College Football Gambling: Surprises and Disappointments
SportsMemo.com
Taking a look at some of the surprises and disappointments through three weeks of the college football season.
Surprises
Iowa State (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) – After a one-point win over Northern Iowa, most were expecting another long season in Ames. But after finally beating rival Iowa, the Cyclones went on the road in a terrible spot and got the job done against UConn. Even more impressive was that ISU had three early turnovers and trailed the Huskies 10-0 before rallying for the 24-20 victory. Iowa State gets a much-needed bye week before playing host to Texas who will be seeking revenge after losing last year’s meeting 28-21 as 20.5-point favorites.
Vanderbilt (3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS) – First-year head coach James Franklin has the Commodores off to a rare fast start. Vandy may have been somewhat fortunate to get past UConn but looked strong in its 30-7 win over Ole Miss. The key to Vanderbilt’s success thus far has been its +6 turnover margin. The ‘Dores travel to South Carolina as 16-point underdogs for Saturday.
Florida International (3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS) – Expectations were high for Mario Cristobal’s bunch heading into the season but with wins over Louisville and UCF, the Panthers have emerged as the team to beat in the Sub Belt. Interestingly, FIU has been out-first-downed 60-48.
Georgia Tech (3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS) – Three wins, three covers and three overs for the Yellow Jackets who are averaging 675.3 ypg of total offense. The competition wasn’t great (Western Carolina, MTSU, Kansas) and this week will be a tougher test with North Carolina (+6) coming to town.
Disappointments
Pittsburgh (2-1 SU, 0-3 ATS) – The Panthers looked anything but impressive in wins over Buffalo and Maine but stormed out of the gate to take a 24-3 lead on the road against Iowa. Then the wheels came off. The Hawkeyes scored 21 fourth quarter points to not only win the game but cover the -3. Last year, Pitt finished 8th in total defense (305.1 ypg). This year, through three games, they rank 96th (416.3 ypg). Hiring a C-USA defensive coordinator may not have been a wise decision.
BYU (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS) – The Cougars haven’t had it easy with three BCS conference opponents but the offense has really struggled (104th, 301.7 ypg) and last week’s second half performance against rival Utah (outscored 40-0) hints that this team may of been overrated to start the campaign. This Friday’s line says a lot that the Cougs are only 3-point home favorites over C-USA entrant UCF.
Nebraska (3-0 SU, 0-3 ATS) – Going through the motions or not, there is some cause for concern in Lincoln. Yes, the offense went through some offseason changes which showed at times during the first three weeks but the big issue we have is defense. The Cornhuskers finished 11th nationally in total defense (306.8 ypg) last season but allowed Fresno and Washington to move the ball with ease the last two weeks (33.5 ppg, 432 ypg).
Boston College (0-3 SU, 0-3 ATS) – No question injuries have played a big part in BC’s horrific start but the offense was completely inept and the defense (105th, 437 ypg allowed) no longer looks capable of carrying this team to victory. Last season, the Eagles started 2-5 before rallying with five straight wins to close out the regular season. We’ll keep that in mind but head coach Frank Spaziani may not make it to November.