College Football Odds & Predictions Early Week 1

If you are new to this, I pick every FCS vs. FCS game for the entire season. If that is not enough, I do it against the spread!

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Here are the earlier picks of the week, in case you missed any.

Thursday

Friday

This year I will assign a point value on each game so you all know which games I am most confident in. This will not affect my score, it is just a guide to what I feel most confident in.

The point scale will go like this:

5. A lock. I am comfortable making a sizable wager on this game.

4. Very confident. Not quite a lock, but I am comfortable making a decent sized wager on it.

3. Middle of the road. Good enough that I would make a small wager on it.

2. Could go either way. So much so that I wouldn’t bet on it.

1. Stay away from these.

Take note that any games that involve 1-AA teams will NOT be picked. There simply is not enough information to get an accurate spread

There are only two FCS vs. FCS games for the noon kickoffs tomorrow, so I will put the 3:30 eastern games in with these as well. Here are my college football odds & predictions for the early games on Saturday:

Louisiana-Monroe at (9)Georgia(-35.5)(1): Georgia will have a new starting QB, but will it really matter if they are going to run it 50 times? Todd Gurley is gone, but Sony Michel and Nick Chubb proved that they are more than capable replacements. This will be a blowout, but man, this is a lot of points. 35-0 doesn’t even cover it! I will bite the bullet and take Georgia. Monroe won’t be able to stop them.

(21)Stanford(-11.5) at Northwestern(5): This is the west of the Mississippi version of the “Nerd Bowl.” Northwestern is really, really overmatched in this one. I don’t care if they are at home. Stanford is going to destroy them, and Barry Sanders, Jr could be a household name by the end of this. Give me Stanford.

UTEP at (18)Arkansas(-33.5)(2): I hate these huge lines. UTEP has a really good running back in Aaron Jones, but they will likely have to abandon the run to have a chance here. This is the year for Arkansas. They didn’t lose much from a team that scared the bejesus out of nearly every SEC West school last year. They will win this game, but by how much? Enough, I guess. Give me the Piggies!

Louisville at (6)Auburn(-10.5)(1): I was honestly expecting a bigger line than this. Louisville has a very good defensive front, but the offense is an adventure. Auburn lost QB Nick Marshall, RBs Cameron Artis-Payne and Nick Marshall, and leading receiver Sammie Coates. Will Jeremy Johnson have some growing pains in this one? I don’t like the half, and I am not particularly fond of the line as a whole. Auburn looked terrible early last year until they got rolling. I have to go with the experience of Louisville to not get covered, but this could be an ugly, ugly game.

Virginia at (13)UCLA(-19.5)(2): My head says too many considering Virginia’s defense, but UCLA lost next to nothing after QB Brett Hundley. Still, this has to be too many, right? UCLA nearly got nipped by UVA and Memphis last year early in the season. I don’t think they cover this one, but it would be a different story later in the year.

BYU at Nebraska(-7.5)(4): Two words: Taysom Hill. He is back, and ready to lead the Cougars to the place that they were headed to before the team was decimated with injuries at the end of last year. Nebraska hasn’t faced an option in nearly a decade, they have three freshman starting a defense, a new coach, and a QB that still can’t throw. Oh, and they are missing WR Kenny Bell and super-back Ameer Abdullah. Give me BYU straight up.

Old Dominion(-4.5) at Eastern Michigan(1): The Monarchs only had one pass attempt not made by now-Vikings QB Taylor Heinicke. It was by WR Antonio Vaughn. They didn’t move Vaughn to QB, so they have a QB with no experience going on the road against a team in the bottom five. Tails. Old Dominion it is!

Penn State(-7.5) at Temple(2): Temple improved towards the end of last year, but Penn State’s defense should be too much for them. However, any line that drops a touchdown in less than a week makes me nervous. I’m going Penn State, but I’m not all that sure about it.

Florida Atlantic at Tulsa(-6.5)(2): Remember that thing about dropping lines? This one opened at -21. Both FAU and Tulsa were disappointing last year. It’s hard to tell on the surface if one is really any better than the other. Give me Tulsa, I guess.

Bowling Green at (25)Tennessee(-21.5)(2): This line has been steadily climbing. The Vols won’t take anyone by surprise this year. They are one of the more hyped teams in the SEC, and are the trendy pick to win the East. I want to see them play a few games first. Will they live up to it? The MAC played tough last night. That half scares me, but Tennessee has some of the best athletes in the nation. Give me the Vols.

Stay tuned for the rest of Saturday’s picks. For you parlayers, they will be up long before kickoff tomorrow morning!

Next: Is Stevie Johnson Worth A Late Round Pick?

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