College Football Handicapping Articles

North Carolina Odds to win the College Football National Championship with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/28/2016

It's very easy to forget that the North Carolina Tar Heels had a darned good year last year. They are a fairly anonymous team, yet after losing their opener to South Carolina last year they won their next 11 games - including all eight conference games. There is an asterisk the size of a small elephant beside that, of course - the ridiculously imbalanced ACC divisions meant that they managed not to play Clemson, Florida State or Louisville - quite possibly the three best teams in the conference this year. They also had a ridiculously soft nonconference schedule beyond South Carolina.

USC Odds to win the College Football National Championship with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/28/2016

With every passing year it gets harder and harder to remember that USC was once the dominant program in college football - the Alabama of their era. That was before the Lane Kiffin-Steve Sarkisian one-two punch, a combo that could kill any program. It was back when the program had the credentials and swagger to draw the best of the best - not make the least inspiring of coaching choices you could by eventually elevating interim coach Clay Helton to the full-time gig.

College Football Betting and Wagering: the Lowdown on New NCAA Coaches
by Victor Ryan - 7/28/2016

There were 28 head coaching changes in college football this offseason. History (and basic logic) tells us some of these new coaches will hit the ground running in their new positions, while others will struggle to implement the plan for success that was no doubt laid out to school administrators during the interview process.

Baker Mayfield Odds to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy with Expert Picks
by Dave Schwab - 7/28/2016

Baker Mayfield will be entering his second season as the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners, and the bar has been raised pretty high after finishing fourth in last year's Heisman Trophy standings with 334 total points, including 34 first-place nods. His betting odds to win the 2016 Heisman have been set at +900 by MyBookie behind the likes of Leonard Fournette, Deshawn Watson and Christian McCaffrey.

2016 South Florida Bulls Football Predictions and Season Win Total Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2016

South Florida was a big-time surprise in the AAC last season, doubling Las Vegas' projected season win total while closing the regular season with seven wins in their final eight games. Willie Taggart, formerly of Western Kentucky, seems to have found his footing in Tampa and will be looking to increase his team's win total for the fourth time in four seasons at the helm.

2016 Temple Owls Football Predictions and Season Win Total Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2016

Temple was yet another team that experienced unprecedented success in 2015. Fielding one of the most experienced teams in the country, a squad that went 2-10 just two seasons prior exploded for 10 wins and became a staple of the Top 25 in October and November. Temple's season also included a marquee win over Penn State to open the year.

2016 Memphis Tigers Football Predictions and Season Win Total Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2016

Memphis is hoping that the loss of quarterback Paxton Lynch and coach Justin Fuente doesn't signal the swift and sudden return of the Tigers program to national irrelevance. Memphis is just a year removed from a banner season in which the Tigers beat Mississippi and had a four-week cup of coffee in the Top 25. But they now face the tall order of maintaining momentum under a new regime.

2016 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Football Predictions and Season Win Total Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2016

The Golden Hurricane were a pleasant surprise in Philip Montgomery's first season in Tulsa. The former Baylor offensive coordinator was able to build on what has been a proud, successful program by getting Tulsa back to a bowl game following a two-year absence. Last year's six wins topped the meager five that they put up in 2013 and 2014, and now Montgomery is looking to continue the ascent.

2016 SMU Mustangs Football Predictions and Season Win Total Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/28/2016

Call me crazy, but I'm bullish on this team despite the fact that SMU has gone just 3-21 straight up over the past two seasons. I bet on SMU often last year, and I can tell you that, despite a couple disappointments among some big scores, this team is a lot more competitive than it seems.

Florida Odds to win the College Football National Championship with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/27/2016

The first year of the Jim McElwain era with the Florida Gators went about as well as could have been hoped since it followed on the heels of a very dark period under Will Muschamp. It was far from perfect, mind you. They were 10-1 through their first 11 games. The only setback was a narrow loss to LSU, and they overwhelmed Ole Miss, beating the team which was ranked third at the time by 28.

Georgia Odds to win the College Football National Championship with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/27/2016

Since 2001 we haven't had to think much about the Georgia Bulldogs and what to expect from them. Under Mark Richt we knew they were going to be prepared and stocked with good players and that they would always be dangerous. Unfortunately, we also always knew that they were prone to a frustrating gaffe or two or to find another way to fall just short of expectations.

Houston Odds to win the College Football National Championship with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/27/2016

The Houston Cougars have been coached by both Art Briles and Kevin Sumlin, and both guys have used the program as a springboard to bigger places. In his first season in town, Tom Herman delivered notice that he intends to outdo both of those guys. Last season the former Ohio State assistant went 12-1 in the regular season to claim the first conference title for the team in a decade and then they beat up on Florida State in their bowl game to finish the season ranked eighth overall. It couldn't really have gone better for him.

TCU Odds to win the College Football National Championship with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/27/2016

Gary Patterson and the TCU Horned Frogs entered the season last year expected by many to win the Big 12. They dealt with crippling injuries throughout the season, though, and fell short - though their 11-2 record, with the only losses coming at Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, is a long way from embarrassing. Now Patterson has to deal with roster turnover on offense like few other teams in the country have to face.

Louisville Odds to win the College Football National Championship with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/27/2016

We can ask ourselves endlessly why in the world Bobby Petrino is again coaching the Louisville Cardinals - or any program in college football, for that matter. The sad but simple truth, though, is that you don't need class to win, and at this level Petrino really knows how to win. Besides, that's old news. Petrino is in his third year back at Louisville, and after seasons with nine and eight wins, this is the time when he should - and really needs to - take a big step forward and prove that he can make the ACC more than a two-team league.

Iowa Odds to win the College Football National Championship with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/27/2016

Heading into last season, it was pretty easy to make the case that Kirk Ferentz needed to go as head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Heck, I made that case three years earlier. Their season last year showed us how hard it is to know just what is going on in college football - which is what makes the sport great.

Dalvin Cook Odds to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy with Expert Picks
by Dave Schwab - 7/27/2016

Florida State running back Dalvin Cook finished seventh in last year's final Heisman Trophy voting with just 79 total points, but he is being touted as a solid contender to win this year's award as college football's top player in the nation. MyBookie has the junior back pretty high on its current Heisman Trophy futures list at +900 betting odds to win, and there could be some solid value in that number if everything falls into place.

2016 Houston Cougars Football Predictions and Season Win Total Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/27/2016

Tom Herman's Houston Cougars were a revelation in 2015, with the ex-Ohio State offensive coordinator and rookie head coach leading UH to a 13-1 record. Houston won American Athletic Conference regular-season and conference titles and wrapped the season up with a blowout win over Florida State in the Peach Bowl. Houston finished the year ranked No. 8 in the country.

2016 Navy Midshipmen Football Predictions and Season Win Total Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/27/2016

The 2015 campaign was as good as it gets for the Midshipmen. Navy won 11 games and finished in the Top 25, was a major factor in the program's first-ever season in a conference, slammed Pittsburgh in a bowl game, swept the other service academies (including a 14th straight win over Army) and watched quarterback Keenan Reynolds become college football's all-time rushing leader.

2016 Tulane Green Wave Football Predictions and Season Win Total Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 7/27/2016

Man, Willie Fritz has a lot of work to do. Fritz was able to field an exceedingly competitive team at Georgia Southern the past two seasons while helping usher the Eagles program into the FCS. But Fritz was building on what Jeff Monken had built at Georgia Southern, with both coaches utilizing the triple-option offense.

Washington Odds to win the College Football National Championship with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/27/2016

The time is now for Chris Petersen. He is in his third year at the helm of the Washington Huskies. He has been incredibly patient, reloading the largely empty cabinets and playing freshman early and often even when it didn't give him his best short-term chance at success.