We’re going to learn quite a bit about the landscape of college football in Week 1, but you can still take these five bets to the bank to start the year.
Hallelujah, the college football deities have shined upon us and we finally get the sweet sights and sounds of Saturdays back in our lives. Week 1 of the college football season is here and, without question, everyone has already figured everything that we will need to know about this campaign. We might as well just skip the regular season and get to the playoff at this point.
Of course, that’s not actually how things are at this point in the year. We may think that we know most things about this season, but the truth of the matter is that we’re much closer to knowing nothing than knowing everything. Things can change in an instant in this sport and surprises are always right around the corner. After all, who saw Florida State looking awful and UCF going undefeated heading into last season?
When the games have yet to be played in college football, what we know about every team is based largely on speculation. We look at what a team has on paper and look back on the past performance of coaches and players and make projections as to what will happen. But until there are 11 men on both sides of the ball for two different teams, there’s no actual certainty to anything that we can have to say.
Having said that, a lack of certainty doesn’t always kill confidence. And as we head into Week 1 of the college football season to get this wild ride underway, there are a few bets that I’m quite confident in. Looking at the spreads for games across the country, these are the five bets that you can count on to pull through to open the 2018 season.
Note: All odds are courtesy of Odds Shark.
Texas (-13.5) vs. Maryland
Surely not many Texas Longhorns fans have forgotten how a season-opening date with the Maryland Terrapins turned out for them one season ago. With all of the hype and buzz in the world behind them and new head coach Tom Herman — and while being 18.5-point favorites in the matchup — the Longhorns defense went out and played arguably their worst game of the season. Texas surrendered 51 points and could only muster 41 of their own, beginning the season with a loss that was, in truth, quite embarrassing.
Now it’s a different year and the Longhorns are starting with Maryland once again, this time on the road though. Even with it being an away game for Texas, they still come into this game favored by just under two touchdowns. While last year’s result (and the general pattern of Texas not meeting expectations every year) might cause you to shy away from this one, you most certainly shouldn’t.
For one, this Longhorns offense is going to be an absolute force. With Sam Ehlinger as the starting quarterback for the 2018 season and a host of high-end wide receivers for him to toss the pigskin to, it’s going to be an all-out assault from the offense whenever they have the ball. In fact, I would venture to say that Texas’ defense could play as bad as they did a year ago in this matchup and still cover the spread because of how potent the offense is.
And then, well, if you believe in karma, this is Longhorns all the way.