It's good to be back.
For the eighth straight season on our college football betting podcast, Big Bets on Campus, Collin Wilson and Stuckey pick their two favorite moneyline underdogs for each week's slate.
For Week 1 of the new season, they rolled with two Power 4 'dogs — one on the road and one at a neutral site.
We'll get things started Saturday afternoon up in Columbus and finish up with a neutral-site game in Atlanta on Sunday. If you're feeling lucky, a parlay of both pups pays out at just under 6-1 at the time of writing.
Let's dive into our college football moneyline underdogs for Week 1.
College Football Moneyline Underdogs for Week 1
Collin Wilson: Texas ML -110 vs. Ohio State
| Texas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+0.5 -110 | 47.5 -105o / -115u | -110 |
| Ohio State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-0.5 -110 | 47.5 -105o / -115u | -110 |
I'm sticking with Texas here. I like its chances up in Columbus.
The playbook has opened up for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian with Arch Manning in the fold. They run a lot of RPOs, but I just hope he doesn't get too cute when the Longhorns push toward the end zone.
Ohio State has too many question marks right now.
The offense could be shaky compared to what we say last year with Will Howard running the show next to a pair of NFL running backs.
New quarterback Julian Sayin has to figure out how to get the ball into Jeremiah Smith’s hands. That’s tough considering Smith was basically shut down last year against this exact Texas defense, catching just one pass on three targets.
Here’s the big question: Whose coordinators would you rather have? Sarkisian calling the offense against Matt Patricia’s defense, or Brian Hartline working with a watered-down Chip Kelly scheme facing off against Pete Kwiatkowski? The edge is clear. Give me Texas all day.
I’m going with the Texas moneyline on this one.
Stuckey: Virginia Tech ML +240 vs. South Carolina
| Virginia Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 52 -110o / -110u | +240 |
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 52 -110o / -110u | -309 |
Give me the Hokies on a neutral field against South Carolina.
Sam Siefkes is about to deliver a masterclass. Mark the name, because Virginia Tech’s new defensive coordinator is a massive upgrade over Chris Marve. Last I checked, he’s not anywhere with a coaching job now. I thought he was terrible.
Yes, Virginia Tech lost a lot from last year in terms of Power 4 talent and NFL Draft picks. But the Hokies were a mess last season. Disorganized is putting it lightly.
Enter Siefkes, coming straight from the NFL with experience on two solid staffs. He’s known for doing cool things with three-high safety looks, and the Hokies have the right safeties to run it.
Plus, they picked up some intriguing guys from lower levels that I really like and think can hit.
This is the post-hype, buy-low spot on Virginia Tech. Everyone last year was penciling the Hokies in for double-digit wins, a playoff spot, even an ACC title. Then they completely fell flat.
I’m also low on the Gamecocks. Their defense is going backward — they lost a ton of talent to the NFL Draft. Beyond that, the entire team said goodbye to more than a dozen NFL signees. That’s a big hit in talent and depth.
I think South Carolina’s getting a little too much love heading into this season.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech is flying under the radar. Both coordinator hires impress me, and quarterback Kyron Drones should look sharper and healthier this year. The whole roster is trending that way. This is a perfect spot for the Hokies to sneak up and surprise South Carolina.
So give me Virginia Tech on the moneyline.
