You have not been able to bet this amount of college football games for the past nine months. Maybe you threw a few dollars on preseason NFL or maybe even tossed a buck or two on week zero (I did and went 2-0). But college football gambling is back in bulk with five days of college football action.
With all that downtime and being unable to waste your hard-earned money since last November, the temptation will be to go crazy on the opening week with bets. Now some may say this is unhealthy and could lead to a big issue digging yourself a huge hole in week 1 chasing your losses all season, but we here at Deceptive Speed say go for it.
You deserve it for all your suffering without college football. Major League Baseball? Ehh. National Basketball Association? Nah. Hot dog eating contests? Could live without it. College football is the best sport to gamble on, so get wild this weekend because remember - you miss 100% of the bets you don’t make.
Nobody knows too much about every 2019 college football team yet, but one thing we do know is week 1 gambling losses don’t count. Just like the players and coaches, we’re all in early-season form. Live opening week with no regrets and don’t pay attention to the haters who say you should not bet an entire paycheck on this week’s matchups because we’ve earned this.
Welcome to Guilt Free Saturday.
Morgan State +25.5 @ Bowling Green
If you’re not fired up for Morgan State @ Bowling Green, check your pulse. The Morgan State Bears are coming off a 4-7 season in a mostly FCS schedule. Bowling Green has been a disaster since Dino Babers left, and there are no signs of improvement. Here are some Bowling Green against the spread stats: 0-8 in their last 8 games as a home favorite, 1-11 in their last 12 home games, 1-12 in their last 13 non-conference games. This team should not be favored by more than 3 touchdowns against anybody. Start your season off with a Morgan State cover like the gambling addict you are.
Cincinnati -3 vs. UCLA
Cincinnati is coming off an 11-2 season in year 2 under Luke Fickell, while UCLA was dangerously close to being a one-win team in 2018. This Bearcats team went to to the West Coast and took care of business against the Bruins last year, and I think it happens again this season in Cincinnati.
Clemson -36 vs. Georgia Tech
Clemson is the best team in college football, and Georgia Tech is in the first year of a transition out of the triple-option offense. That will take time, and I will be fading the Yellow Jackets every week for the foreseeable future. I’m not sure Georgia Tech scores in this game. All over Clemson by 50.
Utah -5.5 @ BYU
Words cannot describe how much I love Utah in 2019, especially on offense. This is a team that scored 40 points each game in October and was really hitting its stride toward the middle of last season when their starting quarterback and star running back got hurt. Even with that, they still almost won the Pac-12. This will be an 11-win team, and BYU is not getting in the way of this. The Utes win 35-14 in a rare rivalry blowout.
Wisconsin/USF UNDER 58
We’re not exactly sure what we will see from Jack Coan and the Wisconsin passing game, which had a bad year in 2018. Wide receiver Quintez Cephus is back after being kicked off the team last year, but who knows how much he will be involved? Wisconsin controls this game on the ground with Jonathan Taylor. Wisconsin unders have hit in five of its last six games. Take that under.
Ohio State -27 vs. FAU
Ryan Day sends a message early. FAU is overrated only because it’s one of the only Group of 5 teams where people actually know the name of the coach and think it’s fun to bet on Lane Kiffin. FAU went 4-8 against the spread last year, and Ohio State wins big.
Memphis/Ole Miss OVER 68, Memphis -5.5
Points. Points. Points. You’ll be seeing a lot of of them in this game. Memphis might go undefeated this year and going up against the lone Power 5 team on its schedule, this is the Tigers’ Super Bowl.
Alabama -35 vs. Duke
I don’t care what the number is. I’m betting on opening week Nick Saban. Alabama is 10-1 against the spread in its last 11 season openers. Pray for Duke.
Wyoming +17.5 vs. Missouri
I made so much money on Missouri over the years that it pains me to do this, but I’m all about Wyoming at home. i find myself in the Kelly Bryant is overrated camp and while 2018 was a struggle for Wyoming, they won four in a row to finish the year. Missouri wins by a touchdown. Easy Wyoming cover.
Oregon/Auburn UNDER 55
I think Auburn is going to win this game. For that to happen, the Tigers will need to play good defense and keep the ball on the ground to keep true freshman quarterback Bo Nix alive. For all the praise Justin Herbert gets for his NFL potential, he didn’t even complete 60% of his passes last season. I think this is closer to last year’s season-opening Auburn/Washington game with the total staying in the 40s.
Tell the Leader of Deceptive Speed what you think of this article or what you think of him as a person. Insults are always welcome. Send your angry words to him on Twitter @ImErikBuchinger or email erik@deceptivespeed.com