Well, week one was a bit of a stinker. We went 1-2 on opening weekend, but we learned a lot about the current college football landscape. We can apply that knowledge to this week’s slate of games and hopefully come up with three winners. All lines come via Draft Kings as of Thursday evening. Also, be sure to catch me and my fellow ATB bettors’ locks and underdogs of the week on Around The Book. Let’s get started and dive into the best bets in college football for week 2!
#12 Utah at Baylor: Utah -7.5 (-112)
This line seems awfully generous. Baylor, coming off a loss to lowly Texas State, should be getting a lot more than a touchdown against a top 15 team, especially one that is coming off a convincing win over an SEC blue-blood. It begs the question, what does Vegas know that we don’t.
The fact that the Bears are at home could help their cause. Also, Utah could have a hangover after a big week one victory. However, those factors are both mitigated by the fact that the Utes are getting a few extra days to rest and travel due to playing on a Thursday last week.
It just seems like a stretch to think that Utah will let this Baylor team hang around. Dave Aranda’s squad is way down. They haven’t won a game in over 10 months. The Bears likely won’t even keep this one in single digits. Hammer Utah to cover.
#20 Ole Miss at #24 Tulane: Ole Miss -7 (-115)
Regardless of the result this is a fun game. We have two top-25 programs that are very close geographically playing in a tiny 30,000 seat stadium. It will be standing room only, and it will be chaos.
Unfortunately, this matchup might be a bit overhyped. The Rebels look like a threat to win the SEC East. They stomped Mercer by 66 points. Meanwhile, the Green Wave look like a contender in the AAC. They beat a slightly tougher opponent in South Alabama by 20. That is a big difference.
This is the type of game in which Lane Kiffin’s side will use as a statement team. They will crush a ranked team with inferior talent, and build a bunch of hype. Then they will stumble against LSU and Alabama. Take Rebels to cover a touchdown.
Stanford at #6 USC: Stanford +29.5 (-112)
The disrespect that Stanford is getting this year is astounding. They were only favored by three against Hawaii last week, which they easily covered. Nevertheless, the Cardinal are once again being treated like a Group of Five program, essentially getting 30 points in a rivalry game.
In defense of USC, they look very good. Also, they might have the best player in the country in Caleb Williams. The only problem is that Williams can’t play defense. The Trojans are horrible on that side of the ball. They might need close to 60 to cover.
This game will likely be at least somewhat close. Stanford has actually won three out of the last five matchups. Also, there has not been a victory of thirty points or more on either side of this rivalry since USC did it back in 2006 during their heyday. This should be an easy cover for Stanford
Week 2 College Football Best Bets Recap
- Utah -7.5 (-112)
- Ole Miss -7 (-115)
- Stanford +29.5 (-112)
- Parlay odds: +569