A pair of college football giants are playing a couple of early season patsies, as the Ohio State Buckeyes host the FAU Owls and Alabama rolls into their season opener versus Duke. We break down how to bet on those big lines and more as we bring you the best college football betting notes and analysis so you can turn a profit on the field.
BRING ON THE EARLY FIREWORKS
Well, at least Florida Atlantic can say it faced its most daunting test right off the bat. The Lane Kiffin-led Owls will have their wings full Saturday afternoon as they visit the Ohio State Buckeyes in Ryan Day's first game as the full-time head coach.
Not only are the Buckeyes coming off a season in which they averaged better than 29 first-half points per game at home (the fifth-best rate in the country), they're returning most of their offensive stars from their 2018 edition. And we all know how the Buckeyes like to get off to a good start; they've averaged better than 61 points in their previous four season openers.
The Ohio State -17 first-half line (-105) is the play we're most bullish on, along with the Buckeyes opening the scoring with a touchdown (-130); they've scored 35 TDs without a single field goal in their past four season-opening games.
ROLL TIDE INDEED
The Alabama Crimson Tide haven't lost to the Duke Blue Devils since 1945 – and oddsmakers like that streak to continue beyond this weekend (duh) as the teams face off Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium. And Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sure does love it there, coming off an incredible season in which he completed 72.6 percent of his attempts for 2,063 yards with 24 touchdowns and just one interception at home. He also threw 27 of his 37 TD passes in the first half of games last season, mostly because the Crimson Tide spent a lot of second halves in cruise control.
With Tua's favorite weapon, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, giving the Tide a pair of legitimate Heisman Trophy candidates, we expect Alabama to come out on fire and put the boots to an ovewhelmed Duke side. Take the Tide -20.5 on the first-half line (-110).
POINTS AT A PREMIUM
Northwestern and Stanford face off Saturday in the season opener for both teams – and not only is this expected to be one of the most competitive marquee matchups of Week 1, oddsmakers are also anticipating it being one of the lowest-scoring affairs. The line has already dipped 2 1/2 points since opening at 50, and could fall further before kickoff.
Stanford is 5-2 to the Under in its past seven non-conference games and will have to adjust to life without Bryce Love and JJ Arcega-Whiteside, while Northwestern has gone 9-23-1 O/U in its last 33 non-conference outings and will roll out QB co-starters against the host Cardinal.
Neither team boasted a top-50 offense last year, neither has injected much new talent into their respective units, and both face major offensive line questions; the Wildcats are particularly intriguing, having lost three O-line starters. We like the U47.5 (-110).
DIFFICULT DAY FOR DILLON
After watching AJ Dillon burn them last year, the Virginia Tech Hokies will be ready for Boston College's standout running back as the teams renew hostilities Saturday in Chestnut Hill. Dillon had 96 yards an a touchdown in the Eagles' 31-21 win – but things aren't quite as rosy for BC, with Dillon the only returnee of the team's 11 All-ACC players from last year.
With the Hokies returning all five of their starting defensive backs, they won't be afraid to load up the box, pressure BC's inexperienced offensive line and force QB Anthony Brown (55.8-percent completion rate) to beat them.
Dillon is great, but whether the rest of the Eagles' offense can help him out remains to be seen. The safer play here is to take the Under on BC's team total of 26.5 (-120).
EASY DOES IT FOR GEORGIA
The Georgia Bulldogs have a few things to work out on offense – and fortunately for them, they should have ample opportunity to iron out some wrinkles as they take on SEC rival Vanderbilt in Saturday night's season opener. The visiting Bulldogs have two key returning weapons in quarterback Jake Fromm and running back D'Andre Swift, and return most of the starters from an offensive line that ranked just outside the top 25 in sacks allowed. Swift, in particular, presents a major problem for a Vanderbilt roster that finished 13th in the SEC in run defense a season ago.
Don't be daunted by the fact that the Bulldogs' current receiving corps produced just 13 of its total receptions last season – the Commodores aren't equipped to slow this team down. We like Georgia to cover the -22.5 without breaking much of a sweat.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE EW
The Pittsburgh Panthers will look a whole lot different this season as offensive coordinator Mark Whipple unveils his overhauled offense Saturday night in an ACC showdown with the visiting Virginia Cavaliers. Whipple oversaw a Massachusetts attack that ranked 14th in the country in passing yards; unfortunately, a throw-happy approach might not be the best one for this particular matchup, with Virginia coming off a season in which it limited opponents to just 180 yards per game through the air. It doesn't help matters that the Panthers have been forced to replace four starters on their offensive line.
You might see Pittsburgh's team total of 21.5 and think it modest given the shift in offensive strategy – but think again. Virginia should dominate on defense, making the Under on the Panthers' team number a viable play.
RUN, REBELS, RUN
When you're coming off a season in which you average 228 rushing yards per game with a 5.0 YPC average, you're not the least bit upset at opening your 2019-20 campaign against a team that coughed up 269 rushing yards per contest. That's the joy of being a UNLV fan this weekend, as the Rebels look to run all over a visiting Southern Utah team that went 1-10 last season while surrendering 6.2 yards per carry. The Rebels return nine key members of the offense, and while they'll need to replace Lexington Thomas, the school's all-time rushing TDs leader, they shouldn't have any trouble making Saturday's game a laugher.
Though UNLV's team total is likely to reside in the high-40s, there's plenty of reason to like the Rebels to surpass that number – even if they don't end up getting their work-in-progress pass offense going against the overmatched Thunderbirds.
TOUCHDOWNS UP THE WAZZU
Mike Leach will look to improve upon last year's incredible 11-win campaign as he and his Air Raid offense face New Mexico State in a Saturday night showdown. And this one isn't expected to be close, so you might have to get creative with your wagers. On that note: The Cougars posted the highest passing-yards-per-game average in the nation last season on the way to a 37.5-point scoring average. Not only that, but Washington State – which scored 66 touchdowns on the season – was one of only two teams ranked in the top 20 in scoring offense to kick 10 or fewer field goals.
Washington State should win, but don't worry about whether they'll take their foot off the gas and blow the cover – take the Cougars to open the scoring with a touchdown, since that's just what they do.
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