Week 2 College Football Group of 5 Parlay: Our Top Picks, Featuring Wyoming, Liberty & Troy (Sept. 11)

Each week, to coincide with the release of the “Group of Five Deep Dive” under the Big Bets On Campus podcast banner, I’ll be sharing my Group of Five Parlay of the week. 

I can’t promise I’ll always be siding with the pesky underdogs of the FBS, but I can promise that the payouts are sure to pique your interest. 

I struck gold in Week 1 with a clean sweep and a +975 payout. Special thanks to the Roadrunners of UTSA for bowing their skinny little necks down the stretch and holding off a late-game comeback attempt from the Fighting Illini. #MeepMeep. 

This week I’m fading the sinking ship that is UConn football, banking on some positive regression from Wyoming as they travel east and praying for points in the G5 game of the week between Liberty and Troy.

Reported odds  and specific bet recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing.

Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game.

Photos via Getty Images.

Wyoming vs Northern Illinois

Wyoming -6.5

Saturday, Sept. 11 • 1:30 p.m. ET • ESPN+

Since Craig Bohl got things rolling in Laramie back in 2016, Wyoming has become the 20th-most profitable team in FBS against the spread. 

Before the season started, I had this game pegged as Wyoming-13.5 in my power rankings. But a few things have significantly changed public perception of these two teams since then. 

The first market mover was that the Cowboys needed a big fourth quarter to squeak past a top-15 FCS team (Montana State). And then NIU upset Georgia Tech after Yellow Jackets starter, Jeff Sims, went down with an injury. These two outcomes have equated to a touchdown shift in the point spread vis-a-vis my power rankings. Simply put, this is an overreaction.

The Huskies had 301 total yards on just 3.9 yards per carry against Georgia Tech. And they were stuck on 14 points for 59 minutes of their game against the Yellow Jackets. 

This week, they will be facing a stingy Wyoming pass defense and its one-man wrecking crew at linebacker (Chad Muma). 

Offensively, Wyoming can expect Sean Chambers to shake off more rust and Xazavian Valladay to bounce back from an off-game behind his experienced line. 

I foresee a double-digit Wyoming runaway.

Pick: Wyoming -6.5

Purdue vs UConn

Purdue -33.5

Saturday, Sept. 11 • 3 p.m. ET • CBSSN

It’s true that UConn isn’t a member of the Group of Five anymore, but I’m grandfathering them in here for the purposes of making money. 

Simply put, it’s UConn white flag time. The Huskies just gave up 38 points to Holy Cross. The Crusaders hadn’t scored that much against an FCS team in two years. 

This Purdue team left points on the board against Oregon State last week and did it without a running game. It still scored 30 points, which is bad news for UConn. If Holy Cross could run for 226 yards, put the Boilermakers down for at least 200 in this one. 

And then there’s UConn’s offense, or lack thereof. Kevin Mensah is the offensive bellcow, and he can’t get out of the starting blocks. He has just 97 yards on 32 carries this season. 

If you want to branch out and bet this as a single play, in addition to the parlay recommendation, feel free to get creative. First quarter, first half, alternate line, go crazy. This is going to be a bloodbath.

Pick: Purdue -33.5

Liberty vs Troy

Over 61

Saturday, Sept. 11 • 7 p.m. ET • ESPN+

This will likely be the best Group of Five game in Week 2. 

It will also serve as a showcase for Malik Willis (Liberty, QB) and Carlton Martial (Troy, LB), two of the best players at their respective positions in the entire country. 

As a team, Liberty boasts the same dynamic offense we saw last year. Willis and Joshua Mack can run on anyone, and I was impressed with Demario Douglas as an emerging threat at wideout and punt returner. 

Troy settled on Taylor Powell as its QB1, and he rewarded that faith with one of the top performances of Week 1 (3 total TDs, nearly a 90 QBR). 

Kimani Vidal and B.J. Smith form a great 1-2 punch, giving the Trojans a chance to move the ball on the ground against what was a great Liberty run defense last year. 

If they chip in at least 100 yards on the ground, I think Troy will be able to keep pace in a shootout and help push this final score well past the posted total.

Pick: Over 61

College Football Week 2 Group of Five Parlay

Wyoming -6.5

Purdue -33.5

Liberty vs. Troy over 61

Parlay Odds: +600

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