There are a few conclusions we can come to as we move along to another week of the college football season.
One of those is that Alabama is not such an automatic to win the 2022 national title, or even be in the playoff situation. That much was confirmed with a life-and-death two-point win over Florida.
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We can also conclude that it’s going to take a huge effort on the part of either Clemson or Ohio State to get to the “final four” because they will have to go undefeated the rest of the way and look good doing it. That owes to the fact that both of them have a loss on their record in non-conference play, and those losses have come against teams that might also wind up contenders for that playoff mini-tournament.
So very little is certain right now.
It’s also not certain whether we can duplicate our effort from last week, as we won our four-team parlay using the games involving Florida-based teams.
We don’t have that same “theme” this week; our only theme is winning our parlay bet.
Clemson vs. North Carolina State Parlay Betting
Clemson vs. North Carolina State Picks
Time: Saturday, September 25 – 3:30 PM ET
Totals Odds: Over 47.5 Points (-110) / Under 47.5 Points (-110)
The Play: UNDER 47.5 (-110)
A lot of people felt as if D.J. Uiagalelei was going to step in and be a Heisman Trophy contender this season. Some of that was based on the big effort he had at South Bend against Notre Dame. Some of it was based on just being Clemson’s quarterback, with the assumption that this team was going to be right near the top of the polls all year.
But the loss to Georgia upset the applecart a little, and after three games D.J. is under 60% with one touchdown pass. So he’s struggling. But this is still a squad with a lot of defense, and the Tigers are positioned within the top 20 nationwide in most categories.
Yeah, we know it’s early, but NC State is giving up 122 fewer yards per game than they did last season. So we’ll see, but even in a loss to Mike Leach’s Mississippi State team, they did not let things get out of hand.
Are you still laying “Clemson prices”? Maybe, but we’re still not big believers in Wolfpack QB Devin Leary.
Rutgers vs. Michigan Parlay Betting
Time: Saturday, September 25 – 3:30 PM ET
ATS Odds: Michigan Wolverines -20.5 (-110) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights +20.5 (-110)
The Play: RUTGERS +20.5 (-110)
Michigan has taken care of business pretty easily over the first three games, including a victory over preseason Pac 12 favorite Washington, and along the way they established themselves as #1 in the nation in rushing yards per game.
But we can see the progress in the development of Greg Schaino’s Rutgers program. And it has happened quickly, especially considering that he didn’t have spring practice in his maiden season.
No, they haven’t played against killers, but they have won those games way good teams should win them, allowing just 34 points to date.
Last year Rutgers gave the Maize and Blue all it could handle, taking them into overtime before losing 48-42, behind Noah Vedral’s 378 yards and three touchdown passes. This Rutgers team is better, and maybe it’s not a small consideration that Schiano is accustomed to hitting a fever pitch preparing for the Wolverines from his three years as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator.
California vs. Washington Parlay Betting
California vs. Washington Picks
Time: Saturday, September 25 – 9:30 PM ET
ATS Odds: Washington Huskies -7.5 (-115) vs. California Golden Bears +7.5 (-105)
The Play: CALIFORNIA +7.5 (-105)
Before landing in Berkeley, Justin Wilcox was a defensive coordinator at some of the great programs in this country, including Boise State, USC and Wisconsin. He’s no babe in the woods, and he has provided formidable opposition against the number as a dog. His Cal squad has covered 19 of 26 getting points.
So this is an overachiever against an under-achiever. U-Dub, picked by many experts to win the Pac 12, has already lost to an FCS team (Montana) and was decisively beaten by a ranked side (Michigan). Quarterback Dylan Morris, who falls into the category of having been “highly-touted,” has not stood out (five INT’s, four TD’s). With ground support from Damien Moore (5.8 ypc), Cal won’t lose touch.
Louisville vs. Florida State Parlay Betting
Louisville vs. Florida State Picks
Time: Saturday, September 25 – 3:30 PM ET
ATS Odds: Louisville Cardinals -1.5 (-110) vs. Florida State Seminoles +1.5 (-110)
The Play: LOUISVILLE -1.5 (-110)
No, we haven’t been making excuses for the FSU program. We’ve just pointed out that there have been emotional carryovers the last two weeks – after the heart-stopping loss to Notre Dame and then the last-second Hail Mary defeat by Jacksonville State, of the FCS division.
I guess we were thrown by their highly-competitive effort against the Irish. But the loss to Wake Forest was close to a no-show, and boosters are now already thinking about who they might replace head coach Mike Norvell with. Change-of-pace QB Jordan Travis may not be available here due o a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, Louisville is coming into this game on an upswing after a confidence-boosting win over UCF, and Scott Satterfield has quieted many of the doubters.
FIU Panthers vs. Central Michigan Parlay Betting
FIU vs. Central Michigan Picks
Time: Saturday, September 25 – 12 Noon ET
ATS Odds: Central Michigan Chippewas -10 (-115) vs.FIU Panthers +10 (-105)
The Play: CENTRAL MICHIGAN -10 (-115)
If you recall, FIU as a go-against was a part of our four-game Sunshine State sweep last week.
We’re going to pull the trigger again, and it’s not necessarily just because the Panthers are more or less a downer on offense with QB Max Bortenschlager.
No, we’re going to do this more as a technical play, because CMU coach Jim McElwain (former Colorado State and Florida mentor) has been one of the nation’s top pointspread coaches in recent years. His team has been a consistent money maker, covering 16 of 23 games, which includes 8-1 ATS as a favorite.
Since Butch Davis’ team doesn’t look like a bunch of over-achievers, we’re okay with this.
