CFB Handicapping Tips
The dog days of summer can be a grind for sports bettors. Major League Baseball offers a full card most days, but breaking down a similar looking board day after day can get old fast.
Future bets are a good way to shake things up. We’ve already taken a look at college football win totals, but there are still plenty of lines up on the board.
Here are another 10 win totals worthy of a closer look. Lines courtesy of Bovada.lv
Arkansas Razorbacks (5.5)
The Razorbacks put up four wins all of last season as they battled through the whole Bobby Petrino/John L. Smith debacle. Brett Bielema solidifying the coaching position should be worth at least two wins. The team shouldn’t have too much trouble getting to 4-0 with an easy slate out of the gate.
The play: Over 5.5 (-140)
Louisville Cardinals (10.5)
Louisville won 11 games a season ago, and this year they face a schedule that’s as soft as a cloud. They won’t meet any resistance whatsoever until their regular season finale at Cincinnati, and even that is a game they’ll be favored to win. Teddy Bridgewater will keep the offense rolling, and the team’s defense returns 11 starters.
The play: Over 10.5 (-140)
Navy Midshipmen (6.5)
The Midshipmen won seven of their final eight regular season games in 2012, with an early season switch to Keenan Reynolds at quarterback paying huge dividends. Reynolds will be manning the controls once again this season, and another eight-win season isn’t out of the question.
The play: Over 6.5 (-115)
South Carolina Gamecocks (9.5)
The Gamecocks have posted 11 wins in each of the last two seasons, and this year they avoid both Alabama and LSU. The toughest game on their schedule comes against a Georgia team that they’ve beaten each of the past three years. Jadeveon Clowney should put together a Heisman-caliber season.
The play: Over 9.5 (-115)
Texas Longhorns (9.5)
You don’t have to look hard to find a book that offers Texas as a favorite in each of their 12 contests. 19 starters return from a year ago, and the return of Jordan Hicks and Jackson Jeffcoat should help shore up a defense that struggled last season. The first month of their schedule will be tough, but after that the wins should flow with ease. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The play: Over 9.5 (-135)
Indiana Hoosiers (5.5)
The Hoosiers return 19 starters from a team that finished 4-8 a year ago. Kevin Wilson has done a lot of good in his time with the program, but the team’s defense would have to get a lot better in a hurry if they’re going to finish 6-6 or better.
The play: Under 5.5 (+150)
Kansas Jayhawks (3.5)
Kansas went 1-11 in Charlie Weis’s first season at the helm a year ago. During his Big 12 Media Day appearance on Monday, Weis called his team a “pile of crap.” I’m not one to argue.
The play: Under 3.5 (-115)
Michigan State Spartans (8.5)
The Spartans finished 6-6 a year ago, and struggled to score points. Now the offense will have to try to function without Le’Veon Bell or Dion Sims. The defense will be good because it always is, but nine wins is asking a lot.
The play: Under 8.5 (-115)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8.5)
This is certainly the last recommendation a good Catholic boy wants to make, but there’s no denying that the Irish face a tough uphill battle this season. A lot of good fortune befell the Irish last season on their run to 12-0. This season, they’ll do battle without their number 5’s against a much tougher schedule.
The play: Under 8.5 (-115)
Utah Utes (5.5)
The Utes won only five games last season. This year, Oregon and Stanford appear on their schedule, which has been tabbed as one of the toughest in the nation. Kyle Whittingham has done a great job since arriving in Utah, but with only 12 returning starters and a tough schedule, a six-win season just isn’t in the cards for the Utes.
The play: Under 5.5 (-165)
