Category: Betting Lines

What games appear to be the best bets and the best picks against the spread going into the Week 2 weekend of the college football season?

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Week 2 Fearless Predictions, Game Previews 
– CFN Week 2 Experts Picks: College
– CFN Week 1 Experts Picks: NFL

Results So Far ATS: 14-6-1

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Last week was all about the favorites picking all ten to crank it up and win easily – the picks went a decent 6-4.

The real killer over all was the under – there was a massive wave of lower-than-expected scoring games that made Week 1 either very good or very rough for the investors.

This week a few underdogs are sprinkled in, but in general, 1) the lines still seem a tad too high on the totals – go under until the shift to normal comes – and 2) the favorites still look good in the over-reactionary second week.

So let’s start with an interesting dog that might be creeping up come Saturday …

Click on each game for preview

10. Oregon at Ohio State

LINE Ohio State -14.5
ATS PICK Oregon

And now we get the hook.

Sort of liked this when it opened at Buckeyes -11.5, loved at 14, yay at the 14.5 it bumped up to after news of the Kayvon Thibodeaux injury came out.

Oregon’s mediocre performance in the win over Fresno State solidified the double-digit line – it would’ve been around 9.5 had the Ducks won by 30 instead of 31-24 – but blow that off.

Oregon is one of the few teams in America that can run with Ohio State. It’s got the athletes, it’s got the talent, and it’s got the guys to potentially pull this off outright if Ohio State QB CJ Stroud struggles and if the O line doesn’t take over.

The Buckeyes should pull this off, but the 14.5 is a tad too high.

9. NC State at Mississippi State

LINE NC State -1
ATS PICK NC State

It went from a Pick to NC State -2.5 to Pack -1.

That all might be tremendous undervalue considering Mississippi State isn’t very good at college football under Mike Leach.

It needed to pull a 35-34 win over Louisiana Tech out of the fire, the offense still isn’t working like it’s supposed to, and that’s coming off a 2020 that started and ended well and was a disaster in between.

Somewhat quietly, NC State has the upside, experience, and talent to be the second-best team in the ACC if it can put together a a string of consistent performances.

Nah, you never like the ACC over the SEC on the road, but the real spread should be NC State -8ish instead of just the 1.

– Week 2 Schedule, Predictions For Every Game

8. Appalachian State at Miami

LINE Miami -9
ATS PICK Appalachian State

Warning … I’m trying to make a pick happen here.

I firmly believe that if I make a prediction with enough conviction, it’ll happen.

I take full responsibility for picking Michigan State into the 2014 Rose Bowl, and I’ve been working on making Texas A&M a College Football Playoff team by predicting it to be true.

Maybe I’m not fully committed here – although I probably should be – but I’m trying to make the world believe that Appalachian State is not only the best team in the Sun Belt, but it could win this outright with its experience, running game, and timing by catching Miami between Alabama and Michigan State.

The Mountaineers might just win this outright, and the world is giving us nine points.

– Week 1 NFL Expert Picks

7. South Alabama at Bowling Green

LINE South Alabama -14
ATS PICK South Alabama

Welcome to the first of five I Despise Picking Big Spreads When The Underdog Is Totally Awful, I’m Lying, I Love It predictions for this week.

I’m also picking out of spite, even though it was Tennessee’s fault for fumbling late and not covering against Bowling Green.

Until the Falcons can prove they can do something right, I’ll overreact and go the other way.

Akron. A winless 2019 Akron was the last FBS team Bowling Green has beaten in the last 12 games.

More than anything else, I’m in on Jake Bentley – the USA QB who formerly played for Utah and South Carolina. He was brilliant in the 31-7 win over Southern Miss, and he’ll be just fine again this week.

Bowling Green has lost each of its last nine games – and 15 of its last 17 – by well over two touchdowns. It’s about to do it again.

– Week 2 College Football Expert Picks

6. Temple at Akron

LINE Temple -6.5
ATS PICK Temple

Not only is this the second I Despise Picking Big Spreads When The Underdog Is Totally Awful, I’m Lying, I Love It pick of the week, but I’m also trying to make a pick happen as I combine my belief systems.

I think Temple is better than it’s been playing over the last two years, including in the rim-rocking, 5 turnover-fest of a loss to Rutgers last week. But this is more about Akron.

The Zips lost to Auburn 60-10 – being outgained on the ground 316 yards to -3 – making it seven total annihilations they’ve suffered in the last eight games and 22nd in the last 24.

Temple has hardly been a prize going 1-8 in its last nine games, but you’re asking for a touchdown win over one of the most reliably bad teams going.

NEXT: No. 5 Pick Against The Spread: Buffalo at Nebraska

What games appear to be the best bets and the best picks against the spread going into the Friday of Week 1 of the college football season?

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Week 1 Friday Fearless Predictions, Game Previews 
– CFN Week 1 Experts Picks: College
– Week 1 Friday Schedule, Predictions
– CFN Week 1 Experts Picks: NFL

Results So Far ATS: 8-2-1

Click on each game for preview

5. Duke vs. Charlotte point total

TOTAL: 60.5
ATS PICK: UNDER

For whatever it’s worth, Duke-Charlotte is one of the better plays of the weekend – Part 2 of this is coming later – if you really believe that the 49ers aren’t a whole lot better after getting whacked 53-19 last year by the Blue Devils.

There’s a little bit of danger here with the under only because the Duke offense might work again like it last year’s game when it rolled up over 400 yards with a huge day on the ground.

– Week 1 NFL Expert Picks

Charlotte has enough veteran parts to keep this from being a total wipeout again, and the Duke defense will be a wee bit iffy out of the gate, but even if it’s closer this shouldn’t be a high-powered shootout.

Assume Charlotte comes in with around 20 points and Duke hangs around 35ish. There might be a little squirming late, but watch out for both teams to stall a bit in the heat and humidity on Friday night.

NEXT: No. 4 Pick Against The Spread: South Dakota at Kansas

What games appear to be the best bets and the best picks against the spread going into the Thursday games of Week 1 of the college football season?

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Week 1 Thursday Fearless Predictions, Game Previews 
– CFN Week 1 Experts Picks: College
– Week 1 Thursday Schedule, Predictions
– CFN Week 1 Experts Picks: NFL

Results So Far ATS: 5-0

Click on each game for preview

5. LIU at FIU & Wagner at Buffalo

LINE: FIU -7 & Buffalo -43.5
ATS PICKS: FIU & Wagner

There might be a whole slew of games to pick from on Thursday, but there aren’t a whole lot of FBS vs FBS games that appear to be a sure thing – those are coming (hopefully) with the Saturday version of this, out on Friday.

So here are two quirky picks that are off the radar – you might have to work to find these – but could be promising in the lines really do come close to holding firm.

FIU went 0-5 in 2020, but that was a wee bit of an aberration. It might have lost to Jacksonville State from the FCS world, and the offense was hardly consistent, but this version is far stronger.

If you go with these, though, go light.

– Week 1 NFL Expert Picks

LIU has a whole lot of nice parts, and it’ll keep the game from becoming an ugly blowout, but FIU will push on by at home by more than a touchdown. FIU won’t be anything special, but it’s not Bryant or Merrimack – the two wins on the LIU spring schedule.

The other one is just a straight gaudy line play. If you’re new to the show, I have a hard and fast belief system that if someone wants to give me a 40-point lead walking into the stadium, I’ll take it and take my chances.

Wagner might not score against a terrific UB D, but if it does, it should have this thanks to all those wonderful, wonderful points. The Bull dogs might be called off in a hurry.

NEXT: No. 4 Pick Against The Spread: Eastern Washington at UNLV

What games appear to be the best bets and the best picks against the spread going into Week 0 of the college football season?

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Week 0 Fearless Predictions, Game Previews 
– Week 0 & 1 Schedule, Times, Lines, Previews
– CFN Fearless Predictions & Game Previews
– Week 0 Expert Picks & Predictions: College
– Week 1 Expert Picks & Predictions: NFL

Results So Far ATS: 0-0

Before getting started with the Week 0 best picks against the spread, there are a few point total picks thrown in there with just five game played this weekend.

Also, as a heads up, I don’t really like any of these all that much – I like what’s coming on the 10 Best Week 1 version that’s coming next week a whole lot more.

Whatever … these five picks are right.

Click on each game for preview

5. Nebraska at Illinois

LINE: Nebraska -7
ATS PICK: Illinois

Is Illinois playing at home? Yes.

Could Illinois win this game outright in Game One of the Bret Bielema era? Yes.

Has Nebraska done anything over the last four seasons to make you think something magical is coming. Not really.

Nebraska is the better team, though.

It might not have a slew of sure-thing superstar playmakers – and that still includes QB Adrian Martinez, for now – but it should be able to run the ball a bit, and the defensive front seven should take over against a mediocre group of Illinois skill parts.

However, this is strictly a believe-it-when-I-see-it play taking Illinois at home with the points.

– Schedule, Predictions, Game Previews, Lines, TV: Week 0

The Illini beat the Huskers 41-23 last year in Lincoln, lost by four in 2019, and got walloped in 2018 and 2017. Even with just one win in the series since 2015, this is still more up in the air than it might appear.

Illinois has veterans in the offensive backfield, a solid linebacking corps, and … yeah, if this goes one way big, it’ll be the Big Red going off and rolling. However, the Huskers have just two wins by more than seven points in their last 17 games.

NEXT: No. 4 Pick Against The Spread: UConn at Fresno State