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College Football Week 1 betting odds: 10 Best bets against the spread

By Brad Rowland

Oct 31, 2015; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Corey Clement (6) rushes with the football during the third quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 48-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Corey Clement (6) rushes with the football during the third quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 48-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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What are the 10 best bets against the spread for Week 1 of the college football season?

It is finally here.

The 2016 college football season technically began in Australia on Aug. 26 with a highly entertaining matchup between the California Golden Bears and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, but for all intents and purposes, the “real” action begins this weekend. The great majority of the best teams in the country kick off their respective schedules with action between Thursday and Monday and there is plenty to consume for both the casual and die-hard college football fan.

With that in mind, we will come to you during each and every week of the college football season with a smattering of 10 picks against the spread that you can follow (or fade). The general mindset behind these selections will be to fade the public, but in the same breath, there will be an occasional time in which the public and my personal thoughts align with grandeur.

The first week is an intriguing one, simply because we don’t know all that much about the teams in action, but that also makes it fun to handicap. Now let’s get to the selections for Week 1, beginning with a bit of action from the Thursday night slate.

Tulane (+17) over Wake Forest

Let’s get weird on a Thursday night. The Green Wave aren’t good at football, ranking 126th (!) in the country in preseason S&P+ projections, but this is a play against Wake’s offensive explosiveness more than anything else. The Demon Deacons are certainly not used to covering spreads of this magnitude, and while they should win with some level of comfort, I don’t want to be laying more than two touchdowns until we see a totally different offense from Wake than in years past. Give me the candy.

Appalachian State and Tennessee UNDER 60.5 points 

Our first total of the season and, as you’ll see, the great majority of my picks in this area will be on the “under” side of things. That trend begins here, as I’m fading Tennessee’s offense with this selection. The hype train is out of control on the Vols this year, and while they should be a good group, Joshua Dobbs is overrated at this stage. This total is too high for a season opener, and App State’s defense is better than you would assume it is given their “youth” as an FBS program. Throw in the fact that everyone in the world likes to bet overs and you’ll see where my head is at with this one.

Next: USC/Vandy and OSU/Minnesota

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