Week 1, a very early look
It's way too early to place any bets, but a few lines from college football's opening week have caught my eye at first glance. Here they are:
Aug. 31
Boston College (-14) at Central Michigan
BC has a sold quarterback and Central Michigan is still just a middle-of-the pack MAC team.UTEP (+2) at San Diego State
Good quarterback and good coach at UTEP. Brand-new coach (although I tend to think Chuck Long might turn out to be a good one) and very thin talent at SDSU.Sept. 2
Northern Illinois at Ohio State (-18.5)
No way a team that went 7-5 in the MAC last year hangs within three touchdowns of the Buckeyes in Ohio. If I were forced to put one bet down today, this would be the one.California (+1.5) at Tennessee
Golden Bears could be a top 15 team this season (I know, they're currently ranked 9 and 12 in the AP and Coaches polls, but they're overrated slightly there). How Tennessee crept into the Top 25 coming off last year's wreck of a 5-6 season, I don't know. I don't see much improvement from the Volunteers. I think it'll stay fairly close — it is being played in Knoxville — but Cal wins by a touchdown at least.Sept. 3
TCU (-7.5) at Baylor
Baylor is getting far, far too much respect here. Bettors are afraid to give TCU much of a spread in this game because Baylor has installed what they call "Bear Air," their version of Texas Tech's high-powered offense. It won't work. Baylor is a bad team, and bad teams don't get better just because they pass all the time. The Bears are a 5-6 team this year at best, and TCU is a darkhorse candidate for a BCS bid. (And, please, can't we get Baylor kicked out of the Big 12 — they have no business being there with the Big Boys — and bring TCU in? The conference needs to be in Dallas much more than it needs to be in Waco.)See the Glossary/FAQ page for definitions of terms and numbers.
Aug 24, 2006, 12:56pm
When's opening week and how much do you think you'll put on each bet?
Aug 24, 2006, 1:56pm
First game is Aug. 31, a Thursday. That Saturday is when most teams get started. I'm going to start with $20 as my base bet, but I might bet half-units in some of the very early games, while everyone is still trying to get a feel for the teams.