Week 5 of the 2014 college football season is upon us. Here are some of the marquee matchups and the lines for the upcoming weekend of action, courtesy of JustBet Sportsbook. All NCAA football bettors and sports fans will get their fill of quality action this weekend as there are quite a few interesting matchups on tap.

Thursday, September 25

Texas Tech at #24 Oklahoma State (-13.5, 71) 7:30 PM (EST) ESPN

The #24 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys host the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday night from Stillwater, OK. The Cowboys defeated the Red Raiders last year in Lubbock 52-34.

#11 UCLA (-4, 59.5) at #15 Arizona State 10:00 PM (EST) FOX SPORTS 1

The #11 ranked UCLA Bruins travel to Tempe, AZ to take on the #15 ranked Arizona State Sun Devils. Both teams are currently undefeated and are contenders in the very competitive PAC-12 conference.

Saturday, September 27th

Tennessee at #12 Georgia (-17, 55.5) 12:00 PM (EST) ESPN

The #12 ranked Georgia Bulldogs take on the Tennessee Volunteers in a key SEC matchup. Georgia may have lost to South Carolina, but are still in the talk as being one of the contenders to be in the final four teams.

UTEP at #25 Kansas State (-26.5, 56) 12:00 PM (EST) ESPNU

Kansas State is in the top 25 due to an admirable performance against Auburn, and will need to be focused when they host the UTEP Miners, who are the 9^th best rushing team in the nation.

#1 Florida State (-18.5, 58) at North Carolina State 3:30 PM (EST) ESPN2

The #1 ranked Florida State Seminoles survived a scare beating Clemson 23-17 in overtime. Jameis Winston will return this week as they face an improving NC State squad.

Arkansas vs. #6 Texas A&M (-8.5, 70) 3:30 PM (EST) CBS from AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

The Arkansas Razorbacks will take on the undefeated Texas A&M Aggies from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The Razorbacks are improving under head coach Brett Bielema, and it was evident in their impressive in their 49-28 win at Texas Tech.

#16 Stanford (-7.5, 47.5) at Washington 4:15 PM (EST) FOX

Washington head coach Chris Peterson will be coaching his first game in the PAC-12 conference when the Washington Huskies host the Stanford Cardinal. These two schools have split the past two meetings and both games have been highly competitive.

Missouri at #13 South Carolina (-5.5, 63) 7:00 PM (EST) ESPN

The Missouri Tigers were upset last week by Indiana, and they’ll have to regroup when they head to Columbia to take on the Gamecocks. South Carolina won in Missouri last year, coming back from a 17 point deficit to win.

Memphis at #10 Ole Miss (-19.5, 57.5) 7:30 PM (EST) ESPNU

The Ole Miss Rebels will need to be focused when they host a pesky Memphis team that took UCLA to the limit. Ole Miss faces Alabama next week, and can’t look ahead as Memphis is very capable of pulling the upset.

Oregon State at #18 USC (-10, 10:30 PM (EST) ESPN

The USC Trojans will take on the Oregon State Beavers from the Coliseum in Los Angeles. USC will be looking to bounce back from being upset by Boston College. This will be Oregon State’s first PAC-12 game of the year.

The 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl picks are going to be difficult to make, as the Purdue Boilermakers and Oklahoma State Cowboys are set to do battle with one another in a Big XII vs. Big Ten battle. Check out our Heart of Dallas Bowl predictions and the keys to the game for Purdue vs. Oklahoma State.

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012-13 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl: Purdue Boilermakers vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys
2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl Location: Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, TX
2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl Date/Time: Tuesday, January 1st, 12:00 p.m. (ET)
2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl Television Coverage: ESPNU, Watch ESPN

Key #1: The Boilermakers have to believe that they can keep up
We have seen this time and time again in Oklahoma State games. The Cowboys have the goods to race right out of the blocks and put a ton of points on the board in bunches. However, they also have a defense this year that allowed 285.7 passing yards and 29.4 points per game as well. Teams like the Baylor Bears and Oklahoma Sooners had success trying to move the ball up and down the field against this team, and the Boilermakers have to believe that they can do that as well. There really isn’t much in the way of tangible stats that suggest that the Boilers can hang in this game, as there isn’t a receiver with even 700 yards or a rusher with even 800 yards, and even the quarterback play has been suspect all year long. However, it all looked just as bad for the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the Big Ten, and they were able to stick around in a very comparable game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Okie State will go on a 21-0 run at some point in this game in all likelihood. It’s just a matter of how the Boilermakers respond to that adversity.

Heart of Dallas Bowl Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
Purdue Boilermakers +17
Oklahoma State Cowboys -17
Over/Under 70
Click Here to Bet Your Heart of Dallas Bowl Picks!

Key #2: The Cowboys have to prove that they can win a close one
Maybe this will end up being a close game. Maybe it won’t. But if it is a close call, Head Coach Mike Gundy has to be a bit cautious about how his team finishes games. There was a chance to beat both the Baylor Bears and the Oklahoma Sooners in the last two weeks of the year, but both games were ultimately lost. The Kansas State Wildcats were right there with the Cowboys for the full 60 minutes and ultimately won by two touchdowns, while the Texas Longhorns were able to come to Stillwater and win a controversial 41-36 game. There were only five games all year long that were decided by two touchdowns or fewer that Okie State played in, and the men in white and orange were on the wrong end of all of those games. Whether it be an untimely penalty, a mistake of a throw, a botched snap… Something has always kept the Pokes from winning those close ones, and this is going to be a game to be careful with for sure.

Key #3: Akeem Shavers absolutely has to score at least one touchdown
Here’s a heck of a stat for all of you Purdue fans that has to give you some cause for hope in this game. RB Akeem Shavers had six games this year in which he rushed for a touchdown. The team went 6-0 in those games. There were six games this year in which he didn’t rush for a touchdown. The Boilers went 0-6 in those games. Oh sure, it’s going to take a heck of a lot more than just one rushing touchdown from the Boilermakers’ top running back to have any chance of winning the Heart of Dallas Bowl, but it’s a good start. Figure that Purdue has to figure out how to score at least three touchdowns offensive in this game to have a chance, and we have to think that for that to happen, Shavers is going to have to find the end zone at least once, and potentially a few more times than that to ultimately give the Boilers a fighting chance of staying in this game.

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Every single year, the Bedlam matchup is one to watch. Points are usually all over the board, and upsets are quite frequently the norm. The National Championship picture could come into focus when these two teams meet up with one another, but for sure, the Big XII title will be on the line. The Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys truly hate each other, and that will probably never change. This year though, the game could take on an entirely new meaning with the way that the Big XII has been reformed with new teams. Don’t miss the college football odds or our Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State picks for this great clash in Rivalry Week!

Oklahoma State Cowboys @ Oklahoma Sooners Picks & Info
Oklahoma State Cowboys @ Oklahoma Sooners Date: Saturday, November 24th
Oklahoma State Cowboys @ Oklahoma Sooners Location: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK
Oklahoma State Cowboys @ Oklahoma Sooners Spread: Oklahoma Sooners -10

The Cowboys are going to know at this point in the year whether they are going to have a realistic chance of competing with the Sooners or not. RB Joseph Randle was asked to do a lot last year in pass protection and in receiving the football, but this time around, he is probably going to asked to be a lot more of a pure rusher in a fast paced offense. We know that QB Clint Chelf is going to have all the pressure in the world on his back to be able to keep up with the powerful offenses and experienced quarterbacks that the Big XII has to offer, and this is going to be his biggest challenge yet, assuming that he can nail down the starting job once and for all. He does have a good defense working for him, and though this unit has to be on the field quite a bit with the speed at which the offense operates, it is a real question as to whether the eight returning starters can really pick up the slack, especially against what is perceived to be such a potent offense.

Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Oklahoma Sooners Past Games (Since 1995)
2011: Oklahoma State 44 – Oklahoma 10
2010: Oklahoma 47 – Oklahoma State 41
2009: Oklahoma 27 – Oklahoma State 0
2008: Oklahoma 61 – Oklahoma State 41
2007: Oklahoma 49 – Oklahoma State 17
2006: Oklahoma 27 – Oklahoma State 21
2005: Oklahoma 42 – Oklahoma State 14
2004: Oklahoma 38 – Oklahoma State 35
2003: Oklahoma 52 – Oklahoma State 9
2002: Oklahoma State 38 – Oklahoma 28
2001: Oklahoma State 16 – Oklahoma 13
2000: Oklahoma 12 – Oklahoma State 7
1999: Oklahoma 44 – Oklahoma State 7
1998: Oklahoma State 41 – Oklahoma 26
1997: Oklahoma State 30 – Oklahoma 7
1996: Oklahoma 27 – Oklahoma State 17
1995: Oklahoma State 12 – Oklahoma 0

Perhaps the reason that QB Landry Jones came back to school for his senior year was the idea of beating Okie State and winning the BCS National Championship. The two won’t necessarily go hand in hand, but after last year’s embarrassment in Stillwater, a game that was supposed to be close from the get go, you know that Jones and his offensive mates are going to be psyched up and ready to go for this one. The Sooners have 15 returners between the offensive and defensive side of the ball, and including basically the entire offensive line, which is going to be chock full of NFL stars after this year is over. Basically the entire secondary is back, too. Though that sounds like a good thing, we are still wary though, as we know that this unit struggled in a big time way in 2010 and 2011, and it will have to step it up in a big time way to be able to win this game against a game set of Cowboys.

Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma Free Picks^^: Now that this series is back to being in Norman this year, we really think that the Cowboys are going to be in for a real beating. The Sooners should be National Championship contenders this year, and this is the game that they are going to have to win to set themselves up to be in a position to get the job done. Jones and his experienced set of returners should be able to overwhelm Okie State in what will be the last home game for at least 11 (and potentially many more) of the team’s 22 starters. The Sooners take this by at least two touchdowns.

^^Disclaimer: Our college football picks by our sports blog writers are independent of those from our Expert NCAA Football Handicappers. All NCAA football odds and lines in our Top 25 are from the month of August, and those lines could and likely will change by the time the game kicks off.

You won’t want to miss our Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma picks when our expert college football handicappers have them posted on the week of 11/24/12.

The TCU Horned Frogs will have already played a few of their games in their brand new conference, the Big XII before the end of October, but this is when they are likely to face their biggest test of the season to date. Join our college football expert handicappers, as we take a look at the No. 25 game in our list of the Top 25 NCAA Football Game Matchups of the year when the Horned Frogs travel to Boone Pickens Stadium to battle it out with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. This is going to be the first time that these two teams have met, and with both ranked in the preseason Top 25, there is no doubt that both clubs are going to be using this as a great measuring stick in the middle of the season for just how good they have the potential to be.

TCU Horned Frogs @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Picks & Info
TCU Horned Frogs @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Date: Saturday, October 27th
TCU Horned Frogs @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Location: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK
TCU Horned Frogs @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Spread: Oklahoma State Cowboys -7.5

The Horned Frogs very well could be 7-0 and ranked in the Top 10 in the country by the time this one kicks off, as they are going to be favored in all of their games to open up the campaign, save for perhaps a date against the Baylor Bears on October 13th. This defense is always up to the challenge of facing some of the best offenses in the country, and though and with seven starters and two other key contributors from last year’s team coming back to this unit, we expect to see good things happening. The offensive line needs to be rebuilt just a bit, but with the way that the Cowboys struggled on defense last year, the ground game with RBs Ed Wesley, Matthew Tucker, and Waymon James could all have quite good outings. This is most certainly the type of game in which TCU can go on the road and pull off the upset.

TCU Horned Frogs vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys Past Games (Since 1995)
None

We should know by this game against TCU whether Oklahoma State is going to be a legitimate contender for the BCS National Championship for the second straight season or not. We see a lot of returners on the squad, which should help out quite a bit, but the big question mark is going to be whether QB Clint Chelf can take over as the leader for this offense left by QB Brandon Weeden. It doesn’t help either that WR Justin Blackmon is gone. What is notable for the Pokes though, is that this is a great spot in the schedule. The games surrounding this one aren’t all that challenging, and the next big time game comes two weeks later when the West Virginia Mountaineers come to town. There will have been plenty of time for Chelf to pick up the offense, but whether he has the ability to sink or swim is definitely a question that is up for debate.

TCU @ Oklahoma State Free Picks^^: The Horned Frogs are certainly going to give the Cowboys a run for their money in this game. Getting 7.5 points right off the bat is a heck of a start for a team that has such a good defense against a team that has a very big question mark at quarterback. We’d take the points on the 2012 college football betting lines.

^^Notice: The NCAA football picks & predictions listed on the sports betting blog are made by our staff writers early in the season and do not represent the Bankroll Sports expert handicapping team’s actual premium service releases. Click Here to receive our expert handicappers premium college football picks for the 2012 football season.

You can purchase our premium TCU vs Oklahoma State picks from our experts on Saturday, 10/27

Both the Stanford Cardinal and Oklahoma State Cowboys finished up their season with 11 wins, but both fell short of their ultimate goal by a single game. They’ll try to beat the Fiesta Bowl odds in the second BCS bowl game of the year on January 2nd.

Fiesta Bowl: Stanford Cardinal vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Fiesta Bowl Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Fiesta Bowl Date/Time: Monday, January 2nd, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Fiesta Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, ESPN3.com

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2011-12 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: These teams have to prove that they want to be here
This is the second straight season that both the Cowboys and the Cardinal have really fallen short of their ultimate goal. Neither team failed so late in the season though to cost them the ultimate prize, and the end result saw Stanford kill the Virginia Tech Hokies in the BCS and had Oklahoma State destroying the Arizona Wildcats in the Alamo Bowl. Now, both teams are in the BCS once again, but again, neither one was able to be a National Championship contender due to their one flaw. We have to wonder if there is going to be a bit of a hangover for either side. Stanford still doesn’t quite look like it is totally over the loss to the Oregon Ducks, as it hasn’t been as dominating down the stretch as it was in the beginning of the season, while the Cowboys looked tremendous in Bedlam against the Oklahoma Sooners in their first action after their lone loss to the Iowa State Cyclones.

Fiesta Bowl Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Stanford Cardinal +3.5
Oklahoma State Cowboys -3.5
Over/Under 74
Click Here to Bet The Fiesta Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Andrew Luck needs to find a receiver to do damage
Luck didn’t win the Heisman Trophy this year even though he was considered the runaway favorite for the mass majority of the season, and part of the problem is that he really didn’t have a bona fide wide receiver to get the ball to. Sure, his tight ends were dominating all season long, and TE Coby Fleener was as awesome as a tight end could be at the collegiate level. WR Griff Whalen caught 49 passes for 664 yards and four scores, but perhaps Luck’s best target, WR Chris Owusu has been dealing with a concussion for the majority of the season. We aren’t counting on him for the Fiesta Bowl, but we know that someone else is going to have to step up on the outside to do some damage. If not, the Pokes are going to be able to load the box up and try to take away the rushing game with RB Stepfan Taylor, and if that’s the case, Stanford is going to be back basically in the same situation that it was in against Oregon when it was blown out of the water by three TDs on its home turf.

Key #3: Justin Blackmon has to be stopped
When you look at the numbers that the Cowboys put up this year, they are absolutely devastating. RB Joseph Randle had nearly 1,200 rushing yards and a whopping 25 trips to the end zone this year, and backup RB Jeremy Smith also had 645 yards on just 90 carries, nine of which went for TDs. QB Brandon Weeden completed 72.6 percent of his passes and accounted for 4,328 yards and 34 TDs versus just a dozen picks. However, the man that really has made this offense go for the past two years has been Blackmon. He only averaged 11.8 yards per reception this year, a far cry from his 16.1 a season ago, but he once again hauled in just a slew of passes (113 to be exact) and had 1,336 yards with 15 TDs. Blackmon is as talented of a receiver as there is in the nation, and assuming that he comes out of school this year and heads to the pros, he is likely going to step onto an NFL roster and become a true No. 1 wide out for a team that is willing to take him in the first dozen picks or so in the NFL Draft. The whole offense opens up when Blackmon is going, and the Cowboys have to have him in a big time way to keep up in what could be a major league shootout against the Cardinal.

Click Here to get the best college football picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Fiesta Bowl picks and the NCAA football picks for the rest of the bowl game odds.

The Big 12 doesn’t have a championship game this year because it only has 10 teams, but on Saturday, it has its de facto title game when the Oklahoma Cowboys take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium in arguably one of the most important editions of the Bedlam series in recent memory.

Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Picks & Info
Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Date: Saturday, December 2nd, 2011
Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Location: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK
Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Spread: Oklahoma State Cowboys -3.5
Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Total: 70.5

The Sooners have played in their fair share of big time games this year, even games that have come on the road. They’ve passed a slew of tests, including romping in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas, knocking off the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, and absolutely destroying the then undefeated Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan. However, two close losses later, and OU’s title dreams went out the window. It can still get back into the BCS with a win, and it would likely end up in the Fiesta Bowl against the Stanford Cardinal with a victory. QB Landry Jones has an outside shot at the Heisman Trophy, as he has thrown for 4,052 yards and 28 TDs in just 11 games this year, but it is going to take a Herculean effort and an upset for that to happen.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys Past Results (Since 2001)
2010: Oklahoma 47 – Oklahoma State 41
2009 Oklahoma State 0 – Oklahoma 27
2008: Oklahoma 61 – Oklahoma State 41
2007: Oklahoma State 17 – Oklahoma 49
2006: Oklahoma 27 – Oklahoma State 21
2005: Oklahoma State 14 – Oklahoma 42
2004: Oklahoma 38 – Oklahoma State 35
2003: Oklahoma State 9 – Oklahoma 52
2002: Oklahoma 28 – Oklahoma State 38
2001: Oklahoma State 16 – Oklahoma 13

Everyone knew that the Cowboys were going to be a dangerous team this year, but no one really believed that they would have controlled their own destiny for a spot in the National Championship Game as recently as two weeks ago. The argument could be made that a win in this one, and the Pokes may be on their way to the title game anyway, as there is a real sentiment that the humans could make it a point to do what they can to make sure that it isn’t an LSU/Alabama rematch for all the marbles. This offense can do it all, as it is averaging 161.0 yards per game on the ground and 401.6 yards per game through the air. QB Brandon Weeden can also make a case to win the Heisman Trophy with a good showing in this one, as he already has 34 TDs and 4,111 yards passing.

Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys Game Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 12/2/11):
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Oklahoma Sooners (+3.5) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys (70.5)

The Alamo Bowl is always one of the more interesting bowl games of the season, and this year should be no exception. Down in the Lone Star State, we’ll have our second bowl game of the day. Right at the conclusion of the Texas Bowl, the eyes on those making college football picks will turn to San Antonio, where the Oklahoma State Cowboys will look to wrap up a successful campaign against the struggling Arizona Wildcats. We have three very crucial keys to the game that must be analyzed in order to make your Alamo Bowl picks in this shootout in San Antonio.

Key #1: One of these two defenses really needs to find a way to improve its game
At the beginning of the season, the Wildcats had one of the most feared defenses in the entire country. They essentially shut out the Toledo Rockets and kept the Citadel Bulldogs to just two field goals. Sure, the Iowa Hawkeyes managed 27 points, but the Cal Golden Bears and Washington State Cougars didn’t reach double digits in points, and the Washington Huskies and UCLA Bruins were held to 14 and 21 points respectively. That’s when the wheels really fell off, though. The Stanford Cardinal and Oregon Ducks, both teams which run very similar offenses to that of Okie State, put 42 and 48 points on the board respectively, and in the interim, allowing 30 to an Arizona State Sun Devils squad that really never got much going this year against the Pac-10 was a bit embarrassing. For Oklahoma State, there was no doubt that this was a year for struggling, though it almost seems palatable when you consider how strong this offense was. The Pokes are coming off of a bad game against the Oklahoma Sooners in Bedlam in which they allowed 47 points, one of the worst games of their season. If you just take bowl teams this year, Okie State allowed an average of 32.3 points per game. In fairness, this was a brutal schedule that featured eight bowl teams and three other road games, with the only reprieve being a home opener against Wazzu. If the Cowboys can figure out how to keep Arizona under their averages of 413.5 yards and 27.8 points per game allowed, there won’t be any stopping them in the Alamo Bowl.

Key #2: Nick Foles needs to get the winning touch again
We really do feel bad for Foles in this one. We know that the young man out of Austin would have had an absolutely tremendous year if not for the fact that he basically missed three full games with a knee injury that has plagued him ever since. If you had prorated his numbers over the entire season, Foles would be coming into this game with roughly 340 completions, nearly 4,000 yards, and 25 scores, and he would have been looked at as a passer that can keep up with the offense of the Cowboys. However, due to the injury, he is still shy of both the 3,000 yard and 20 TD barriers, though he should reach both of those fairly early on in the Alamo Bowl. Since coming back to the lineup, Foles has averaged 327.8 passing yards per game, but his team is 0-4 to show for it. He hasn’t won a game in which he both started and finished since September 25th against the Cal Golden Bears in spite of the fact that he has thrown three TD passes in four of the five losses. It’s not getting into the passing groove that we’re worried about with Foles. It’s the fact that we aren’t so sure that he really knows how to win anymore.

Key #3: The Pokes need to stay well rounded with their offense
No problem. Okie State nearly averaged 350+ yards per game through the air and 200+ yards per game on the ground this year. The Cowboys only rank behind the mighty Oregon Ducks this year in terms of total offense, as they are at 540.5 yards per game. However, this is the only team in the country that can profess to having a 1,500+ yard rusher and a 1,500+ yard passer. RB Kendall Hunter rushed the ball 261 times this year for 1,516 yards and 16 scores. However, if you think that makes this a running team, you’re crazy. QB Brandon Weeden threw for 4,037 yards and 32 TDs thanks to the fact that this is one of the quickest offenses in the nation in terms of running plays. The Cowboys averaged taking 75.8 snaps per game this year, and you can bet that they are going to try to reach at least 80, if not 90 in this game to really keep the pressure on the Wildcat defense. For as great as both Weeden and Hunter were this year, it is pretty clear that the best NFL prospect of the bunch is WR Justin Blackmon, who caught 102 passes for 1,665 yards and 18 TDs this year, and had he not been suspended for that DUI back in November, he would have really been a serious threat to reach the 2,000 yard mark in this, just his sophomore campaign.