Week 0 was a nice teaser, but everybody starts their season this week. There is a great slate of games on Saturday, but before that, there are some really exciting Thursday and Friday games as well. These are some bets to make for Thursday and Friday night college football on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Thursday Games
There is a huge slate of games on Thursday night to celebrate the return of college football. There are some really exciting games right off the bat. Some games feature teams the average fan knows nothing about, I will be giving you my prediction on those as well. Welcome back to college football!
Colorado (-9.5) vs. North Dakota State o/u 60.5
Colorado is one of the most polarizing teams in college football. They have some very high-level talent in quarterback Shedeur Sanders and CCB/WR Travis Hunter. However, due to the nature of head coach Deion Sanders, they also have a lot of hype and a lot of haters.
Last year, Colorado opened the season as 21-point underdogs against TCU and won the game outright. This year, they are favorites against FCS North Dakota State. NDSU was the best team in FCS for most of the 2010s but has fallen off a bit in the last couple of years.
For this game, Colorado’s effort will be crucial. The Buffaloes should be able to move the ball efficiently and score points through the arm of Shedeur Sanders. Offensively, North Dakota State wants to run the ball. Colorado has many gifted athletes on the defensive side of the ball, but they will need to get grimy and play physical defense to stop this NDSU rushing attack.
In the long term, I am down on Colorado and bet they will go under their season win total. However, I see their season playing out similarly to last year. At the top of their roster, there is a lot of talent, and they will start strong, but once injuries start to pile up and they need to dip into their backups, they will start to struggle.
As long as Colorado plays tough on the defensive line, they should limit what North Dakota State wants to do offensively. NDSU will be without star safety Cole Wisniewski, which should make it even easier for Shedeur Sanders and this offense to put up points. The Buffaloes should roll in this spot.
Best Bet: Colorado -9.5
UNC (-2) @ Minnesota o/u 50.5
North Carolina had to replace #3 overall pick Drake Maye this offseason. They have yet to name a starter for this game, and reports indicate that both Max Johnson and Conner Harrell are likely to play. Minnesota will also use a new quarterback, New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer.
UNC has one of the best running backs in the country, Omarion Hampton. PJ Fleck and Minnesota also love running the football. Minnesota also runs a very slow offense. Last season, the Golden Gophers finished 111th in the country in plays run per game.
There is a lot of uncertainty around both offenses, but the UNC defense should be improved under new DC Geoff Collins. Minnesota has some issues in the secondary, but the UNC quarterbacks can’t exploit that weakness. Minnesota is, however, very strong on the defensive line and should limit Hampton’s explosiveness.
Due to the quarterback uncertainty on both sides, the run-heavy approach expected by both teams and UNC’s defensive improvement, I am going with the under in this game.
Best Bet: u50.5
Jacksonville State (-3) vs. Coastal Carolina o/u 54.5
It is a transition year for Coastal Carolina, which lost their quarterback, Grayson McCall, to the transfer portal this offseason. McCall is a Coastal legend who brought the program to prominence over the past few years. There was a huge exodus of players from Coastal to the transfer portal this offseason, and most of Jamey Chadwell’s players are now gone from the program.
Tim Beck is in Year Two at Coastal Carolina. He went 7-5 in his first season, but that was with Chadwell’s team, including Grayson McCall. This is now a new-look Coastal Carolina team with much less talent.
Jacksonville State has a good running game, and Rich Rodriguez is a great offensive coach. Coastal Carolina will struggle to stop this rushing attack, and the Gamecocks should control the pace of play.
Best Bet: Jacksonville State -3
Friday Games
Michigan State (-14) vs. FAU o/u 45
Michigan State made a home run hire this offseason, bringing in Jonathan Smith from Oregon State to be their new head coach. Smith brought along QB Aidan Chiles from Oregon State, who has the potential to be a massive star in college football.
This is definitely a rebuilding year for Michigan State, but this offense could be good right off the jump with Chiles in the same system that he ran at Oregon State. Many of the offensive line and star TE Jack Velling came along to keep the cohesion going.
Michigan State will likely struggle in Big Ten play this season, so Jonathan Smith will want to make a statement against a declining FAU team in this opening game.
Best Bet: Michigan State -14
Oklahoma (-42) vs. Temple o/u 58
Oklahoma and Brent Venables will play their first game as an SEC team on Friday night. That makes me think Venables will want to make a statement right off the bat. There is also precedent that Venables has no problem keeping his foot on the gas and beating down inferior opponents. Last season, they beat Arkansas State 73-0 in their opening game.
Temple lost quarterback EJ Warner last season, and its roster is in really bad shape. Oklahoma should absolutely dominate on the defensive side of the ball. The Sooners are also breaking in a new quarterback in Jackson Arnold, but they should have no problem moving the ball against the Owls.
I am still not fully sold on Arnold and the Oklahoma offense until I see more, however, defensively they should wreak havoc on Temple. Therefore, I’m betting the Temple team total under. I don’t expect the Owls to score at all, but their team total is set at 7.5 so even if there is a fluke play of some kind that results in a touchdown, you are covered there.
Best Bet: Temple TT u7.5
Place your College Football bets at DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is blakekrass) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
