We have an exciting weekend of college football coming up, as conference games get underway for some teams and we generally see games begin to get a bit more competitive this time of year. There aren’t a ton of games between ranked opponents yet, but this weekend we’ll see Georgia take on their toughest test yet and North Carolina put their questionable defense to the test against Minnesota. Additionally, Michigan State will try to find their focus after a whirlwind week, and Ohio State faces their final preparation game leading up to their first real test, a showdown with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Be sure to stay tuned to our college football odds series for more on betting around the NCAA.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Football Odds: Minnesota at North Carolina

Minnesota: +6.5 (-102)

North Carolina: -6.5 (-120)

This game comes down to one person: Drake Maye. As long as the star quarterback for North Carolina can play up to his usual standards, the Tar Heels should have no problems whatsoever winning this game.

North Carolina’s defense leaves quite a bit to be desired, but the Tar Heels have a capable and well-balanced offense, with their ground attack having recorded more than 300 yards against Appalachian State.

The Tar Heels are well-balanced offensively, and they have a trump card in Maye that will give them the advantage against most opponents. I envision a 10-14 point margin of victory against Minnesota, perhaps a bit higher if the Tar Heels can jump out to a quick lead and get Minnesota off balance. I’ll gladly back North Carolina to win by more than a touchdown this weekend.

Minnesota-North Carolina Pick: North Carolina -6.5 (-120)

College Football Odds: South Carolina at Georgia

South Carolina: +26.5 (-104)

Georgia: -26.5 (-118)

Spencer Rattler is a talented, but very inconsistent, quarterback. He was once hyped as the next big thing, a Patrick Mahomes clone, but that was what seems like an eternity ago. Today, Rattler has transferred schools and is trying to reinvent himself in a new offense away from all the hype and the spotlight. However, that light will shine brightly once again this weekend, and we’ll learn a lot more about the new Spencer Rattler when he takes the field against one of the best defenses in all of college football.

Just looking at the scoreboard wouldn’t show this, but according to the eye test, Georgia hasn’t appeared as dominant as might be expected in the early going this season. This may be due in part to playing down to their opponent’s level, although the Dawgs’ advantage in terms of natural talent has still allowed them to run up the score in these games while barely breaking a sweat.

Although the Bulldogs are still heavy favorites this weekend, South Carolina represents the first real test that Georgia will face, and I expect them to be dialed in and pass this test with flying colors.

South Carolina-Georgia Pick: Georgia -26.5 (-118)

College Football Odds: Washington at Michigan State

Washington: -16.5 (-110)

Michigan State: +16.5 (-110)

Michigan State has had a tumultuous week, and head coach Mel Tucker will not be on the sidelines this weekend after disturbing allegations surfaced about MSU’s head coach. How the Spartan players react to this challenging week is entirely unpredictable. That being said, I lean 

The Huskies offense is built around a high-flying passing game led by Michael Penix Jr., an explosive quarterback who is guiding his team to a passing attack that averages nearly 500 yards per game.

Michigan State’s secondary has improved immensely in the early going of this season, but I’m not completely convinced that quality-of-opponent didn’t have just as much, if not more, to do with their seeming improvement than the quality of MSU’s defensive backs.

While this game features a fairly large spread, I’ll gladly take my chances with Washington and their electrifying offense. In college football, elite offense tends to beat elite defense, especially on a game-by-game basis. We know that Washington’s offense is elite, we still don’t know yet if Michigan State’s defense is truly elite. I think they are much improved, but not quite elite, at least not in the secondary. I'll give the points in this matchup and trust Washington's high-octane offense to carry the day.

Washington-Michigan State Pick: Washington -16.5 (-110)