College Football Betting: August 30
The 2014 college football season is officially open for business. Texas A&M’s surprise dismantling of South Carolina on Thursday night proved to be an excellent first act for an exciting slate of Week 1 action. A host of playoff contenders will take the field on Saturday, including No.1 Florida State, No. 2 Alabama, and No. 3 Oregon. Two matchups pit preseason Top 25 teams against each other, and Ohio State begins its championship quest without quarterback Braxton Miller. Here’s a breakdown of the weekend’s notable games.
#5 OHIO STATE AT NAVY +12.5
Losing Miller for the season dealt a serious blow to Ohio State’s playoff aspirations, but there’s no reason to panic in Columbus, yet. Redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett has large shoes to fill in his first collegiate appearance and an athletic defense will be tested by Navy’s vaunted triple-option rush attack. Midshipmen signal-caller Keelan Reynolds will be a handful, but look for the Buckeyes to pull away late.
Bet Ohio State -12.5
#7 UCLA AT VIRGINIA
The Bruins boast one of the most talented rosters in the country, led by junior quarterback Brett Hundley, a Heisman candidate who accounted for 31 total touchdowns in 2013. The Cavaliers were dreadful a year ago going 2-10, and on paper don’t appear to have improved much. Senior tailback Kevin Parks is one of the few bright spots; if UCLA’s speedy defense contains him, it will be a long afternoon for the home team. Bruins were 4-2 ATS on the road last season.
Bet UCLA -22.5
#16 CLEMSON AT #12 GEORGIA -8.5
These two put on a show in Death Valley a year ago, so more fireworks could be in order. Both teams will be unveiling new quarterbacks after Tajh Boyd and Aaron Murray were lost to graduation. This one will likely come down to two key matchups: Clemson’s front seven versus ‘Dawgs running back Todd Gurley, and a young Georgia O-line against Tigers pass rusher Vic Beasley, who dropped Murray for two sacks in the 2013 meeting. Too many points for such evenly matched teams. Georgia wins, Clemson covers.
Bet Clemson +8.5
#1 FLORIDA STATE VS OKLAHOMA STATE +17.5
Most weeks the Cowboys are the team with the most potent offense, but that won’t be the case on Saturday when the defending champion Seminoles and Heisman-winning quarterback Jameis Winston take the field at AT&T Stadium. The ‘Noles lost a lot of talent on both sides of the ball to the NFL, so some of the new faces could struggle early on. That said, the offense is still dangerous with Rashad Greene, Karlos Williams, Nick O’Leary, and of course, Winston. This has shootout written all over it, but Oklahoma State doesn’t have the firepower to keep pace.
Bet Florida State -17.5
#13 LSU VS #14 WISCONSIN +4.5
The winner of this one will add a huge plus mark to their playoff resume. Converted safety Tanner McEvoy is set to assume the starting signal-caller duties for the Wisconsin, and LSU is expected to rotate two players under center. Neither team has much in the way of a vertical passing attack, so the Badgers’ Melvin Gordon and the Tigers’ triple-headed backfield should be in for busy nights. LSU has won 45 straight versus non-conference opponents. Wisconsin has won 16 openers in a row. Something has to give.
Bet LSU -4.5
