Most pigskin bettors, given a choice, would much rather sit down to watch a shootout on the tube than twiddle their thumbs as two teams punt the ball back and forth all day. That’s why books normally see more over bets than under bets from their patrons and why the total for high-profile games is often a shade higher than sharp bettors might expect.
A handful of college football teams made a bundle for bettors banking on blowouts. Here’s a quick look at the top three college football over bets from last season.
Arizona State Sun Devils: Over/Under 10-2The Sun Devils capped off last season with a 56-24 blowout loss to Boise State in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, that easily topped the 65-point total.
After leaving Pittsburgh head coach Todd Graham has a major controversy on his hands now that Brock Osweiler is holding the clipboard for Peyton Manning in Denver.
Graham’s decision comes down to either sophomore Mike Bercovici or 6-foot-5, 240-pound redshirt freshman Michael Eubank, but this offense will center on running back Cameron Marshall, who cracked the 1000-yard mark last year.
The defense that ranked 91st overall should also improve with new recruits, so tread carefully with your over bets.
Baylor Bears: Over/Under 9-1-1Baylor looks to replace Robert Griffin III, running back Terrance Ganaway or wideout Kendall Wright, but should still put some points on the board.
Senior quarterback Nick Florence will likely take over for RGIII and should have some solid outside threats in Tevin Reese and Terrance Williams at his disposal.
Defense will be the main concern again after the club allowed more than 37 points per game last year and gave up 56 points in the Alamo Bowl. However, they do return eight defensive starters, including five in the secondary, so maybe there’s a little hope for under bettors.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders: Over/Under 9-2-1The Blue Raiders’ offense averaged only 22 points per game last year and still came out looking a lot better than the defense. Middle Tennessee allowed more than 440 yards and nearly 37 points per game.
The new defensive coordinator is Tyrone Nix and he has his work cut out for him.
Meanwhile, QB Logan Kilgore should improve in his second season as starter after throwing for 2,231 yards and 18 TDs last year. The Blue Raiders’ big problem has been turnovers as it has coughed up the ball 66 times in the last two seasons.