College football betting odds and expert picks for KU, K-State & more in Week 10

This figures to be another fun weekend of college football.

That means there should be plenty of good betting opportunities on the board.

Let’s see if we can find some more winners.

Texas Tech (-7) at Kansas State

This isn’t your older brother’s Texas Tech football team. The Red Raiders are no longer looking to win shootouts. This year, they are winning with defense and a physical offensive line. Texas Tech has only allowed 99 points all season. And it has won seven of its eight games by at least 24 points.

Its lone loss came in a back-and-forth game at Arizona State in which starting quarterback Behren Morton didn’t play.

K-State has been playing well of late. The Wildcats have won three of their past four. They could throw a scare into the Red Raiders, especially if they keep forcing turnovers on defense. But it won’t be easy.

Once again, my favorite bet in this game is an Avery Johnson rushing touchdown. He ran for two against Kansas and one against Baylor. I assumed the odds of him adding another against Texas Tech would be around -120. Instead, they are +140.

Oklahoma State (+24.5) at Kansas

It is extremely rare for Kansas to be this big of a favorite in a Big 12 game.

The Jayhawks haven’t been by favored by this many points against a conference foe since 2007, when they were 27-point favorites against Iowa State. Mark Mangino led Kansas to the Orange Bowl that season.

This time around, the huge spread has more to do with the opponent. Oklahoma State has been bad everywhere this season. But the Cowboys have been particularly awful on the road. They are coming off a 42-0 loss at Texas Tech. Oklahoma State hasn’t covered the spread in six straight road games dating back to last season.

My favorite college football bets for Week 10

1. Oklahoma State (+24.5) at Kansas: It is admittedly scary to lay this many points with the Jayhawks, given their recent form. But the Cowboys have been hapless on the road this season, losing all three of their away games by at least 28 points. Remember when Oregon beat Oklahoma State 69-3? This should be a get-right game for Kansas. Pick: KU.

2. USC (+6.5) at Nebraska: No one complains more about college football travel than Lincoln Riley, for good reason. The Trojans have been horrible away from the West Coast ever since they joined the Big Ten. That trend could easily continue against the Cornhuskers. Pick: Nebraska.

3. UCF (+3.5) at Baylor: The Bears are a hard team to figure out. When they play their best, they are one of the better teams in the Big 12. But we haven’t seen their best very often this season. That’s why they are 4-4 and fresh off a pair of losses. Still, I think we are getting Baylor at a cheap price here against a UCF squad that is nothing special. Pick: Baylor.

4. Virginia (-4.5) at Cal: Everything has been falling Virginia’s way this season. The Cavaliers have won three of their past four games in overtime. In the other, they needed good fortune to survive against Washington State in regulation. No team stays lucky forever. A cross-country trip to Cal won’t be easy. Pick: Cal.

5. Vanderbilt (+1.5) at Texas: Diego Pavia is a great story. So are the Vanderbilt Commodores. All they seem to do lately is win games like this. So why do I like Texas? There is a decent chance that backup quarterback Matthew Caldwell will get the start over Arch Manning, who is recovering from a concussion. That would be a positive development for the Longhorns. Lean: Texas.

Last week: 2-3.

Season record: 18-27 (-11.2 units).

Other bets worth considering

6. Miami (-12.5) at SMU: Did you know that Miami hasn’t played a single game outside the state of Florida this season? Maybe the Hurricanes traveling all the way to Dallas for this game will give SMU an advantage. There is also high potential for a backdoor cover at this number. Pick: SMU.

7. New Mexico (+4.5) at UNLV: This matchup reminds me of the Spider-Man meme. These teams have the exact same profile. New Mexico and UNLV are both exceeding expectations with new coaches. And they both have a signature win over UCLA. If they truly are equals, why not take the points? Lean: New Mexico.

8. Cincinnati (+10.5) at Utah: This feels like too many points. Yes, Utah was able to truck Colorado 53-7 and Arizona State (without its starting quarterback) 42-10 in its last two home games. But Cincinnati is better than both of those two teams. I trust the Bearcats to give the Utes a battle in Salt Lake City. Lean: Cincinnati.

9. Arizona (-4.5) at Colorado: If you’re going to bet on the Buffaloes the time to do it is when they are home underdogs. Arizona hasn’t won a road game this season. This could be a good bounce-back spot for Colorado after it got humiliated at Utah. Lean: Colorado.

10. Purdue (+21.5) at Michigan: I am going to cross my fingers and hope that Purdue can score 10 points in this game. That should be enough for the Boilermakers to cover a big spread against a team like Michigan that has trouble blowing out teams with a plodding offense. Lean: Purdue.

Last week: 2-3.

Season record: 24-21 (+1.6 units).

Upset pick of the week

11. USC at Nebraska (+225): USC has gone 2-5 in conference road games since it joined the Big Ten. And only one of those wins came outside of Los Angeles. That bad track record gives me hope that Nebraska can pull off an upset against the Trojans, even though the Huskers haven’t beaten a ranked team since 2016. Nebraska is 4-1 at home this season, and it also beat Cincinnati in front of a friendly crowd at Arrowhead Stadium. Pick: Nebraska.

Last week: 1-0.

Season record: 4-5 (+2.8 units).

This story was originally published October 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM with the headline "College football betting odds and expert picks for KU, K-State & more in Week 10."

Kellis Robinett

The Wichita Eagle

Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.