Our 7 best bets for Week 2 of the college football season
Alabama* (-55.5) over New Mexico State
I usually would not be very comfortable laying eight touchdowns, but the professional bettors in Las Vegas seem eager to jump on the Crimson Tide this weekend.
According to the Action Network, 69% of the bets placed on this game are coming in on New Mexico State, but 61% of the money is on Alabama. If the public thinks betting against Nick Saban is a good idea, I'm happy to go against them.
Last weekend, Alabama failed to score in the first quarter and still wound up winning by 39 against Duke. If Tua Tagovailoa can get the ball moving early, this game could get out of hand quick.
UCLA* (-6.5) over San Diego State
UCLA looked dreadful to open their season against Cincinnati, falling to the Bearcats 24-14 in an uninspired effort.
Chip Kelly's tenure with the Bruins has not been good, but there's a reason to think they can turn things around at home this week against a San Diego State team that should present them with a few more opportunities than Cincinnati did a week ago.
Penn State* (-30.5) over Buffalo
Penn State was a winner for us last weekend as a heavy favorite, so we're riding them again this week to cover another large number against Buffalo.
The Nittany Lions showed last week that they have an offense that can score at will against an overmatched opponent. They even received some buzz as a potential playoff contender after so-so showings from other powerhouse schools in the conference.
This line is inflated, but it doesn't mean the Nittany Lions can't cover it. Look for Penn State to make their case with another big win over the Buffalo Bulls.
Texas* (+6.5) over LSU
Is Texas back?
It's the eternal question that seems to haunt every college football season. In all honesty, I think LSU is the stronger of these two teams, and this could turn into a Tigers bloodbath. However, it's just too tough not to back the Longhorns as underdogs.
Head coach Tom Herman is 8-2 against the spread as an underdog since taking over in Texas, and 13-2-1 in his career. He's won several of those games outright.
Between a rowdy crowd in Texas and Matthew McConaughey making the guest picks on "College Gameday," the mood feels right for another shocker in Austin.
Clemson* (-17) over Texas A&M
In Trevor Lawrence's first start of his sophomore season, he looked far from the championship-winning freshman he was in January.
Lawrence completed just 13 of 23 passes and threw two interceptions to only one touchdown against Georgia Tech.
Clemson still won the game 52-14.
Texas A&M will be a much tougher opponent, and will undoubtedly show up ready to play. But this feels like a big bounce-back spot for Lawrence to remind the world why NFL teams are already talking about him even though he's not yet eligible to be drafted until 2021.
Western Michigan (+16) over Michigan State*
Michigan State didn't look all that impressive in their 28-7 victory over Tulsa to start the season. Meanwhile, this is Western Michigan's Super Bowl — an opportunity to take down an in-state opponent in the Top 25.
When these two teams met in 2017, WMU was able to keep things close, eventually falling 28-14. Chances are they can't win the game outright, but if the Spartans get off to a sluggish start, the Broncos should be able to contend.
Texas State* (+7) over Wyoming
In Week 1, Wyoming pulled off one of the biggest upsets, beating Missouri outright as 17-point underdogs. It was the first time Wyoming beat an SEC school since 2004, and just the second time in school history.
Chances are Wyoming was celebrating a bit, and might not come into this weekend against Texas State as focused as one would hope. In addition, public bettors are likely jumping on the Wyoming bandwagon after last week's big upset, and it feels like a good spot to take the points with Texas State.
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