Early College Football predictions, odds: best FanDuel NCAAF win total bets for 2023

FanDuel Sportsbook released its early college football win total lines on Friday, so we have early college football predictions to make.

I’ve got my eye on one win total under and one win total over, but feel free to (responsibly) fire on as many win total bets as you see fit.

• Read our expert rankings of the best sports betting sites here.

Auburn over 6.5 wins (-134) | Play to 8.5 (+100)

This is mostly a bet on Hugh Freeze. There are plenty of questions about Freeze’s character, but he has a track record of turning programs around.

Arkansas State never recorded an FBS winning season before Freeze took over. The coach won 10 games and a Sun Belt title in Jonesboro.

Ole Miss hadn’t won an SEC game in two years before Freeze took over. The coach won seven games in his first season and then posted back-to-back nine-win seasons before claiming a Sugar Bowl win.

Liberty hired Freeze directly before transitioning from FCS to FBS. The coach won eight games every season.

If history is any indicator, Freeze can ignite this program. But at the minimum, Freeze represents an upgrade over Bryan Harsin, who presided over Auburn’s first back-to-back losing seasons since 1998-99.

I’m also betting on Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne to elevate Auburn’s quarterback play. TJ Finley was a disaster for the Tigers, and Robby Ashford was only marginally better.

Additionally, I somewhat like the hiring of new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. He was underwhelming as head coach of Tulsa but was stellar in his three years coordinating the Baylor Bears’ offense (2012-14).

Montgomery and Thorne will have plenty to work with, given the Tigers lead all SEC teams in Transfer Portal Assets and Returning Production, per Collin Wilson of The Action Network.

Meanwhile, according to Bill Connelly of ESPN, Auburn returns the third-most defensive production in the SEC.

There’s firepower for Freeze, and we can reasonably expect him to elevate the talent on the roster.

The schedule breaks favorably, as Auburn has mostly gimme wins against New Mexico State, Vanderbilt, Samford, Cal and UMass. They’ll have several coin-flip games, but I think Freeze’s Tigers can find two wins somewhere.

Besides, The Action Network’s Collin Wilson projects Auburn for nine wins this season, which would be typical of Freeze.

Stanford Cardinal under 3.5 wins (-170) | Play to 2.5 (-110)

While Freeze and Auburn have plenty of returning production, Stanford is in shambles.

Per ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Stanford returns the fifth-lowest overall production in the nation. Only ECU, Appalachian State, Georgia State and Kent State are lower, an indictment for a Power Five team.

Meanwhile, Stanford hired Troy Taylor as the new head coach. He was excellent at FCS Sacramento State, but Stanford will be a monster step up in competition, and Taylor will attempt to compete with a bare-bones roster.

Taylor also brings with him scheme changes for both the offense and defense. These probably pay off in the long run but usually spell trouble in the immediate future.

Stanford will play in a loaded Pac-12, with plenty of quarterback talent. The nonconference schedule includes bouts with Notre Dame, Sacramento State and at Hawaii.

You’d be surprised to hear that The Action Network’s Collin Wilson projects Stanford as a favorite in one game this season, and it’s that Week 1 road game against the Rainbow Warriors.

Wilson also projects Stanford for less than two wins, so getting under 3.5 is a steal, even at the relatively juiced number.