UMass 2018 Betting Preview: Dynamic Offense Will Get Minutemen to 6 Wins

UMass 2018 Betting Preview: Dynamic Offense Will Get Minutemen to 6 Wins article feature image
Credit:

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Andrew Ford

UMass 2018 Betting Odds

  • To win the National Title: +999999
  • Win Total: 5.5 (over -125, under -105)

Always shop for the best line.


UMass 2018 Schedule, Betting Odds

The Action Network Projected Wins: 6.4

Bet To Watch

UMass Over 5.5 wins (-125)

This could be the most exciting offense at UMass since coach Mark Whipple had quarterback Blake Frohnapfel in the MAC in 2015, before it left the conference. The Minutemen rank seventh in offensive returning production, and senior quarterback Andrew Ford returns with all the playmakers after a 22-4 touchdown to interception ratio in 2017. Ford may terrorize defenses that are soft in the back seven.

One high safety look and Ford knows immediately pre snap that the wheel is a touchdown with the LB carrying him.

Andrew Ford making lefties proud with this throw, but the receiver lets him down. pic.twitter.com/rtWoqiLL92

— The Mick Nartin™ (@themicknartin) July 13, 2018


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The defense returns plenty of experience, except on the line. The Minutemen ranked 119th in allowing explosiveness on the ground, and any team with a dynamic running back should expose UMass.

Despite the defensive woes, the offense should get UMass back in any game it trails. Never forget, this is the same team that led Mississippi State at halftime before a 34-23 loss in StarkVegas. UMass averaged a solid 5.7 yards per play last season, 46th in the nation.

My projected win total is north of six wins, and I'll be invested in UMass Over 5.5 (-125). Duquesne, FIU, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, UConn, and Liberty all field subpar defenses that will not be able to contain this Minutemen offense.

Coin flip victories against Georgia Southern and BYU could earn UMass its first bowl trip since the 1972 Boardwalk Bowl.

What else you need to know about UMass

The UMass under is 11-1 as a road team since 2016. This should apply against teams with a ground attack that likes to slow its pace, specifically Georgia Southern on Sept. 8.

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