Week One College Football Best Bets
We take a look at a few games, and best bets of the official week one of the 2022 college football season. There are a few games tonight that I think we should be taking a look at to make some winning bets!
West Virginia Vs #17 Pitt
The Pitt Panthers are coming off a fantastic season behind the arm of current NFL QB Kenny Pickett. Pitt also had help on the defensive side, finishing inside the top 50 ranked defenses in the country. Sadly, what made Pitt special last year seems to have left the team in the dust this year. Their number one WR, Jordan Addison, left for USC. Addison, the best ranked WR in the country, led the Pitt Panthers in nine out of 14 games last year in receiving. Losing your top two players in college football isn’t out of the norm, but when you’re Pitt you have to find replacements to stay relevant.
They aren’t like Alabama who just replaces five-star recruits with five-star recruits. This is also a renewed rivalry. This game will be a packed house and it’s at Pitt. That will be a huge advantage. However, Pitt was flat out horrible against the pass last year. With the 128th ranked defense against the pass, West Virginia matches up really well. WVU added highly touted QB JT Daniels this offseason from the transfer portal. With JT Daniels coming in to add some fire power to a team that ranked in the top 30 for most passing plays, that is a match made in heaven. WVU also has something that doesn’t happen too often in college football, they get their entire offensive line back. With this being a rivalry game for not only the schools but for the competing QB’s I think West Virginia matches up perfectly with Pitt. Both of these teams are going to put up some points on each other and air the ball out all game.
Best Bets: West Virginia +7.5 (-110) and Over Game Total 51.5 points (-110)
This is one of the games I am very confident in my pick. Cincinnati is coming off one of the best seasons in program history, making it to the College Football Playoff. They had a top QB in Desmond Ridder, and the nation’s best defensive back in Sauce Gardner. Sadly, Cincinnati had nine starters leave for the NFL draft. Those of which, included Ridder, Gardner, number one WR Alec Pierce, and five other defensive starters. Cincinnati lost a decent amount of talent on a team that relied heavily on their veteran players. Taking a look at Arkansas, head coach Sam Pittman is one of the most profitable coaches to bet on in college football. Winning at 76.9% against the spread (ATS), he is currently leading the nation. Arkansas is also 9-4 in home games under Pittman. In the SEC, 9-4 is getting the job done. Last year, Arkansas took down #15 ranked Texas and #7 ranked Texas A&M at home. Playing in Fayetteville is tough. Arkansas did lose dominant WR Treylon Burks to the NFL. You could replace a dominant WR, but I think with the amount of talent Cincy lost, Arkansas -7 is the best bet of the day.
Best Bet: Arkansas -6.5 (-110)
This is a feel pick. Not looking at any statistics or analytics but looking at what happened to both these teams coming into the year. Oregon had an up and down season. They opened the season shocking the college football world and beating powerhouse Ohio St at Ohio St. They then went on to lose to unranked Stanford. They also lost their head coach Mario Cristobal to Miami. In return, they did add Bo Nix from Auburn and a new head coach in Danny Lanning. Danny Lanning was previously the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. I think Danny might have some tricks up his sleeve knowing that program and its players inside and out. Georgia is a powerhouse and everyone knows they won the National Championship last year against Alabama in a triumphant win for head coach Kerby Smart. Georgia, however, lost 15 starting players. Nine of those players were on defense, and the offensive players included their starting RB’s in James Cook and Zamir White, and number one WR George Pickens. I think flat out that Georgia is still a fantastic team. They don’t rebuild, they reload. I think this game comes down to new coach Danny Lanning scheming against his old team and Georgia finding out what they now have on defense. I think 17 is too many points for Georgia to cover.
Best Bet: Oregon +17 (-110)
Central Michigan Vs #12 Oklahoma State
This pick is also a feel pick. Head coach of Oklahoma St, Mike Gundy, led his team to a great season last year. They had their ups and downs, losing to unranked Iowa St but beating four ranked teams, including #10 Oklahoma. Looking at both these teams, neither lost a whole lot of their roster. Central Michigan being a run-heavy offense might not help them much against what was last year’s 2nd ranked defense against the run. Oklahoma st also has the eighth best defensive line in the country coming into the 2022 season. Central Michigan, having the 2021 college football leading RB Lew Nichols III might not be able to break free and get into a rhythm. With that being said, I think Mike Gundy comes out firing this year and stifles the Central Michigan Offense.
Best Bet: Oklahoma St -21.5 (-110)
Week One has so many more games to look at, narrowing down our best bets should hopefully help you make an informed bet and help you start off the year in the green! Check back at demo.borderfuelsports.com for more best bets during the college football season!
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