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NCAA Football Betting Advice: Studs and Duds Against the Spread


by - 10/20/2017

Tyler Huntley Utah Utes

We are basically halfway through the college football regular season - a bit more than that for some teams and less for others. It's a good time, then, for us to take a step back and analyze what has happened so far. Some teams have been particularly kind to bettors - and many of them have done so while flying under the radar completely. And some teams have burned bettors' money up in bulk - including one that was very highly-touted entering the season. Here is a look at the ATS studs and duds in college football at the approximate halfway point:

Studs

Buffalo (7-0 ATS): The Bulls are just 3-4 straight up, but they have picked the right games to lose. They have been favored three times and have won each time. In their four losses they have kept it close enough to cover. In fact, they have covered easily in each of their four losses.

Central Florida (5-0 ATS): The Knights didn't let the Hurricane that disrupted the early portion of their season stop their momentum. They are currently unbeaten, and they have covered four times as a favorite - including as a 35-point favorite against East Carolina last time out.

Georgia Tech (5-0 ATS): The Yellow Jackets are only 3-2 but are only two points away from perfection - they lost to Tennessee by a single point in overtime in the opener and to Miami by one last time out. They were favored in all three of their wins.

Fresno State (5-0-1 ATS): Fresno State has not only lost twice, but they were crushed in both losses - by 32 and 31 points. Those were to Washington and Alabama, though, so they got massive spreads and credit for very ambitious nonconference scheduling. The push came against San Jose State. Fresno State was in control late and seemed more determined to run out the clock late than to run up the score.

Utah (5-0-1 ATS): The last couple of weeks have been rough for the Utes. They have had two grand chances to insert themselves into the heart of the Pac-12 race, and they have fallen short both times. They lost to Stanford by a field goal at home to earn a push, then they fell by a single point at USC when they tried and failed to go for two as the game ended. They were 13.5-point dogs in that game, while their previous four covers were all as favorites.

Duds

BYU (0-7 ATS): BYU is just a mess this year. They beat Portland State by only two touchdowns when favored by 35 in their opener. And then they haven't won since. They have been favored only once in that losing streak, and that was by a single point. Three times they have been given 14 points or more, but that hasn't been enough to make up for their overwhelming incompetence.

USC (1-6 ATS): The Trojans were heavily hyped as a championship contender entering the season, but they haven't been nearly as dominant as many thought - and casual bettors just haven't adjusted their expectations adequately. Their only cover came in the second game against Stanford, yet this weekend's visit to Notre Dame is the first time this year that they have not been favored.

Bowling Green (1-6 ATS): The Falcons opened their season with five straight losses, won and covered against Miami (Ohio), and then lost again last week. All but one of their losses have been by double digits, and the one that wasn't was still an eight-point margin. This is not a good team.

East Carolina (1-6 ATS): Like Bowling Green, this is just a bad team. They have been an underdog in every game and have been given at least 22.5 points four times. They are almost unbelievably defensively incompetent in giving up more than 600 yards per game.

North Carolina (1-6 ATS): Turns out that Mitch Trubisky was a very important part of this program. He's with the Bears now, and they are really struggling without him. The slight difference here is that they have been favored three times, and their only cover came when they beat Old Dominion by 30 as 11-point favorites.

Louisville (1-6 ATS): The Cardinals were one of the big stories last year until a late collapse. They have struggled to rediscover their momentum this year. Defending Heisman winner Lamar Jackson has been mostly excellent, but he doesn't have nearly enough help. The team is 4-3, has lost their last two, and hasn't covered their last five spreads.

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