College Football Handicapping Articles

Toledo Rockets Odds to win the MAC with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/7/2017

The Toledo Rockets have been known for a few things over the years, but perhaps most relevant to us now they are the team that gave Nick Saban his first head coaching job. In 1990 he took over a team that had gone 6-5 each of the two previous years and went 9-2, with the losses coming by a combined five points. He obviously wasn't convinced that college football was for him yet, though, because he left after that one successful season to serve as Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator in Cleveland for three years. He was replaced by Gary Pinkel who later went to Missouri, and Tim Beckman and Matt Campbell have also gone from Toledo to bigger jobs.

Free College Football Picks: Yes or No Playoff Props Odds and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/4/2017

I was a massive skeptic of the College Football Playoff when it was announced. It still has some real issues - having games on New Year's Eve is insane, and it still doesn't solve the fact that boiling 100+ teams down to four after a dozen games, and then deciding who they play in the semifinals, is every bit as subjective as the last solution for finding a national title was. On the plus side, though, it has made for some solid drama - not that Clemson and Ohio State game last year, but several games other than that.

College Football Betting Advice: High-Profile Teams that Could Disappoint
by Trevor Whenham - 8/2/2017

It is inevitable that teams that people have high hopes for now will be massive disappointments by December. It happens every year. All you need to do to see how common it is would be to look back at last year's preseason AP Top 25. Notre Dame was ranked 10th and went a dismal 4-8. Ole Miss was one spot back in the rankings and wound up with only one more win - and now has a coaching scandal to deal with.

Expert College Football Handicapping: Biggest Storylines from Fall Camps
by Trevor Whenham - 8/2/2017

Surely I'm not the only one that is confused by the naming involved when college football's fall camps start in late July. Regardless of what you want to call them, though, their arrival signals the start of the college football season (finally!), and that means that real game action will be here in no time flat. In other words, this is a great time no matter how little sense the name makes.

How to Pick an Honest and Hardworking Football Handicapping Service
by Tony George - 7/30/2017

This is the time of year that you start seeing the ads for sports handicapping services telling you how great they are. They always have outlandish win percentages and they are sure to tell you how they are the world champion handicapping service that beats the books every day. One example of this is a guy (I won't name names) that is a boiler room sports pick seller out of Las Vegas who landed a show on CNBC a few years ago and claims he is the greatest handicapper in the world, feared by books so much he was kicked out of them.

Big 12 Football Predictions and Expert Handicapper Power Ratings
by Tony George - 7/25/2017

As I have stated each year, in handicapping specialization is the KEY to success, as it is in all walks of life, and handicapping college football is no different. I key on four conferences for about 65 percent of my weekly selections, which gets me in close information loops on a finite number of teams and games instead of looking at 60-70 games and deciphering all the different lines and angles for all those games.

Ole Miss Football Next Head Coach Betting Odds with Expert Predictions
by Raphael Esparza - 7/24/2017

Last week in SEC Country the football conference was in shock and awe with the news coming out of Oxford, Mississippi, that Hugh Freeze resigned. Ole Miss was already in the doghouse and had self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2017 college football season, but last week with Freeze's resignation this was probably the biggest loss for Ole Miss football program.

College Football Betting Lines: Early Spread Analysis and Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 6/20/2017

I know that June is a little too early to start thinking about college football picks against the spread. But college football championship odds were out within 24 hours of Clemson claiming the national title last January. And several sportsbooks currently have Week 1 college football betting lines posted.

College Football Win Totals for the Season: Sucker Bet Predictions
by Trevor Whehman - 5/26/2017

I love looking at the list of totals when they are posted. Every year there are a few in which books are clearly just begging the betting public to take a side. They throw these numbers out there knowing that one side will be irresistible for those casual bettors, and the books are totally okay with that. They aren't afraid of the action. Not surprisingly, these are all public teams, and in each case the total seems aggressive:

2017 College Football Season Win Totals Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 5/25/2017

You know that college football season is getting closer - not close, but closer - when the season win totals are released. And, thankfully, that is where we are right now. The first season win totals have been released, and some teams jump off the page for offering more value than others. It's an interesting list this year, with just two teams - Alabama and Ohio State - with double-digit win totals and a whole lot of parity expected in several conferences.

2017 College Football Season Win Totals Predictions: Hardest Teams to Handicap
by Trevor Whenham - 5/25/2017

College football season win totals are starting to pop up, with CG Technology again being the first to post numbers to be used in sportsbooks. They haven't posted for every team yet, but for the most part the most interesting teams have numbers. Whenever you look at a list like this for the first time, things split into a few groups. They are the ones that seem easy - the ones packed with value. There are the ones that just hold no interest - you don't know or don't care. And then there are the ones that are very interesting but for which the right side isn't immediately obvious.

2018 College Football National Championship Odds and Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/9/2017

This year's national title game between Alabama and Clemson doesn't even kick off for a few hours yet as I write this, yet already the folks at the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook have odds posted for next year's National Championship. It would be a crazy idea to bet any real money at this point - coaching changes, recruiting classes, and early departures are all still in flux - but we obviously can't ignore the opportunity to take a peek at the numbers as they are available anyway. Here are some of the highlights.

College Football National Championship Game Expert Betting Advice: Alabama Keys to Win
by Trevor Whenham - 1/6/2017

On Monday night Alabama could lock down their second straight national title and their fifth in eight years. Just think about that for a second - it shouldn't be possible. Not in this climate with so many teams spending so much money to contend and so little margin for error. Clemson deserves less credit but still plenty for being back in the title game for a second straight year as well. Last year Alabama's win was too close for comfort for their fans and the program - and fatally close for those who bet on them.

NCAA Football National Championship Game Expert Betting Advice: Clemson Keys to Win
by Trevor Whenham - 1/5/2017

And then there were two - and two very familiar squads. For the second year in a row we see a national title game featuring Alabama favored by about a touchdown against Clemson. Last year Alabama won in a surprisingly crazy shootout, but Clemson covered the spread. Needless to say, the cover wasn't enough for the program and they are back for more.

College Football National Championship Game Odds and Expert Picks Alabama vs. Clemson
by Trevor Whenham - 1/5/2017

And here we go again. For the first time not just in the short history of the playoff but also in the entire history of title games and the BCS dating back to 1998 we have the same two teams meeting two years in a row for all of the marbles. Last year Alabama got the prize in the 45-40 classic, but Clemson made the bettors happy as seven-point underdogs. This year the teams are the same, the spread could be pretty much the same in the end, and one team again comes in off a shutout - Alabama beat Michigan State 38-0 in their semi last year.

Florida Gators vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Outback Bowl Expert Picks and Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 12/29/2016

The Outback Bowl takes place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida, and has been contested 30 times before this year. The inaugural Outback Bowl game took place in 1995 between Penn State and Auburn. Penn State emerged victorious by a score of 43-13. However, prior to 1995, this bowl game was called the Hall of Fame Bowl and it was contested eight times. This bowl game has ties exclusively to the SEC and Big Ten as both conferences are signed until well into 2020. Typically, this game is high-scoring, with the winning team reaching at least 30 points in seven of the last eight games. This year's edition might put that streak in jeopardy as the low-scoring Florida Gators are set to do battle with another low-scoring team, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

NCAA Football Mid-Major Free Betting Picks: Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders Bowl Game Predictions
by Aaron Smith - 12/23/2016

It's always nice to follow a team that has a breakout season. Last year, I selected the Temple Owls as a team to follow because of their ability to break out. They went 10-4 and had a better season than anyone could have ever imagined. This season I chose to follow the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. MTSU went 7-6 last season after losing the Bahamas Bowl to Western Michigan. MTSU was 6-6 two years ago. The Blue Raiders were a team with potential to have a big season behind some very talented skill position players on offense.

Indiana vs. Utah Foster Farms Bowl Expert Picks and Predictions with Betting Odds
by Chris Vasile - 12/22/2016

This particular bowl game has been around since 2002, but it has had four different names before settling on what we know today as the Foster Farms Bowl. The inaugural contest was dubbed the San Francisco Bowl in 2002, before it was called the Emerald Bowl from 2004-2009, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl from 2010-2012, or just the Fight Hunger Bowl in 2013.

Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern Pinstripe Bowl Expert Picks and Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 12/21/2016

The New Era Pinstripe Bowl takes place at Yankee Stadium and has been contested six times before this year. The inaugural game took place in 2010, when Syracuse beat Kansas State 36-34, in front of more than 38,000 fans. This bowl game was originally tied exclusively to the Big 12 and the old Big East Conference (which is now the American), but in 2014 it signed an exclusivity deal with ACC and Big Ten. The ACC agreed to a six-year deal, which will get them a representative in this game until 2019, while the Big Ten signed an eight-year deal and will be represented until 2021.

Alabama vs. Washington Peach Bowl Expert Picks & Predictions with Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 12/21/2016

This is the first of the two playoff semifinals that I will have previewed, and at least on the surface it should be the more straightforward one. After all, you wouldn't expect a game of this profile that teams have fought to get into all year to feature the biggest favorite of any bowl game played all season, yet here we are. Washington is a nice team that has a lot going for them. Alabama, though, is just on a higher level - more talented, more athletic, deeper, more experienced, more accomplished coaching - it goes on and on.