5 college football bets to take to the bank in Week 1

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 21: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns sings The Eyes of Texas with teammates after the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

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MADISON, WI – SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Florida Atlantic Owls congratulates Devin Singletary #5 after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Florida Atlantic (+21) vs. Oklahoma

Once again looking at how things started for a team last season, you might not be hot on Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic Owls to start the 2018 campaign. After all, they did go 1-3 to start last season and, as is notable given the season-opener on the road against Oklahoma, they did lose to Wisconsin in Week 2 of last season by 17 points. However, that’s not all that there is to know about this Owls teams and this situation.

After starting 1-3, Florida Atlantic found their groove and went on to win their next 10 games in relatively dominant fashion. With Devin Singletary being one of the best (and most unheralded) running backs in the country and leading the way, they were a force that couldn’t be stopped. And now they return Singletary, most of their team and will upgrade at quarterback now that DeAndre Johnson is healthy.

On top of that, let’s consider the fact that, despite Lincoln Riley’s prowess and what Oklahoma did last year, this is a completely different Sooners team. We really can’t say what Kyler Murray is going to look like as the starting quarterback, nor can we say what the defense — that was suspect anyway last year — is going to hold up like given losses throughout that side of the ball. That last part is key when coming up against FAU.

This isn’t to say that Florida Atlantic is going to win on Saturday in Week 1, though I won’t say it’s impossible either. However, it is to say that this spread is far too high for the quality of team that the Owls have and with the questions that surround the Sooners. Jump on the underdog here.

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