NFL Week 2 Thursday Picks, Predictions, and Odds
September 11, 2023
MLB Same Game Parlay Picks, Odds & Predictions-Wednesday, September 13
September 12, 2023
Bettors all over the country are in love with the Colorado Buffaloes. The oddsmakers thought the Buffs would be lucky to win five or more games this season, but Colorado has surprised everyone with a 2-0 start. They have covered all numbers along the way and are one of the biggest liabilities in terms of CFB futures for sportsbooks in the modern era. Their success again this week led to many bettors starting off Saturday in the black.
Fortunately for the sportsbooks, the biggest primetime game went their way. Most bettors backed Alabama at home as a seven-point favorite by the college football betting odds, but Texas announced it was to be taken seriously with a 34-24 win in Tuscaloosa. It’s probably too early to say that this is the end of the Nick Saban era, yet the sharks are circling as there is blood in the water.
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WINNERS FOR THE PLAYERS
Before the season began, Nebraska was over a touchdown favorite by the football betting line against Colorado in Week 2. The Buffs’ impressive win over TCU coupled with the amount of action on Colorado led to a big adjustment from the oddsmakers, but it wasn’t big enough as money poured in on Deion Sanders’ team throughout the week leading up to Saturday. Sharps were quick to hit Nebraska +3.5 whenever it popped up, yet Colorado ended up covering all numbers on their way to a 36-14 win over their old Big 12 rivals.
Still, the sportsbooks have yet to set a line high enough for people to move away from betting on Colorado. The Buffs will host the Colorado State Rams this week, and the CFB betting line initially opened with Colorado as a 20-point favorite. It took just 24 hours for the number to move to Colorado -22.5, as this looks to be one of the most heavily wagered on games of the week once more.
Another big winner for the players this week was Syracuse. The Orange were a 24.5-point favorite against Western Michigan at home, and they easily covered the spread by jumping out to a 45-7 halftime lead. There were just three points scored after halftime as the outcome was decided, so bettors had the chance to count their money early without a sweat on this game.
Finally, we saw a late action on Miami (FL) as a 2.5-point underdog against Texas A&M. Texas A&M was a four-point favorite earlier in the week, but money came in on Miami and Miami moneyline on the day of the game to push the final spread under three. The two teams went back-and-forth for three quarters, but Miami’s offense was too much in the end and the Canes secured a huge 48-33 win over the Aggies.
WINNERS FOR THE BOOKS
Saturday could have been much worse for the sportsbooks if Alabama would have covered the number against Texas in the main primetime matchup. As is usually the case, most of the money came in on the favorite in the big nightcap, but the Crimson Tide don’t seem to be as dominant as they were in the recent past.
Jalen Milroe completed just over 50% of his passes and threw two interceptions, and he was sacked five times while averaging less than 3.0 YPC in this game. Meanwhile, Quinn Ewers was superb through the air, completing 24 of 38 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns in the win for the Longhorns. Texas is now around 10-1 to win the national championship this season.
Another top five team failed to cover the number this week, resulting in a nice pickup for the sportsbooks. Plenty of Michigan fans believed the Wolverines would cover the 38-point spread against UNLV, but they simply cruised to a 35-7 win over the Rebels in Ann Arbor.
Michigan finished the game with almost 500 total yards of offense, yet the Wolverines were largely content to slowly move the ball down the field in a game where the outcome was never in doubt. They will not be tested for at least another month, so their main competition is themselves the next several weeks.
