brown totals, you sicko, you need to bet them early when the number comes up."

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