Top bets and predictions for college football: Week 1

With the warm-up games of last week out of the way, it’s time for the college football season to really get rolling. Most teams around the nation will be in action this week, and that means a full slate of betting on college football.

For this week, Michigan bettors will have five days’ worth of games to follow, as this week’s college football marathon gets started on Thursday and continues all the way to Monday night. Here are a few plays that look strong for this week.

Central Michigan (+14.5, 45.5) at Michigan State, 6:30 p.m. Friday

This line’s been dropping quickly, so MLive customers might want to head to DraftKings and jump on the Chippewas before it gets under two touchdowns. Not only can you get $200 in bonus bets with a $5 bet on Central Michigan or any other college football action, but you’ll be jumping on a team that knows how to handle a road opener. Central Michigan has gone 8-1 ATS in its past nine road openers and has won the game outright against Power 5 opponents Purdue, Kansas and Oklahoma State.

With nine starters back on defense and Michigan State breaking in a new quarterback in Noah Kim, this probably won’t be a banner showing for the Spartans’ offense. Michigan State probably isn’t in danger of actually losing the game, but they shouldn’t blow out the Chippewas either. The line has already gone to +14 in some places and might not last much longer above the critical number, so if you like Central Michigan, now’s the time to pounce.

There’s value on the Spartans once the line gets under two touchdowns. So if you like Michigan State, either wait it out or head to Caesars, where the line’s already fallen to Michigan State -14 and you can get $250 in bonus bets with the code SLMLIVEGET and a $50 bet on the Spartans or anyone else.

Northern Illinois (+9.5, 50.5) at Boston College, Noon, Saturday

Speaking of Michigan State, former Spartan Rocky Lombardi is looking to lead a bounce-back season at Northern Illinois. The Huskies couldn’t stay healthy a season ago and crashed to a 3-9 finish, but now that their skill players are back, they’re dangerous. NIU also knows how to play on the road, going 10-5 ATS away from Huskie Stadium over the past three seasons and only once losing by double digits.

Boston College also went 3-9 last season and breaks in a new quarterback for an offense that averaged just 17.8 points per game last year. That says this line might be a few points too high. The sharps feel the same way, as the line has dropped a point at most books since opening. That makes BetMGM sportsbook a great choice for backing the Huskies, as the line hasn’t yet dropped below 9.5 points. If you enter the code MLIVEMGM when signing up at BetMGM, you’ll get up to $1,000 back as bonus bets if your first bet comes up short.

Ohio State (-29.5, 58.5) at Indiana, 3:30 p.m., Saturday

Bloomington has become a home away from home for Ohio State, and the Buckeyes are looking to make a statement here. Even though they’ve gone 22-4 SU over the past two seasons, two of those losses are to Michigan, which means the pressure’s on coach Ryan Day this season. On their last three visits to Indiana, the Buckeyes have pasted the Hoosiers, winning each game by at least 28 points.

Ohio State’s topped 40 points against Indiana in nine of its past 11 games and the Hoosiers return just three defensive starters from a team that allowed 33.9 points per game last year. If you can get the Buckeyes’ team total at over 42, either option makes a great play. If you make a bet of at least $5 at FanDuel, you’ll get $200 in bonus bets plus $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket, just in time for the NFL season to start.

Northwestern at Rutgers (-6.5, 40.5), 3:30 p.m., Saturday

Give Greg Schiano seven months to prepare for an opponent, and things will usually work out pretty well for his team. The Scarlet Knights have won the opener in five straight seasons and all three since Schiano made his return to Piscataway, covering all of them. Throw in Northwestern’s tumultuous offseason, and Rutgers looks a clear favorite.

However, the better play here is probably the under, as both teams return eight defensive starters and neither did much of anything on offense last year. Rutgers had the better offense at 17.4 points per game last year, which suggests how low-scoring this might be. At BetRivers, you can get the under and get a second-chance bet worth up to $500 by entering the code SPORTS, making this a great-value option on what should be a low-scoring contest.

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