CFB Future Bets

We’ve officially done it, friends. Your patience has been tested but the time has come, college football is returning this upcoming weekend. It’s only five games and to the average fan, the games may not all be appealing. But we know you’re not the average fan and just like you, we can’t wait to get the season rolling.

For our first gambling segment, we wanted to bring you our future picks for this upcoming season. The three of us each provide our selections to the following categories below:

·        Heisman Trophy Winner

·        College Football Playoff Teams

·        Team Win Totals

·        First Head Coach Fired

Cameron

Heisman Trophy Winner: Spencer Rattler (+800)

I have gone back and forth on this numerous times and against my better judgment, I am rolling with Rattler here. Last year, Rattler showcased a variety of skills and athleticism that allows him to do some dynamic things albeit on an inconsistent basis. The Big 12 will be average this season and I think if he has a big night against Iowa State, we will see Rattler pull away with the Heisman. Furthermore, Rattler has three excellent receivers to throw to in Marvin Mims, Jadon Haselwood, and Theo Wease.

College Football Playoff Teams:

Team Win Totals:

Liberty Over 9 Wins

-You can make a strong case Liberty might go undefeated this season. Malik Willis is going to carve up this cupcake of a schedule. Liberty does not play anyone noteworthy until Ole Miss in November, leaving enough cushion to cover this with ease.

Northern Illinois Under 3.5 Wins

-Northern Illinois is bad, I am talking really bad. Not sure how they get to 4 wins with this schedule. They went 0for last season. The biggest risk here is if Rocky Lombardi (yes, the former Michigan State QB) can dynamically change this offense.

Texas A&M Over 9.5 Wins

-The Aggies are going to be good this year. They have a great defense and a young QB that can rely on Isaiah Spiller for consistent production. In addition, the Aggies have an easy draw for their East opponents in Mizzou and South Carolina. Look for the Aggies to get at least 10.

First Head Coach Fired: Randy Edsall

Tyler

Heisman Trophy Winner: J.T. Daniels (+1200)

Much like the Japanese Nintendo character Kirby, Kirby Smart and UGA are going to largely decimate everything in their path this season. Smart has recruited at an elite clip and it feels like the Dawgs have been building to an opportunity like this.

All eyes will be on Charlotte on September 4. If the Dawgs can handle little ole Clemson, their schedule is comfortable the rest of the way. I trust Daniels more than the offensive coaching staff. As long as they avoid crock potting games (I’m looking at you Todd Monken), I love Daniels’ prospect of becoming a media darling this year.

College Football Playoff Teams:

Team Win Totals:

Fresno State over 6 wins

- Last year was a Year 0 for Kalen DeBoer and the Bulldogs in every sense of the word. COVID shortened season, limited time with players, etc. The Mountain West is such a weird conference and oftentimes it seems like the teams are jammed in between 6-8 wins like sardines. Thanks to a few cupcake non-conference games and a competent QB back, I like the Bulldogs over 6 wins.

Arkansas under 5.5 wins

- Sam Pittman captured the hearts of fans last year with a promising season out of Fayetteville. The underdog with the gravelly voice led the Hogs to an impressive 3-7 record – a far cry from the disgusting brand of football Arkansas played under Chad Morris. Still, Arkansas is in the toughest division in football and I don’t see 6 wins. Bill Connelly’s SP+ ranks Arkansas the most difficult in the country. They’ll face their usual SEC West foes, crossover games against Missouri and Georgia and a non-conference game against Texas. No way they hit 6 wins.

Akron under 2.5 wins

- Akron is bad, real bad. They’ve been bad for a while so I don’t expect that to change. The MAC is fun and wacky and the Zips aren’t really any of those things. On October 9, they play Bowling Green, which whew buddy, that might be the sickos game of the year.

First Head Coach Fired: Justin Fuente

*cue Enter Sandman*

You never want to be the guy who follows the guy. That’s the predicament Justin Fuente finds himself in. The Hokies are a far cry from Beamer Ball and the perfect amount of off-kilter that made Blacksburg fun as hell.

Fuente is 38-26 after five seasons and hasn’t lived up to the hype of his meteoric rise at Memphis. The Hokies have failed to find a stud QB and their special teams resemble nothing as they did under Frank Beamer. Fuente interviewed with Baylor prior to the 2020 season, which makes me think he’s getting nervous. Would the Hokies look within the state of Virginia and give Hugh Freeze a call?

Sam

Heisman Trophy Winner: Matt Corral (+2500)

Sure, Matt Corral isn’t the odds on favorite to win the Heisman. But what’s the fun in picking the front-runner? Matt Corral is flashy and someone that will be all over your TV screens this fall. Ole Miss has the schedule to get him in front of viewers, which is important early on in the season. Plus with Lane Kiffin as your head coach, there’s bound to be a lot of offense and no defense. Kiffin also never views himself out of a game and loves going for jugular allowing Corral to always put up stats regardless of if he’s up 21 or down 35.

College Football Playoff Teams:

Team Win Totals:

Ole Miss Over 7.5 Wins:

Ole Miss had a roller coaster of a season last year but the Rebels are going to be chanting Hotty Toddy to over 7.5 wins this season. While they’re in the toughest division in college football, Ole Miss gets Tennessee and Vanderbilt out of the East as crossovers this year. The first three games against Louisville, Austin Peay, and Tulane allow the Grove to get rocking and off to a 3-0 start.

UCLA Under 7 Wins:

UCLA has an extremely difficult schedule with playing a Week 0 game then turning around in Week 1 and playing LSU at home. Coach O is on the hot seat and the Tigers will be questionable this year but it’s a tough draw for a non-conference game. The Bruins also draw crossovers with Oregon, Stanford, and Washington make for a tough year. Chip Kelly returns Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR) at QB this year and should have an offense that can put up points. But their defense needs to drastically improve in order to reach 7 wins.

Nebraska Over 6 Wins:

You didn’t think the Nebraska homer would miss out on this, did you? I’m all in on Nebraska winning more than 6 games this year. The first three games will set the tone for the season with games on the road Week 0 against Illinois then back home for games against Fordham and Buffalo. Illinois will be a test but if Nebraska can get it done, they’re on the right track to start 3-0 as Buffalo lost their head coach, Lance Leipold to Kansas along with some key players. Scotty and the boys return to Oklahoma for the 50th anniversary with winnable games remaining in September and October before a tough stretch in November finishing out at home against Ohio State, on the road against Wisconsin in Camp Randall, and back home against Iowa.

First Head Coach Fired: Randy Edsall (UConn)

Randy Edsall once lead UConn to their first BCS bowl game all the way back in the 2010/2011 season. He then left to coach at Maryland before returning to UConn in 2017. Since his return, the Huskies are 6-30 while going 2-22 in the AAC the last three years and not winning a conference game within the last two years. The team also opted to not play in 2020 due to COVID-19 and is now an Independent with no conference ties. UConn has a tough schedule this year with games against Purdue, Army, and Clemson. My money is on Edsall to be out the door early.

Note: All odds are from vegasinsider.com