Week 1 college football lines and picks

Week 0 was fun, but it’s finally time for a full slate of games to choose from. So many games, so many lines. Love it. Nothing as exciting as football being back.

And hey, Week 0 was fruitful, as I went 4-3 for the week. Some fourth quarter lapses from Vandy and USC sunk what could have been a really nice week, but hey, that’s sports handicapping for you.

And now, on with this week’s picks...

NEBRASKA +7.5 at Minnesota

Call this a gut feeling that new Nebraska coach Matt Rhule finds a way to get more out of a group out of his players than Scott Frost did. Don’t know if they can pull off an upset, but they keep it close.

MIAMI (OH) +16.5 at Miami (FL)

I picked Miami 34-23 this week, and I’m not gonna back off it now. Uncomfortably close, but the Florida version of Miami > the Ohio one.

Virginia at TENNESSEE -28

Tennessee should be able to tee off on offense, and the Cavaliers don’t have nearly on offense to keep up.

BONUS: Tennessee at Virginia; OVER 56

I think this game could get over on Tennessee’s offense alone. Thought this number would be a good bit higher.

COASTAL CAROLINA +14.5 at UCLA

Coastal still has QB Grayson McCall, while Dorian Thompson-Robinson is now playing on Sundays in Cleveland. Coastal could win this game, so getting over two touchdowns seems wild to me.

Toledo at ILLINOIS -9

Not sure why this line is single digits, but I’ll still roll the dice on the B1G here and go with the Illini by two-plus scores.

Fresno State at PURDUE -4

Purdue will miss Aidan O’Connell, but not enough to not win by a touchdown against Fresno State in West Lafayette.

Utah State vs. Iowa; UNDER 43.5

It wouldn’t be a college football picks slate if I didn’t pick an Iowa under, would it? I’m gonna keep betting it until they show me they’re better than last year’s offensive disaster.

UTSA -1.5 at Houston

I’m all on the Roadrunners’ hype train this year. They start it with a solid win on the road against Houston.

Moneyline parlay: -120

WISCONSIN over Buffalo, BYU over Sam Houston ST., BAYLOR over Texas St., OHIO STATE over Indiana, MICHIGAN STATE over Central Michigan, TEXAS TECH over Wyoming, and CLEMSON over Duke

A WILD 7-game moneyline parlay that pays out a little bit under even money, but it feels pretty safe. Clemson, Texas Tech, and Michigan State are all around two-touchdown favorites, and the rest are much bigger. Someone will get upset on Saturday. Hope its none of these.