Week 2 College Football Total Best Bets
September 7, 2023College Football Week 2 Line Move Plays
September 7, 2023I started the college football season the right way on my Week 1 teaser picks with all three bets paying off. I’ll review the college football odds for Week 2 and look to keep the run going. If you’re new to teaser bets the Nebraska at Minnesota game I selected was a great example of how they work. I backed the Golden Gophers with an original line of -7. Teasing the line to -1 turned out to be a bold move since the Gophers rallied late for a 13-10 win. The bet would have lost with the original line.
That game got the week rolling with Fresno State beating Purdue outright, so I didn’t even need the teased line of Bulldogs +10. And the same thing happened with the total in the USC/Nevada game. Teasing the total to 61.5, the Trojans eclipsed that number by themselves handing me an easy win on that college football bet. Let’s look ahead to Week 2 and check out the latest NCAAF lines and odds at BetRivers sportsbook to see what teaser picks can bring home another winning ticket.
Texas Longhorns at Alabama Crimson Tide
Opening Line: Texas +7.5
Teaser Line: Texas +13.5
If this game is anything like last year’s matchup it should be close. You might remember the Tide got a late field goal to beat the Longhorns 20-19. And you could argue that the teams have veered in different directions since then. The Horns are favored to win the Big 12 in their finals season as a conference member and have a number of players returning who endured that hardship last September. One of them is QB Quinn Ewers, who was hurt in last year’s game and didn’t finish, which may have led to a different outcome.
There was some uncertainty at the QB position for the Tide entering the season with Bryce Young off to the NFL. But Bama doesn’t rebuild they just reload, and Jalen Milroe looked good in last week’s 56-7 win and cover over Middle Tennessee. Milroe was 13 of 18 passing with three TDs and added 48 yards and two scores rushing the ball. It’s hard to beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, but teasing the football line to nearly two converted touchdowns gives me the confidence to back the visitors.
Oregon Ducks at Texas Tech Red Raiders
Opening Total: 67
Teaser Total: 73
Since I’m betting the UNDER on this game I teased the total up to 73. The Oregon Ducks aren’t playing a mediocre FCS squad this week and won’t put up 81, I can guarantee that. But they are explosive with Bo Nix running the show and a cadre of playmakers. Nix was efficient against Portland State going 23 of 27 for 287 yards and three touchdowns before sitting, along with most of the starters, early in the third quarter. The Ducks totaled 729 total yards with a balanced attack that featured 348 yards on the ground.
The reason for backing the UNDER is because Texas Tech is one pissed off team after falling to Wyoming in overtime as a 13.5-point favorite. They may not win this game but I do think they’ll play much better and give the Ducks a hard time. Tech entered the year with high hopes after beating both Oklahoma and Texas in the same season for the first time. Coach Joey McGuire’s message to the team was simple, “don’t let Wyoming beat you twice.”
UTEP Miners at Northwestern Wildcats
Opening Line: UTEP -1
Teaser Line: UTEP +5
It’s not always a good strategy to cross over on a teaser since you’re basically giving away a point, but in this case I’ll make an exception. Neither team is very good but the UTEP Miners appear to be the better squad. Thus putting the college football odds in their favor is a move that makes sense. UTEP rebounded from a Week 0 loss to upend Incarnate Word 28-14 covering the 7-point NCAA football line. They got a pair of scoring passes from Gavin Hardison and 174 rushing yards from Deion Hankins.
Northwestern looked futile offensively in its 24-7 loss to Rutgers and dating back to last season the Mildcats have scored fewer than 10 points in five consecutive games. I was surprised the NCAAF betting odds had UTEP as just a 1-point favorite. If you can’t score you certainly aren’t going to win many games, and the Northwestern defense isn’t stout enough to completely shutdown opponents. It will take time for the program to overcome the offseason turmoil and until then Northwestern will be a punching bag.
Check out the latest college football betting odds at BetRivers.