The following match-ups do not have odds or over/under bets listed:
- Illinois vs Murray State
- Maryland vs Howard
- Michigan State vs Furman
- Purdue vs Eastern Kentucky
Indiana at Florida International
IU -10.5, Over/Under 62.5
In my preview I picked Indiana to win 34-17. Obviously that covers the spread and is under. I looked at last year’s game, IU won it 36-22 which is also still under. 63 points is a lot in an opener when the better team has concerns at QB so I’m feeling pretty good about this pick.
Iowa vs Miami (OH)
UI -27.5, O/U 51.5
Holy smokes, in my preview I have Iowa winning 49-3. It’s almost like Vegas read my humble blog when making the over/under line. I’ll give up the points and take the over as a result.
Michigan vs Hawai’i
UM -41.0, O/U 54.5
Well I am boxed into a corner with this one. In my preview I jokingly called the final to be 38-0, the same mark OSU beat Hawai’i last year. Kind of a poetic thing with the two rivals. Going off the Cal- Hawai’i game, I noticed UH has zero defense, but might be able to put up some numbers. However, Michigan’s defense is so strong, that I don’t see Hawai’i getting past 10 points. That calls into question, does UM get to 51? I don’t think so. So I’ll ride the Warriors and the under, baby!
Minnesota vs Oregon State
UM -13.0, O/U 56
I was optimistic in my preview for the Gopher’s to dominate, calling a 38-7 win. I think Minnesota wins this game 8 times out of 10 with five of them being blowouts. I’ll give up those points and take the under as a result.
Nebraska vs Fresno State
NU -28, O/U 62
Zero defense will be played in this one, kiss that over goodbye. In fact, I have NU winning this one 56-21. Love that score. I think I’m going to hit it dead on.
Northwestern vs Western Michigan
NU -5, O/U 52
In the preview series, I had the Cats winning this one thanks to their defense in a 21-17 grinder. Considering I think WMU can pull off the upset, I’ll gladly take those points. Under feels safe, too. Northwestern isn’t going to score much this year.
Penn State vs Kent State
PSU -22, O/U 45
Another tight one with that over/under. I previewed PSU to win 38-6. With Kent State’s awful offense a year ago, I don’t see them generating very much. A shutout seems more likely than them getting to 14. As a result the under feels good. As for the 22, It’s only 3 TDs and an extra score along the way. Don’t love it, but I’ll take PSU to cover and the under.
Ohio State vs Bowling Green
OSU -28.5, O/U 64
This is a simple one. I previewed OSU to win 42-10. I stand by that. Give the points, take the under. That over/under is too big because of OSU’s defense. If BG can’t contribute much, you are forcing the favorite to score in the 50s. That doesn’t happen as often as people think it does.
Rutgers at Washington
UW -26.5, O/U 54.5
Speaking of things that don’t happen as often as people think, four touchdown blowouts between power five teams. I previewed RU to lose this game 35-13. That’s a lopsided victory by any measure and still doesn’t get up to that big sperad. That means RU covers and the under is the way to go.
Wisconsin vs LSU
LSU -10.5, O/U 44.5
That’s a really dumb over/under. The strength of both teams is defense. I have UW keeping this thing tight in a 21-13 loss. I’ll take the points and the under as a result.
Lightning Round for Non Readers:
Indiana/FIU – IU, Under
Iowa/Miami (OH) – Iowa, Over
Michigan/Hawai’i – Points, Under
Minnesota/Oregon State – UM, Under
Nebraska/Fresno State – NU, Over
Northwestern/Western Michigan – Points, Under
Penn State/Kent State – PSU, Under
Ohio State/Bowling Green – OSU, Under
Rutgers/Washington – Points, Under
Wisconsin/LSU – Points, Under
Big Ten and Counting 