It’s the first week of the college football season, which means it’s time to dive into college football betting odds and select some of the best bets from the Week 0 slate of games. I’m picking Power 5 teams over a pair of Group of 5 teams this week – something I’ll likely avoid in this weekly series the rest of the season – but a small schedule of games makes it tough to share five bets if I’m forced to back the Group of 5.
Let’s jump into it.
New Mexico State +8.5 against Nevada
I’m banking on Nevada taking a significant step backward in 2022, with the Wolfpack +8000 to win the Mountain West at BetMGM. Replacing head coach Jay Norvell and starting quarterback Carson Strong is a big ask, and Nevada may fall short of bowl eligibility. That doesn’t mean New Mexico State is much better, but with Jerry Kill as the program’s new head coach, I believe a basic level of competence is achievable. High praise, I know, but it’s enough for me this week.
Vanderbilt -9.5 at Hawaii
A potential pillow fight in Honolulu! Hawaii had an offseason filled with dysfunction – blame former head coach Todd Graham – while Vanderbilt is an SEC punching bag. I don’t love Vanderbilt’s team, but the Commodores return eight defensive starters for new defensive coordinator Nick Howell, as well as some talent on offense. Starting quarterback Mike White has shown promise, and I’m eager to see him lead Vanderbilt in 2022. Give me the Commodores, even with the line moving a few points since early in the week.
North Texas at UTEP under 54.5
These two teams met last season, with North Texas winning 20-17. Expect another competitive showdown this year, with the Mean Green a 1-point betting favorite. I’m not expecting either offense to have a superb day. I like each team’s defense – KD Davis (North Texas) and Praise Amaewhule (UTEP) are two of the best individual defenders in C-USA – and I expect some Week 0 rust offensively, so I’ll gladly take the under.
North Texas -1 at UTEP
While the atmosphere in the Sun Bowl could be electric, North Texas boasts a deep running back room and has experience along the offensive line and at quarterback with Austin Aune. That group should create just enough offense in a game I see going under the point total. After winning five of its last six games in 2021, I like the Mean Green to start off 2022 with a win.
Illinois -13 vs. Wyoming
Wyoming was hit hard by offseason transfers, while the Fighting Illini seem poised for success entering Year No. 2 under Bret Bielema. This line was -10 earlier in the week, illustrating the importance of timing when placing bets. Regardless, I’ll still take Illinois at -13 with Syracuse transfer Tommy Devito at quarterback, a deep running back room, and impressive size up front. Illinois looked decent defensively in 2021, and I’m expecting improvement in 2022. It doesn’t hurt that the Fighting Illini showed out in Week 0 last year, beating Nebraska as an underdog.
Bennett Conlin is a college football contributor for HERO Sports, and he works full-time covering sports betting industry news and legislation for Sports Handle and US Bets.
