College Football Betting Picks: Exclusive Expert Futures Picks and Prop Bets from VSiN’s 2023 College Football Betting Guide
VSiN’s 2023 College Football Betting Guide has officially arrived! Check out exclusive expert futures picks and prop bets from VSiN’s 2023 College Football Betting Guide below!
If not now…when? Texas has been the definition of “overhyped and under deliver” for the past decade. However, this Longhorns team is stacked and is clearly the superior team in the Big 12. In Game of the Year lines at DraftKings Sportsbook, Texas is an eight-point favorite at Baylor, 18-point favorite vs. Kansas, 6.5-point favorite over Oklahoma in Dallas, 9.5-point favorite vs. Kansas St., and a six-point favorite at TCU.
While Texas did lose a pair of dynamic running backs in Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson to the NFL, the Longhorns return 10 starters on offense. The entire offensive line returns with over 100 career starts. WR Xavier Worthy is one of the top returning receivers in the country. WR Jordan Whittington had 652 receiving yards last year and WR Isaiah Neyor will make his Texas debut this fall. Neyor transferred to Texas from Wyoming but tore his ACL in preseason last year. Texas also added Adonai Mitchell from Georgia in the portal. Mitchell was ranked the No. 3 player in the portal according to 247 Sports.
Defensively, Texas returns six starters including LB Jaylan Ford. The Longhorns added S Jalen Catalon from Arkansas to bolster the secondary. All five of Texas’ losses last year were by one possession. The Longhorns also blew 14-point leads against Oklahoma St. and Texas Tech. The talent in Austin is there, it is up to Steve Sarkisian to deliver the Longhorns’ first conference championship since 2009.
Hook ‘em.
—as seen on Page 10 of the 2023 VSiN College Football Betting Guide
The Sun Belt East Division is the most competitive division in the Group of Five, but all of the teams are flawed in some way. Appalachian State has a new QB and only went 6-6 last season, as head coach Shawn Clark is now four seasons removed from Eli Drinkwitz and five from Scott Satterfield, so he’s lost a lot of production from previous regimes and the team hasn’t been as sharp.
Coastal Carolina has a new head coach in Tim Beck, who many consider to be a big drop-off from Jamey Chadwell. Grayson McCall is back, but he’s leading a different offense and the Coastal defense really fell off last season. James Madison has a new QB as well and a ton of losses in Year 2 as a FBS program. Marshall only returns four starters from a defense that held opponents to 16 points per game and the offense only managed 24.5 points per game themselves with a low ceiling.
All of those factors could open the door for Georgia Southern to be the class of the East. Tulsa transfer Davis Brin has thrown for over 5,400 yards in his college career and seems like a great fit for Clay Helton’s team and Bryan Ellis’ offense. The Eagles return their top rusher and top two receivers, as well as the majority of an offensive line that allowed just seven sacks last season. The Eagles have a new DC in Brandon Bailey, who held their high-powered offense to just 21 points in the Camellia Bowl.
While the Eagles project to be an underdog to either Troy or South Alabama in a hypothetical Sun Belt Championship Game, they might have the most untapped upside in the East Division and I think that makes them worthy of taking the chance that they live up to it.
—as seen on Page 11 of the 2023 VSiN College Football Betting Guide
My Power Ratings have Western Kentucky at least five points better than every other team in Conference USA. The Hilltoppers should be the biggest benefactor of the defections of UTSA, FAU, UAB, and others. Liberty’s awful schedule is the only reason why I have a high win total projection on the Flames, but Louisiana Tech is the only other team I have as reaching bowl eligibility. My projection for Western Kentucky is 9.17 wins, so not only are the ‘Tops one of my favorite win total bets, but I’d be shocked if they didn’t win this conference.
Given that they’d play the title game at home, I’d currently have them at least a touchdown favorite against everybody in the division and it may even be a larger line by then. QB Austin Reed threw for 4,744 yards and 40 touchdowns last season and the conference is much weaker this year. Even if WKU starts slow, the last three games are against New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, and FIU, so they should roll through those and at least finish first or second to be in the game.
They should be a bigger favorite than this and likely will be when the game rolls around.
—as seen on Page 11 of the 2023 VSiN College Football Betting Guide
Tanner Mordecai is not the runner that Drake Maye is. Maye actually led the Tar Heels in rush attempts in Phil Longo’s offense last season. However, we could see more Mordecai scrambles, but we’ll also see the best QB that the Badgers have had in Madison since Russell Wilson transferred in from NC State.
Mordecai has 72 touchdown passes to his name and over 7,100 yards as he goes into Wisconsin with a chance to really shine. Braelon Allen will still get his fair share of touches, but the Tar Heels ran 1,034 plays last season, so there will be plenty of opportunities to go around. North Carolina was one of three teams to have 500 running plays and 500 passing plays (UTSA, Texas Tech), so this will be a balanced offense capable of explosive plays.
Wisconsin will be favored in every game except one for me and a win against Ohio State on October 28 could be the springboard to really get Mordecai in the national discussion. In the other 11 games, I have Wisconsin at least -6.5, so Mordecai will have the chance to have a great record and great numbers at a noteworthy program.
—as seen on Page 11 of the 2023 VSiN College Football Betting Guide
Check out the rest of VSiN’s expert futures picks and props bets, as well as over 200 pages of other picks, analysis, and features, by heading here!
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