College Football Handicapping Articles

2011 Big East Football Predictions and Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/3/2011

The Big East is the best conference in college football. And not only is it the best, but it has been the best over the course of the last decade. Granted, they are also the nation’s smallest conference. This year, once again, they don’t have any true 2011 national title contenders. They don’t even come close to the championship bling of the SEC. They can’t match the reverential hype of the Big Ten.

2011 WAC Football Predictions and Western Athletic Conference Odds
by Darin Zank - 8/3/2011

The Western Athletic Conference fought off its reputation as the Boise State-and-the-rest conference to place two teams in the top 11 in the final BCS rankings last year. Unfortunately for WAC fans, this conference is going through some changes, which makes that feat highly unlikely this season. Perennial power Boise State has left for the Mountain West, and three of its better programs have announced they will leave the conference after this season. So as this season approaches the long-term future of the WAC is uncertain.

2011 Big 12 Football Predictions and Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 8/2/2011

Victims of the Great College Football Realignment of 2010, the Big 12 will begin this season looking like a college student making a Walk of Shame across the quad after a Friday night of debauchery. The conference was ravaged by the Pac-10 (now the Pac-12) and will play without Nebraska and Colorado. And as a result the entire makeup of the Big 12 has changed.

College Football Odds: Top Games of the Season
by T.O. Whenham - 8/2/2011

Sportsbooks are releasing lines for college football games earlier and earlier these days. 5Dimes already has lines listed for key games to be played on every weekend of the upcoming season — even though the start of the season is still a month away. There are all sorts of dangers in these college football odds for bettors who are more emotional than analytical given all of the unknowns involved in the bets. For astute college football handicappers,

College Football Predictions: Head-to-Head Props
by T.O. Whenham - 8/2/2011

Some of the more interesting college football props or future bets that are available right now — and there are plenty to choose from at all the different sportsbooks — are the head-to-head matchups available at 5Dimes. The winner of each of the matchups will be the team that ends the season with the most points in the final USA Today poll of the season. It’s a very interesting way to look at how different teams stack up, and there is some intriguing value to be found. There are about 20 different matchups available. Here are six of the most interesting:

College Football: Hardest Teams To Get a Handle On
by T.O. Whenham - 8/2/2011

When you look forward to the upcoming college football season at this point in the summer, the teams in major conferences fall into a couple of categories. There are those that are easy to predict — you feel like you know what they are capable of and what to expect from them. They could be good or they could be bad, but they aren’t likely to be very surprising.

2011 Texas Longhorns Football Predictions and Big 12 Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 7/29/2011

“What the hell just happened?” That had to about sum up the feeling around the 2010 Texas Longhorns. I’m sure that is exactly the phrase that was uttered when they were beaten by 22 at home – as 15-point favorites – to a terrible UCLA team last September. And when they lost by a touchdown at home – as 20-point favorites – to Iowa State.

2011 Michigan State Spartans Football Predictions and Big Ten Odds
by Alan Matthews - 7/29/2011

It’s hard to know whether Michigan State has climbed into the elite of the Big Ten or whether last year was partly smoke and mirrors. The Spartans finished in a three-way tie for the conference title, but they were bumped from a BCS bowl because they were lower in the BCS standings than both Wisconsin and Ohio State. Therefore, MSU got sent to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando.

2011 Syracuse Orange Football Predictions and Big East Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 7/29/2011

It wasn’t long ago that eight wins and a bowl win over a BCS school were the standard fare for Syracuse fans. But after four long, cold years at the depths of the college football outhouse, last year’s 8-5 mark and Pinstripe Bowl win over Kansas State felt like order was being restored for one of the proudest, most accomplished college programs in the Northeast.

College Football Preseason Awards
by T.O. Whenham - 7/29/2011

It’s the time of year when journalists and experts compile their lists of the best teams, players, and coaches in the major conferences of college football. It’s a great way for avid college football fans to pass some time and get into some arguments while anxiously awaiting the start of the season. It seems like a good way to pass the time, so here’s my shot at it:

2011 Oklahoma Sooners Predictions and College Football Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 7/29/2011

You’ve heard it a million times: “offense gets headlines, but defense wins championships.” The 2011 Oklahoma Sooners are once again going to try to defy that tried-and-true logic as they hope to ride one of the most prolific attacks in college football to another shot at the BCS Championship.

College Football Predictions: First-Year Quarterbacks
by T.O. Whenham - 7/28/2011

One of the best parts of college football is that things are always changing. Players graduate or turn pro and teams constantly have to adjust and reinvent themselves. For college football handicappers that can also be one of the most frustrating parts of the sport. It can be particularly challenging when the departing player is a successful quarterback that has been the face of his program. The typical reaction in these cases is to assume that the team is going to take a big step backwards.

College Football Season Win Totals Predictions: West Coast Teams
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2011

We already broke down some college football season win totals odds and predictions from the Las Vegas Hilton. That was my “East Coast” breakdown, and today we’re going to take a look at some of the top schools out West and what their long-term prospects are for this season against what the oddsmakers and Joe Public expect.

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Predictions and College Football Futures Odds
by Alan Matthews - 7/27/2011

Make no mistake about it: Nothing short of a major bowl is expected in South Bend this season after Notre Dame finished 2010 on a roll, capped by a thumping of Miami (Fla.) in the Sun Bowl for an 8-5 overall record. With 18 projected starters back (one kicker), the Irish do appear poised to have a legitimate shot at their first BCS bowl game since the Sugar Bowl five seasons ago.

College Football BCS National Championship Odds
by David Schwab - 7/27/2011

The 2011 college football season does not get underway until the beginning of September, but the debate over which team will win this year’s national title is already in full swing. As with any new season, there are a couple of early front runners, but upon closer review of the futures odds to win the college football BCS National Championship this season as provided by Bodog, there is value to be found throughout the posted numbers.

2011 Cal Golden Bears Football Predictions and BCS Futures Odds
by Darin Zank - 7/27/2011

Even though Cal's Golden Bears hadn't broken through with a Pac-10 Championship or a big-time bowl, they had run off a streak of eight straight winning seasons and seven consecutive bowl appearances. Until last year, that is, when a late-season collapse meant the end of both those streaks. This year Cal will try to use a new offense, a new quarterback, and a decent defense to get back on the winning track in the newly-named and expanded Pac-12 Conference.

College Football Season Win Totals Odds and Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/26/2011

Every year someone has to be the sportsbook that unveils the first betable, beatable numbers of the football betting season. Routinely, that is the Las Vegas Hilton, which prides itself in putting out the first numbers of the year for the sharps, sharks and big-action syndicates on The Strip to take advantage of. This season was no exception, as Sunday night the Hilton produced the first college football season win totals of the year for 35 of the top programs in the country.

2011 Arkansas Razorbacks Football Predictions and SEC Futures Odds
by Darin Zank - 7/26/2011

The Arkansas Razorbacks are a team on the rise, with an innovative coach and an offense that's fun to watch and tough to stop. Unfortunately, the Hogs play in the SEC, more specifically the SEC West, where Alabama, Auburn and Louisiana State, who have combined to win four of the last eight BCS National Championships, reside. So while 10 wins and a BCS bowl berth are all fine and dandy, the ultimate goal, an SEC Championship, is going to be hard to come by.

2011 Pitt Panthers Football Predictions and BCS Futures Odds
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 7/26/2011

If former Tulsa Head Coach Todd Graham revives a mediocre Pitt football program, very few will remember the botched decision process the university went through in December. If Graham struggles in his first season at the helm, then everyone will remember Dave Wannstedt being forced to resign on Dec. 7 but being allowed to coach a bowl game on Jan. 8.

2011 LSU Tigers Football Predictions and SEC Futures Odds
by Darin Zank - 7/25/2011

The LSU Tigers won two BCS National Championships in a five-year span awhile back. However, it has been a tough road back to the top while playing in the best football conference in the country. In fact, since ripping Ohio State on that January night three years ago, LSU is 28-11 – which is great for most teams, but those results have not helped the Tigers get back to the SEC Championship Game, let alone the BCS.