Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss Spread Pick
The Ole Miss Rebels and Texas Tech Red Raiders will meet at a neutral site on Saturday for Week 1 of the college football season. Will the Rebels pull off the small upset or will the Red Raiders cover the spread?
Game Snapshot
197 Ole Miss Rebels vs. 198 Texas Tech Red Raiders
12:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, September 1, 2018
NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Red Raiders are 2.5-point favorites to beat the Rebels. The total, meanwhile, sits at 67 points. As of this writing, 56% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Red Raiders.
Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss redshirt junior RB Eric Swinney will be sidelined for three weeks due to an illness. Swinney is suffering from mononucleosis, otherwise known as “mono.” It’s highly contagious meaning he will likely be away from the team for quite some time. A truly unlucky break, Swinney will surely miss contests against Texas Tech, Southern Illinois, and Alabama with a potential return against Kent in Week 4. He rushed for 195 yards on 41 carries last season but was expected to open the season as the No. 2 back.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Texas Tech named freshman QB Alan Bowman one of three co-starters for Saturday’s game against Mississippi. And here’s where we really see the new redshirt rule coming into play. Is it possible Bowman might have been listed as a co-starter for the opener in 2018? Perhaps, but the fact that Tech can now play Bowman in three games and still not exhaust a year of his eligibility now makes it a lot easier to see what they have in the 6-foot-3, 210-pound signal-caller. Expect Bowman to be third in line behind McLane Carter and Jett Duffey, but he has a chance to earn the starting job if he plays well against Ole Miss and — most likely — Lamar.
Betting Trends
Ole Miss
Ole Miss is 0-4 against the spread in its last four games played in the month of September.
Texas Tech
Texas Tech has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games against SEC opponents.
Prediction
Ole Miss returns dynamic quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and one of the nation’s best wide receiver group. Ta’amu is poised for a breakout season after an outstanding second half in 2017 when he averaged 9-plus yards per attempt and completed 65% of his passes. Believe it or not, the Red Raiders do have a decent defense this season but nothing near what it’ll take to slow down Ta’amu.
College Football Week 1 Prediction: Ole Miss Rebels +2.5