The 2016 College Football season went off with a bang last week. They are calling it the best college football opening week ever. The excitement continues this week as we preview a selection of televised and marquee games. Week 2 Previews and Betting Tips include top teams such as Alabama, Michigan, TCU and Oregon.
Check back on Before You Bet for our weekly featured College Football betting tips.
College Football Week 2 Betting Tips
UCF Knights at Michigan Wolverines (Sunday 11 September 2:00am)
The UCF Knights from the city of Orlando are entering a very hostile environment. Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor had 110,222 screaming fans last week and they are projecting the same this week. Hawaii had the daunting task of facing the 7th ranked Michigan Wolverines last week and they were torn apart 63-3. We will give Hawaii a hall-pass since they came to Australia for the season opener and were probably jet lagged.
Former San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbough returned to his alma mater in 2015. Harbough played quarterback for Michigan from 1983-1986. He then played 14 seasons in the NFL before he started coaching. It’s fair to say he knows what he is doing! It was unknown which quarterback for Michigan was going to get the starting job. It looks like Harbough has made his mind up and is going with Wilton Speight. Speight completed 10/13 passes for 145 yards and 3 TD’s against Hawaii. Michigan should win this game but I think UCF will be a much tougher opponent than Hawaii especially on defense.
Prediction: UCF 10 Michigan 38
Tip: Total Points Under 53.0 - $1.92 at Sportsbet
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Alabama Crimson Tide (Sunday 11 September 5:30am)
The Alabama Crimson Tide showed everyone why they’re once again hot favourites to win the national championship. They crushed USC 52-6 in the season opener. The Alabama defense is unbelievable. However, it did look like USC literally gave up in the second half.
Western Kentucky drew the short straw and have to travel to Tuscaloosa for Alabama’s first official home game. Although W.K are not ranked they were a top 25 team last season and have returned plenty of starters. They opened up with a big 46-12 win over Rice and junior quarterback Mike White passed for 517 yards on debut.
This is the biggest game of the season for Western Kentucky and they should put up a much better fight than USC.
Prediction: Western Kentucky 17 Alabama 42
Tip: Total Points Under 62.5 - $1.92 at Sportsbet
Arkansas Razorbacks at TCU Horned Frogs (Sunday 11 September 9:00am)
Both of these teams came away with unconvincing wins in week 1. Some are even calling these teams overrated. I believe they both took their week 1 opponents for granted in anticipation for this game.
TCU are currently ranked 15th in the country and will be out to prove they are not overrated. They have won their last 14 home games which includes covering the line 12 times (12-3 ATS). TCU gave up 41 points to a very weak opponent last week. They should show much more resilience this week.
Arkansas were 21 point favourites against Louisiana Tech but only managed a 1-point victory. They have returned 14 starters from last season, Nine of those on the defensive side of the ball. Arkansas controlled the clock and time of possession with 40 rushing attempts. I expect a similar strategy against TCU.
Prediction: Arkansas 27 TCU 28
Tip: Total Points Under 57.5 - $1.92 at Sportsbet
Virginia Cavaliers at Oregon Ducks (Sunday 11 September 12:30pm)
The Oregon Ducks are once again ranked in the top 25 teams. Oregon ranked 8th in total yards and 5th in total points last season and the Offense is showing no signs of slowing down. They put up 53 points against UC Davis in week 1 and we can expect a similar result this week.
The Ducks quarterback Dakota Prukop lead Oregon to victory with 271 yards and 3 touchdowns. Giving him an impressive 178.9 (QBR) rating. The Ducks are also very dangerous on the ground. Led by running back Royce Freeman. Freeman enjoyed 11 carries for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns against UC Davis.
Virginia and their new head coach Bronco Mendenhall looked terrible in week 1. They allowed 37 points against an FCS school. If they head into Autzen Stadium with the same attitude we could see Oregon put up 100 points.
Prediction: Virginia 17 Oregon 58
Tip: Total Points Over 70.5 - $1.92 at Sportsbet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
