We’re less than two weeks away from the start of the 2021 college football season, and as we approach play it’s time to take a look at some more of our sports betting predictions for the season. A lot of the most popular bets, such as Alabama and Clemson to win their conferences and go to the College Football Playoff, do not offer a lot of value because of the extremely high probability of those outcomes — and their popularity with bettors.
Let’s take a closer look at seven picks that you can use to start building your college football betting.
NCAA News: 7 Surefire Bets for College Football in 2021
Illinois will cover against Nebraska in Week Zero
The Illini welcome Nebraska in their season opener, starting Big Ten play in Week Zero. The Cornhuskers are seven-point favorites on the road, and given the defensive woes that Illinois had in 2020, that marks some sense. The Nebraska O-line lost their top two starters from a year ago, so quarterback Adrian Martinez will have a bit more harassment to deal with. Bret Bielema joins the Illini as head coach, and he brings Ryan Walters as his defensive coordinator. Walters will amp up the rush on Martinez and close the holes for the Nebraska tailbacks. On offense, Illinois has some new transfers at wide receiver and can run the ball.
Hawaii will cover against UCLA in Week Zero
Hawaii visits UCLA in their Week Zero game, and the Bruins are favored to win by 17 points at home. Opening weeks in college football are always tricky, as offenses tend to struggle, making it harder to cover larger spreads. Hawaii’s defense was strong a year ago under new coordinator Todd Graham, and he has just about all of his starters back. The D-line has plenty of size and the back eight have speed. The Bruins have Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback, but he had to miss some of the first fall practices for reasons not yet known. I see Hawaii coming out tough and keeping this a low-scoring affair — and covering.
Washington adds to Jim Harbaugh’s misery at Michigan
While Jim Harbaugh has been the Michigan Wolverines’ head coach, he has gone just 11-16 against teams ranked in the top 25. In Week 2, Michigan welcomes Washington, and the Huskies could easily be a top-ten team when they get to Ann Arbor. Washington’s quarterback situation remains open but has promise, whether they go with true freshman Sam Huard, one of the best signal-callers in the 2021 recruiting class, or sophomore Dylan Morris who threw for 897 yards and four scores a year ago. The receiving crew is led by Terrell Bynum, a fifth-year junior who led last year’s returning wideouts with 39 catches for 498 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Michigan is also working in a new quarterback and struggled with consistency on both sides of the ball last year.
Wisconsin wins the Big Ten West
Remember when freshman quarterback Graham Mertz was wowing the nation and the Badgers got off to a huge start? Then came Mertz’s case of COVID-19, and things fell apart. For the season, Wisconsin was 12th in the Big Ten (14 total teams) in total offense, and the running game was 62nd in the nation. Normally, Wisconsin is one of the best running teams in the country. Mertz returns as a huge talent, and his wide receivers are healthy again. The Wisconsin O-line will open up holes for returning tailback Jalen Berger. The rest of the division is still mostly a group of works in progress, so the Badgers should be able to get to the Big Ten Championship.
Notre Dame will win ten games
Ian Book is gone at quarterback, but Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan looks ready to be the next steady hand guiding the Fighting Irish offense. Notre Dame’s offense is not explosive, but they don’t cough the ball up, and they convert their third downs and chew up clock. On defense, the Irish gave up 344 yards per game last year, and that includes the win over Clemson and the loss to Alabama last year.
Cincinnati wins the AAC
The Bearcast dominated with their defense a year ago, and quarterback Desmond Ridder was a pleasant surprise, extending plays with his legs as well as with his arm. Ridder is now a known quantity, but player losses at places like Navy and coaching changes elsewhere in the AAC have left Cincinnati as one of the top teams in the conference.
UCF will win at least nine games
Gus Malzahn gets an offense that put up 568 yards per game last year, second in the nation, and 42 points per week. Malzahn’s unit will have more bang in the running game and more ball control. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw 32 touchdown passes against just four interceptions, so he will make a nice replacement for departing McKenzie Milton, who transferred to Florida State. The defense permitted almost 500 yards per game, but Ricky Barber is transferring in from Western Kentucky to join the interior pass rush, and Big Kat Bryant is transferring in from Auburn, so the defense should improve significantly.
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