College Football Handicapping Articles

USC Trojans Odds to Win the 2016 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/16/2015

It has already been a decade since the USC Trojans last made a national title game appearance and six or seven seasons since the last time the team was considered a legitimate contender. Every year USC sits near the top of the national title rankings and futures odds. However, that respect is more a product of the program's history and huge expectations. The truth is, the Trojans have not been very good since Coach Pete Carroll left for the NFL and started the revolving door of coaches.

2015 Temple Owls Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/16/2015

The ink is barely dry on coach Matt Rhule's four-year extension, and now the up-and-coming coach can focus solely on vaulting the Owls to the top of the AAC this year. Temple has 17 starters back - including 10 returning starters from the nation's No. 4 scoring defense - and the Owls enter this season brimming with confidence.

2015 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/16/2015

Former Baylor offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery will try to rebuild what was once of the top mid-major programs in the country as the new Golden Hurricane coach. The offensive guru inherits a team with a bevy of playmakers on that side of the ball, and Tulsa should fit right in with the defense-optional AAC squads.

2015 Tulane Green Wave Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/16/2015

I predicted a 2-10 flop for the Green Wave last year and was pretty close as Tulane went just 3-9 and were one of the best teams to bet against in college football (4-8 against the spread). The Green Wavy have the potential to be better this year, but I'm still not buying into this group of overachievers.

2015 UConn Huskies Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/16/2015

Huskies fans have to be wondering just where the bottom is for this program. Their 2011 Fiesta Bowl appearance must seem like a lifetime ago, and the Huskies have seen their win total drop or stay the same for seven straight years. Bob Diaco inherited a 3-9 nightmare heading into last season…and turned in an even worse 2-10 showing despite playing in a watered-down conference.

2015 SMU Mustangs Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/16/2015

There's nowhere to go but up for the Mustangs after the 2014 season went completely off the rails. Their coach quit during the season, and the Mustangs were so overmatched they were outscored by an average of 30 points per game. Of course, that season average was lower than their comical opening month in which they were outscored 202-12 in their first four games.

2015 Navy Midshipmen Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/16/2015

Ken Niumatalolo continues to do yeoman's work in Annapolis, and Navy remains a solid and viable college football program. But after more than a century as an independent, the Middies have finally joined a conference and they will be fighting for a league title. Unfortunately, this is one of Niumatalolo's more undermanned squads. He does have one major weapon: quarterback Keenan Reynolds, one of the top signal callers in Navy history.

TCU Horned Frogs Odds to Win the 2016 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/15/2015

If any team has a gripe with the College Football Playoff rankings, it's the TCU Horned Frogs, who were left out of the postseason mix and dropped from the Top 4 even though they won their final game of the season in convincing fashion. In retrospect, switching out TCU for the eventual national champion Ohio State Buckeyes turned out to be the correct decision, but in the moment, dropping the co-Big 12 champions from No. 3 to No. 5 seemed controversial in many football circles.

2015 Tennessee Volunteers Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/15/2015

Tennessee has 17 starters back, and one of the five that left, quarterback Justin Worley, could be addition by subtraction. It was not a coincidence that Tennessee really took off last year after inserting Josh Dobbs as the starting quarterback. He is back, along with nine other dudes, and the Vols should be a lot more potent this year. They averaged 37 points per game with Dobbs under center.

2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/15/2015

All-American candidate Dak Prescott is back for the Bulldogs, giving them a chance in one of the deepest and most difficult divisions in college football. But after a breakout 2014 season for Mississippi State - their 10 wins and Orange Bowl berth made school history - I think they simply lost too much talent to be expected to be a major player in the West this year.

2015 South Carolina Gamecocks Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/15/2015

The Gamecocks must replace eight starters on an offense that averaged 32.6 points per game. They haven't committed to a starting quarterback, and just two of their receivers have ever caught a pass in a USC uniform. The offensive line is also a mess, and this group is nearly impossible to handicap until we see them live.

2015 Arkansas Razorbacks Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/15/2015

While a lot of bobbleheads were surprised by Arkansas' resurgence last fall, I predicted the Razorbacks season perfectly, predicting a winning 'over' bet in this space last season. In fact, Arkansas' record doesn't even reflect just how good this team was; four of their six losses were by just a touchdown or less. Now we'll see if Arkansas can take the next step in an absolutely brutal SEC West.

2015 Vanderbilt Commodores Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/15/2015

I hit an easy winner with the 'under' on Vanderbilt last year as the Commodores were one of the worst teams in the country. They only beat Massachusetts (by 3), Charleston Southern (by 1) and Old Dominion on the season. They do have 17 starters back and are in the second season of Derek Mason's system. But these guys are still pretty awful and will be hard-pressed to top last season's total wins.

2015 Kentucky Wildcats Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/15/2015

I was impressed with the strides that Mark Stoops made with this Wildcats program last year. Their record (5-7) may seem unimpressive. But upsets at Florida and over South Carolina, as well as tough games with Miss State and Missouri, showed that this team is improving. They also came woefully close to bowl eligibility, losing to Louisville 44-40 on the last day of the season.

2015 Alabama Crimson Tide Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/14/2015

Alabama has been a fraud for the better part of the last decade, sliding by more on reputation and inflated respect than actual accomplishment. Last year was a perfect example. Playing in a watered-down SEC, Alabama either lost to or barely slipped by any decent team that they played in 2014. Yet they still found themselves in the playoffs and on the doorstep of the National Championship Game.

2015 Texas A&M Aggies Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/14/2015

Texas A&M made a solid run at beating their season win total in 2014. But, as I predicted, they came up short, winning just seven regular-season games. That was due largely to their 2-5 slide in the last half of the regular season, and the Aggies are looking for a better close this time around.

2015 Auburn Tigers Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/14/2015

I definitely like Auburn's chances of emerging as a Top 10 team this year. Even in the stacked SEC West. However, while I like the potential with this group I do think that they are a bit overrated heading into the season. Auburn does have the easiest schedule of any team in the division. But just because they have the easiest dance card doesn't mean that they are one of the best teams, making their preseason Top 10 ranking (based on several national magazines) way premature.

2015 Georgia Bulldogs Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/14/2015

I hit an easy winner with Georgia going 'over' their season win total last year. Aaron Murray and Co. had one of the quietest 10-win seasons you'll ever find, culminated with a blowout win in the Belk Bowl over Louisville. There has been some significant turnover for this year's group. But Georgia is another team in the mix near the top of the SEC East.

2015 LSU Tigers Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/14/2015

LSU was the rare SEC team whose season win total prediction I couldn't connect on. But a big part of my miss (I predicted that the 8-5 Tigers would win at least nine games) revolves around the fact that LSU lost more than three games for the first time since 2009 and just the third time since 2001.

2015 Florida Gators Season Win Total Picks and NCAA Football Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/14/2015

The Gators finally bottomed out last year under clueless dolt Will Muschamp. But, mercifully, he has moved on and been replaced by former Alabama coordinator Jim McElwain. McElwain had a successful audition at Colorado State the past several seasons. However, it is a massive step up to the SEC, even for someone who knows the lay of the land the way McElwain does.