College Football Handicapping Articles

2024 Texas Longhorns Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Matt Zitt - 8/22/2024

If Texas’ offense has reloaded successfully with portal pass-catchers, and if the defense can develop a solid rotation of interior linemen, the Longhorns have a chance to contend in Year 1 in the SEC with the goal of reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff. Playing at Michigan on Sept. 7 will be an early barometer.

2024 LSU Tigers Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Matt Zitt - 8/22/2024

In Year 3 of coach Brian Kelly’s tenure, it is time for the Tigers to take a step forward, and that means securing a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff. Getting there depends on two key things: finding enough of a ground game to pair with what should still be a potent passing game, and improving the defense enough to be at least average. Answer those two questions, and the Tigers are top-12 material for sure.

Dark Horse Teams to Make 12-Team College Football Playoff
by Joey House - 8/22/2024

The 2024 season marks a transformative era in college football, with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams. This change brings unprecedented excitement as fans eagerly anticipate which underdog teams will rise to the challenge. A Group of Five team is now guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, giving mid-major programs a chance to showcase their talent and resilience. As the landscape of college football evolves, these teams are ready to make their mark and potentially secure a coveted playoff berth.

2024 Ole Miss Rebels Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Matt Zitt - 8/21/2024

The majority of the Ole Miss Rebels’ key contributors from last season decided to give it one more go in an attempt to reach an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff field in 2024. Ole Miss added impact players through the transfer portal at nearly every level, too. They are coming off their first 11-win season ever, and expectations are as high as they have ever been in Oxford. This team is talented, well-coached and battle-tested. The Rebels — at least on paper — have the makings of an SEC contender.

2024 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Matt Zitt - 8/21/2024

Alabama’s historic success under Nick Saban meant that the expectations each season were essentially National Championship or bust. The bar is still high, but expectations need to be kept in check for new coach Kalen DeBoer’s first season, as he brings together a new coaching staff and a turned-over roster that had almost 40 players leave through the transfer portal or for the NFL. Alabama plays a tough schedule but still has enough talent to compete for a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

2024 Georgia Bulldogs Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Matt Zitt - 8/20/2024

Georgia has one of the deepest, most talented rosters in the country. It also returns some of the sport’s top players at premium positions, and it is not protecting a title for the first time in a while. There is a reason the Bulldogs are viewed by most as the No. 1 team in the country. Quarterback Carson Beck leads a high-powered offense for coach Kirby Smart, and the defense is once again among the best in the land.

Best Bets for College Football Win Total Matchups
by Mike Allen - 8/19/2024

The start of the 2024 college football season, or Zero Week as they call it, is just days away. We get our first look at the Florida State Seminoles as they travel along with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to the Emerald Isle of Ireland. That should be a lot of fun. And after this game, we enter Week 1 of the CFB season. This year will be the first in which NCAA football has a 12-team playoff. Hopefully, we expand even further in the future, but this is plenty of fun for now.

2024 USC Trojans Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Joey House - 8/19/2024

Coming off a successful double-digit wins season in 2022 and with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner returning, expectations were sky-high for the "men of Troy" in their final season in the now-defunct Pac-12 conference. While the offense was as good as advertised, the defense was atrocious, and the Trojans stumbled to an 8-5 record. USC managed to defeat a Louisville squad in the Holiday Bowl without the Trojans' star QB, Caleb Williams, and a handful of other players who opted out.

2024 SEC Football Predictions with Odds and Expert Betting Advice
by Robert Ferringo - 8/14/2024

The winner of the SEC will certainly have earned it. And there is no longer anywhere for teams in this league to hide. Wait. Wait a second. Did I just suggest that over the past 10 years that maybe the SEC wasn’t the all-mighty, all-powerful conference that it pretends to be? Did I dare question the superiority of this league and its own self-referential hype? Yes. Yes I did. Look man, if two programs – Alabama and Georgia – have won nine of the last 10 conference championships, then maybe, just maybe, this league isn’t as great as everyone thinks it is.

First College Football Head Coach Fired: Odds and Betting Predictions
by Mike Allen - 8/14/2024

We remain, albeit barely, double-digit midgets, with 10 days left until the kickoff of the 2024 college football season on August 24, when the Florida State Seminoles play the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. We won’t get to see much else until the 31st, however, and that’s when we have a massive matchup that pertains to this week’s article on the first college football head coach fired. More on that in a moment.

2024 Indiana Hoosiers Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Joey House - 8/13/2024

The Indiana Hoosiers football team faces a critical juncture as they head into the 2024 season. Despite the university's rich basketball heritage, the football program has struggled, finishing the 2023 season with a disappointing 3-9 record. This marked their third consecutive losing season and fifth in the last seven years. In response, Indiana made a significant change by firing head coach Tom Allen and bringing in Curt Cignetti from James Madison.

Who Will Make the 12-Team College Football Playoff? Odds and Best Bets
by Mike Allen - 8/12/2024

This season, particularly the 2024 12-Team College Football Playoff, is a historic moment, and one that is long overdue. Finally, the bureaucratic bowl money situation gave way to a playoff system that was a step up, but we always knew it could improve. Now, in 2024, a 12-Team College Football Playoff debuts, and college football fans around the country are excited. Before we jump into the betting odds and our best bets for the 12-Team College Football Playoff, let's touch on the criteria the committee will use to choose 12 teams for a postseason tournament.

2024 Wisconsin Badgers Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Joey House - 8/8/2024

The Wisconsin Badgers football team made headlines with the surprising decision to fire their highly successful head coach, Paul Chryst, on October 2, 2022. Chryst, who had an impressive overall record of 67-26 (.720) during his tenure at Wisconsin, was let go after a disappointing start to the 2022 season. In his place, the Badgers hired Luke Fickell, the former Cincinnati head coach known for his ability to build and elevate programs.

2024 Oregon Ducks Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Joey House - 8/6/2024

After going 11-2 during the regular season and capping off their final campaign in the Pac-12 with a 45-6 rout of upstart Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl, Oregon finished 8th in the College Football Playoff poll, their 3rd-highest finish in school history.

2024 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Predictions and Betting Odds
by Joey House - 7/29/2024

I always think of summer like the famous opening line from Charles Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." I'm a fan of watching and betting on baseball. Being a numbers nerd, I also enjoy researching the upcoming football season. I consider a few preseason guides must-haves, and waiting for them in the mail makes me feel like a little kid again.

College Football Totals Picks Bowl Games: Over or Under Predictions for This Week
by Joey House - 12/28/2023

I know that many people complain about the over-saturation of bowl games, and they don't matter. I couldn't disagree more. First, they give teams an extra couple of weeks of practice and allow coaches to evaluate, under game conditions, players who will be replacing the leaving (or already left) starters. Just watch any of these games, and it's evident that they matter greatly to the players.

College Bowl Game Free Picks for Games from Dec. 29-Jan. 1
by Joey House - 12/28/2023

Just like the regular season, in the blink of an eye, we're halfway done with the bowl season and soon will start the long hibernation until college football again. Next season, with the expanded playoff format, at least we'll have another week or two of college football. We split our four games last week, going 2-2. We should be able to end the season in a winning fashion and build our bankroll for the upcoming NFL playoffs.

College Football Free Picks: Weekly Mid-Major Report and Predictions for Armed Forces Bowl featuring James Madison vs. Air Force
by Joey House - 12/21/2023

In the world of Joey, my non-stop advocating for James Madison's bowl appearance is what led the 11-1 Dukes to receive an invitation to the Armed Forces Bowl to take on Air Force. In reality, the lack of qualified teams allowed the NCAA to waive the restrictions placed upon newly promoted teams to the FBS level. However it happened, JMU has been afforded the opportunity to go bowling for the first time in school history.

College Bowl Game Free Picks for Games from Dec. 19-Dec 26
by Joey House - 12/18/2023

Welcome to the Doc's Sports Bowl Game Best Bets for the week of December 19 to December 26. We've analyzed all the games for the first whole week of the "Bowl Season" and identified the best side bets that should help you earn back some of the money you've spent on the holidays.

College Football Totals Picks Bowl Games: Over or Under Predictions for This Week
by Joey House - 12/18/2023

Assessing bowl games presents the most demanding challenge for a professional handicapper. Bowl games added a few significant aspects that must be factored in when breaking down a contest. While every team is trying to win, who emerges victorious is not always the most important priority for a team. Many coaches are looking to get a head start on the future and gauge talent levels for next season. Players opting out and entering the transfer portal, not to mention the start of the coaching carousel, are some factors that don't arise during the regular season.