One of the most significant differences in college basketball and college football has always been the way the respective sports view the underdog or the Cinderella. It's a phenomenon that isn't solely related to the postseason, either, though that's where the conversation is usually focused.

In March, the world loves to see Cinderella make a deep run in the tournament. In college football, some argue for more inclusion in the College Football Playoff, but there's a much stronger push against it. Just ask UCF, Boise State, or any other Group of Five (or mid-major) program that have pushed up against the glass ceiling in recent decades.

I notice it in the polls too, though. Right now, in the AP Poll, a 21-1 Gonzaga is ranked No. 2, while a 21-0 San Diego State is No. 4. According to KenPom, they have played the 185th and 145th most-difficult schedules in the country, respectively. Based on the same KenPom ratings, Gonzaga's best win is an 84-80 road win against a 13-6 Arizona. SDSU's is an 83-73 win against a 15-5 Iowa. Both are good wins, but no way would either team be ranked this high in a college football poll based on their overall schedule. They'd probably barely crack the top 10, let alone take up two of the top four spots.

I'm not arguing either philosophy is right or wrong, but it's interesting nonetheless. Not as interesting as betting on games, though, so let's get to that.

All lines via William Hill.

1. No. 12 West Virginia at Texas Tech: Texas Tech -2

Would Texas Tech's Final Four run be considered a Cinderella? I don't know, but the Red Raiders are currently 12-7, unranked and aren't even guaranteed of a tournament berth. A win at home against West Virginia would help their case, and I like the chances of it happening. The Mountaineers are one of the best teams in the country, but it's not a coincidence that all three of their losses have come on the road. They're 3-3 on the road with their wins coming against Pitt, Youngstown State and an Oklahoma State team still searching for a Big 12 win. They've lost to Kansas, St. John's and Kansas State. The Kansas loss is perfectly acceptable, but those other two raise the eyebrows a bit.

I have never been a big fan of backing bad free-throw shooting teams on the road, and West Virginia certainly meets that criteria. It is shooting 63.6 percent from the charity stripe this season, which ranks 332nd in the nation. It's not much better from three, either. Its defense is magnificent, but so is Tech's, and I like the Red Raiders at home here.

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2. Indiana at No. 24 Penn State: Penn State -5.5

The Hoosiers are a young team, and they've played that way this season. At home, Indiana has been a respectable team. On the road, not so much. The Hoosiers score 80 points per game at home compared to only 62.3 on the road. That's a big reason why they're 1-3 on the road this season overall and against the spread. Their lone win came against a bad Nebraska team, while the three losses came to Wisconsin, Maryland and Rutgers by an average of 15 points each. Penn State is better than Wisconsin and Rutgers, and it's an experienced team that is 10-1 at home this season straight up and 7-4 ATS. Both of those records will improve tonight.

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3. No. 1 Baylor at Iowa State: Iowa State +165

This one is a gut feeling. I do believe there's value on the Cyclones here due to the fact Baylor is ranked No. 1 right now, and betting against the No. 1 team in the country has been profitable this season. Baylor won the first meeting in Waco 68-55 after killing Iowa State on the offensive glass and holding Tyrese Haliburton to only six points on 2-of-12 shooting. At home, I expect Haliburton and the Cyclones to play much better, plus we shouldn't overlook the fact that this is Baylor's fifth road game in its last seven. They've won the previous four, but I can't help but believe playing so many road games this month will catch up to the Bears at some point. It happens often enough in Ames to justify making this moneyline play.

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