Week 1 College Football Off the Radar Best Bets
August 30, 2023
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There are a number of different ways to construct a parlay card when betting on college football. There is the moneyline option along with the point spread and total. And more recently we’ve seen player props introduced. There are pros and cons to playing a parlay with the biggest detractor being the odds of winning a multi-bet wager. The bottom line is that it’s just tougher to do, though not impossible, which is why parlays have become a popular betting method during the college football season.
There really is just one pro when playing parlays: the payout. Since it is more difficult to hit multiple winners on the same ticket, the odds are greater meaning the payday is larger when you do win. And that’s enough to keep us coming back. We got a sampling of college football last weekend with a limited number of games on the schedule. Week 1 of the season has games starting on Thursday and ending with a Duke-Clemson matchup on Monday night giving us plenty of NCAAF odds and lines to look over.
College Football Parlay Card Favorites
Michigan -36.5
TCU -20.5
$100 bet to win $273 at BetRivers sportsbook.
I’m going to ease myself into the new college football season with a two-team favorite and two team underdog parlay. As you can see here I’m starting with the teams laying points and while I don’t like to give away the number of points Michigan is surrendering to East Carolina, I like the Wolverines with their talent coming back and their focus on getting to the College Football Playoff championship game.
The fighting Harbaugh’s came up just short last season falling to TCU in the CFP semis but they should again be in the thick of the race with all their pieces from last season’s sixth ranked scoring offense back. The Wolverines played a similar non-conference slate last season covering the 31-point line against Colorado State and the 47.5-point NCAA football betting line against UConn. They also beat Hawai’i by 46 points when favored by 52.
The Colorado Buffaloes are moving in the right direction with the hiring of new coach Deion Sanders and they’ll get plenty of attention because of it, but Prime isn’t going to turn the program around overnight and it could take longer than expected just to be competitive again with the amount of roster turnover. The TCU Horned Frogs were a feel-good story last year, unless you were one of their victims. Rising from obscurity to reach the CFP, the Frogs are unlikely to match that success. But the foundation is built and the loss of Heisman finalist Max Duggan won’t be as big a deal as some think with last year opening day starter Chandler Morris to fill the void. Morris was injured in the 38-13 win over Colorado and returns with something to prove.
College Football Parlay Card Underdogs
North Texas +199 ML
San Jose State +16.5
$100 bet to win $500 at BetRivers sportsbook.
Because their win probability is much lower betting underdogs offers a greater payout. And given the volume of games on any given college football weekend the odds are good that we’ll see some outright dogs emerge victorious and more will cover the football lines.
The Cal Bears weren’t very good last season and with a new QB and offensive coordinator the jury is still out on what the offense can do. The program is also in a state of flux given the recent dismantling of the Pac-12. There are no concerns in Denton with North Texas making its debut in the AAC. The Mean Green bring back plenty of weapons from a stunning offense and if they can stop the Bears from running the ball I can see them winning outright with +199 moneyline football odds.
I’m not picking on the Pac-12 since nearly everyone else is. It just so happens that my other upset pick is San Jose State +16.5 over Oregon State. The Spartans played last week without two of their top pass catchers and stayed close to highly-ranked USC for more than a half. SJS stayed within the 31-point line and probably feel relieved. Having a game in hand goes a long way and with Chevan Cordeiro the San Jose offense is good enough to score points and keep up. They may not win the game, but I’m confident the Spartans can cover the college football point spread with the excitement of a Power 5 program visiting for the first time in a number of years.
Check out the latest college football betting odds at BetRivers
