College Football Handicapping Articles

NCAA Football Predictions: Week 1 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 8/28/2015

Eight long months since Ohio State upset Oregon and 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota in the first College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the 2015 NCAA season kicks off on Thursday night. Sweet! The first playoff was a huge success, both from a TV ratings and betting action perspective. I still say it will grow to eight teams by 2020, maybe sooner if a one-loss Big 12 champion gets left out for a second straight year because that conference doesn't have a title game.

NCAA Football Mid-Major Betting Report: Temple Owls Season Predictions
by Aaron Smith - 8/28/2015

The mid-major betting report returns for another season here at Doc's Sports. The goal of this weekly article is to attempt to show that specialization is a profitable betting strategy. For the mid-major betting report, we follow one team all year long and make selections on that particular team's games on a weekly basis. For this season, the Temple Owls have been selected as the team to follow.

NFL/NCAA Football Combo Odds: Ohio State vs. Seattle Seahawks
by Alan Matthews - 8/27/2015

Of the eight NCAA & NFL most wins props on 5Dimes, this one between Ohio State and Seattle is easily the most interesting in my mind since they are the two dominant teams in their sport right now. The Seahawks are -120 favorites to have more wins than the Buckeyes (-110) this season. Remember, only regular-season games for OSU.

NCAA Football Betting: Fading the Top 25 Weekly Free Picks
by Aaron Smith - 8/27/2015

It's time for the first edition of the Fading the Top 25 Weekly Free Picks report. This is something we started last year. Thanks to solid interest and some interesting findings, we wanted to keep this one going again this season. This will be a season preview article with some ideas of what we are trying to get out of this report as well as some thoughts on what teams in the preseason Top 25 might be good to fade throughout the course of the season.

NFL/NCAA Football Combo Odds: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Indianapolis Colts
by Alan Matthews - 8/26/2015

I am curious how 5Dimes decides which college and NFL teams to match in these most win props. Arizona State and the Arizona Cardinals, and Florida State and Miami I can obviously understand. But Georgia and Indianapolis? What ties do those teams have? The Colts are just behind New England (+390) to win the AFC title this season at +400, while Georgia is the +475 second-favorite behind Alabama (+305) to win the SEC Championship Game. The Colts are -125 on the wins prop with the Bulldogs at -105.

NFL/NCAA Football Combo Odds: Florida State vs. Miami Dolphins
by Alan Matthews - 8/25/2015

I have written Florida State-Miami previews for years, but this will be a first time comparing college football's Seminoles and the NFL's Dolphins instead of the Hurricanes. On 5Dimes' wins prop, FSU is a -140 favorite to finish with more regular-season victories than the Fins, who are +110.

10 College Football Handicapping Tips from 10 Different Expert Handicappers
by Doc's Sports - 8/25/2015

Doc's Sports Services is the most trusted and well-respected sports information company in the United States. Below you will find a list of 10 tips from our group of handicappers. Doc's Sports provides the best team of college football handicappers doing some of the best college football handicapping in the country, and our service is second-to-none in terms of both results and customer relations. In our fifth decade of existence, Doc's Sports is the gold standard in the sports information industry.

NFL/NCAA Football Combo Odds: Arizona State vs. Arizona Cardinals
by Alan Matthews - 8/24/2015

I continue my wins comparison of select NCAA and NFL teams here with a 5Dimes betting matchup between the Arizona State Sun Devils, who should be a contender again in the Pac-12 South this season, and Arizona Cardinals. I can't say I have high expectations for them. Both teams are -115 on this prop.

College Football Betting: 2015 Games of the Year Odds Released
by George Monroy - 8/20/2015

Each year before the beginning of the college football season many sportsbooks release lines for the major "Games of the Year". Sports fans love to devour any information they can get during a slow betting season before college football starts. Many of the games are still weeks away, and the lines could change if certain teams get hot and others fail to meet expectations. However, let's take a closer look at a few of the biggest games of the upcoming season and go over a few stats and expectations for the teams.

College Football Week 1 Odds: Taking a Look at the 30-Point Spreads
by George Monroy - 8/18/2015

The 2015 college football season is set to begin in early September with Year 2 of the playoff system, and it promises to be one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory. Ohio State currently sits atop the futures rankings with a roster stocked with talent at nearly every position. During the offseason Urban Meyer was faced with the problem of balancing three starting quarterbacks, but with Braxton Miller moving to a wide receiver spot the choice is now easier with JT Barrett and Cardale Jones batting for the spot.

LSU Tigers Odds to Win the 2016 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/31/2015

The LSU Tigers have been out of the national title picture for quite some time now as Les Miles and his program haven't really been in contention since 2011. Yes, the SEC powerhouse typically begins the year receiving title talk and odds, but a series of three-loss seasons and 2014's horrendous five-loss campaign (including a bowl game), has left the team slipping in stature during the College Football Playoff era. The Tigers continue to receive Top 13 odds at many sportsbooks, yet they seem to be an afterthought in a loaded field of contenders.

Michigan State Spartans Odds to Win the 2016 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/30/2015

Michigan State has quietly become a monster in the Big Ten over the past few seasons. The program hasn't necessarily received national title attention over that span because they always seem to suffer a loss early in the year. But the Spartans dropped only three games over the last two seasons and ended 2014 with the No. 5 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Clemson Tigers Odds to Win the 2016 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/24/2015

On paper the Clemson Tigers had a solid 2014 season with only three losses. And while that assessment is somewhat true, the squad could not beat any of the ranked teams they faced during the year. We may, however, see an entirely different outcome this season as the Tigers are being considered the early-season ACC favorite by a 158-ballot media poll where they received 81 first-place votes to Florida State's 41 votes.

2015 Colorado State Rams Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/23/2015

Colorado State enjoyed a breakout season in 2014, going 10-3 and serving as a major factor in the Mountain West for the first time since the 1990s. The Rams had a cup of coffee in the Top 25, and last season marked the third straight season in which they improved their win total.

2015 Fresno State Bulldogs Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/23/2015

The Bulldogs will have a full-blown quarterback battle this fall as they attempt to find their next leader. Right now there are four players, including two transfers from major college programs, who are jockeying for position. And whom coach Tim DeRuyter goes with will be a major factor in how this season plays out for the Dogs.

Oregon Ducks Odds to Win the 2016 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/22/2015

The Oregon Ducks needed only three minutes to score the first touchdown of the 2015 National Championship Game and looked to be on their way toward redeeming the team's disappointing loss to Auburn back in 2010. History, however, had other ideas as the Ducks were never able to produce any meaningful offense and ended up on the wrong side of a blowout loss to the eventual-champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

Florida State Seminoles Odds to Win the 2016 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/21/2015

The Florida State Seminoles are coming off a magnificent three-year run where the team won a National Championship, made the first-ever College Football Playoff, while also winning 39 games over that span. Florida State, however, lost its star quarterback Jameis Winston, its top receiver and tight end, to go along with multiple linemen and a running back to the NFL Draft. The obvious challenge for the Seminoles is retooling a roster that lost most of its championship experience while remaining competitive in a tough ACC.

2015 San Jose State Spartans Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/21/2015

San Jose State football has ridden the roller coaster over the last five years, watching its win total round out from one to five to a peak of 11 to six and down to three last year. SJSU was fodder last season, taking all but one of its nine losses by less than 10 points, but they look like an improved team in 2015 and should be an improved team at the window (3-9 ATS last year) if not on their overall record.

Baylor Bears Odds to Win the 2016 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/20/2015

The preseason prognosis from most college football experts is that the Baylor Bears improved on last season's near-playoff team and added multiple pieces that could land the Bears a Top 4 playoff spot this year. ESPN currently has the squad ranked third in its college football power index, right behind Ohio State and Alabama. The oddsmakers, however, do not as much faith in the Bears as they are receiving the seventh-best national title odds in the nation.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Odds to Win the 2016 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/20/2015

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish may no longer be in a major conference-they left the Big East and went independent two seasons ago-but the program loaded their 2015 schedule with marquee matchups against the ACC's and Pac-12's elite schools in order to stay relevant and make a national title push come late November. The Fighting Irish started off 2014 with a 7-1 record and were in contention for a playoff spot but lost four of their last five games of the year to finish with a disappointing 8-5 mark.