I felt like a traitor as I clapped for Boise State receiver Stefan Cobbs when he crossed the goal line late in Saturday’s loss to UCF.
The touchdown gave the Broncos the 16-15 lead with just under two minutes to play. The probability of them covering the spread as 3.5-point dogs drastically increased after the 27-yard catch and run. But then, the diehard Wyoming fan in me prevailed, and that feeling faded.
All as long as the Group of Five Underdog of the Week cashed, and it did. It was our first winner of the young season, but it won’t be the last. Not only did the Broncos cover last week, but so did two of the three honorable mentions (shoutout Charlotte).
Let’s take advantage of what the college football betting odds are offering this week.
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FAU (spread +24, moneyline +1100) at Clemson
Trap game anyone?
Before hosting the team from the Florida panhandle, the Tigers will host one from the southeastern part of the state.
You can bet Death Valley is already salivating that the current third-ranked team in the FBS will be visiting in two weeks. That game that could determine a trip to the ACC title game. It would be a mistake to overlook Tom Herman and this Florida Atlantic team ahead of that Florida State matchup.
The Owls lost at home to Ohio last week, and Casey Thompson didn’t play great, tossing two picks while the offense put up just 10 points and only 185 total yards. That includes only five rushing yards.
Doesn’t sound great for this offense as it prepares for a much tougher defense. Still, Thompson has started in a total of 20 combined games between his time at Nebraska and Texas. He should be prepared for the environment.
Since 2018, Clemson is just 1-7 ATS at home against non-conference opponents. In his combined six seasons coaching at Texas and Houston, Herman’s teams were 5-2 ATS as road dogs and 17-6 vs. non-conference opponents.
Expectations were pretty high for FAU entering the 2023 campaign, even with a new coach and a new QB. The Owls are still a team to reckon with in the deep conference that is the AAC.
This experienced offensive line should pick up its play, and the Owls should put more points on the board this week. I don’t expect them to win, but I don’t expect them to lose by four touchdowns.
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Honorable mentions
Georgia Southern (+19.5, +650) at Wisconsin
Last time the Eagles went on the road to visit a Big Ten team they won, knocking off Nebraska 45-42 as 23-point dogs in Week 2 of last year. They’ve only improved since then. Davis Brin, Khaleb Hood, and the offense are clicking.
First-year Badgers coach Luke Fickell is just 20-20-1 ATS as a home favorite, and Wisconsin is 13-19 as a home favorite in the last five seasons.
ODU (+14, +425) at Wake Forest
The Monarchs surprised some people with a win over Louisiana last week as 6.5-point underdogs. There wasn’t a lot of preseason hype around ODU, and the last time that happened, it went to a bowl game.
ODU lost to Virginia Tech 36-17 in Week 1, and Wake Forest is probably better than VT, but that game was on the road. I like the Ricky Rahne-led Monarchs to cover at home.
Northern Illinois (+10.5, +340) at Nebraska
What a complete let down it was for NIU last week in a loss to Southern Illinois. That just can’t happen after a huge Week 1 win over Boston College. The Huskies made my honorable mentions list that week and makes it again here.
Thomas Hammock improved to 13-4 ATS as an away dog with that win. This will be the Huskers’ first game at home this year, but they haven’t taken advantage of playing at the house the past couple years like they should. They’ll be looking to shake off last week’s deflating Colorado loss.
These teams have met four times — all in Lincoln — and are 2-2 ATS. A MAC team has beaten a Big Ten team every year since 2005, and it has yet to happen in 2023.
