College Football Week 1 OVER/UNDER 'Best Bets'

 The 2021 college football season got underway last Saturday with a select schedule of games. This Saturday is the real deal with more than 60 games on the state.

One of my tasks for ScoresandStats.com was to come up with my Top 5 OVER/UNDER bets for Saturday's games. After digging deep into the stats, facts and betting trends for these Week 1 matchups, I was able to find five solid plays on the total line.

I covered some major bases including Alabama's opener against Miami (FLA) to begin the Crimson Tide's defense of last season's national title. I also covered Saturday's biggest showdown on the slate with the SEC's Georgia Bulldogs taking on the ACC's Clemson Tigers.

Georgia is ranked No. 5 in the preseason rankings and Clemson is ranked third in the nation. The winner of this game will have the early in-side track for a playoff spot this season.

I also game up with three more games of interest covering most of the major conferences in Division IA football.

                                   Top 5 Bets (as posted on ScoresandStats.com)

Penn State Nittany Lions at Wisconsin Badgers UNDER 50

Penn State is hoping to challenge Ohio State  for the top spot this season in the Big Ten East Division standings. The Nittany Lions face a stiff test right out of the gate with an opening day road game against the West Division Wisconsin Badgers as the second-best Big Ten team this season.

The Lions are set as 4.5-point road underdogs on this game’s point spread. The total has stayed UNDER in nine of their last 10 games on the road.  The total also stayed UNDER in four of Wisconsin’s last five Big Ten games. Defense plays tough for both teams on Saturday.

West Virginia Mountaineers at Maryland Terrapins UNDER 56.5

Going back to the glory days of the old Big East, this should be and interesting opener at College Park. Out of the Big 12, West Virginia gets the nod as a three-point road favorite against a middle-of-the-road Big Ten team.

The total has stayed UNDER four of the Mountaineers’ last five season openers. The Terrapins ended last season with the total staying UNDER in six of their final seven games. It has also stayed UNDER in each of their last five Saturday games.

Alabama Crimson Tide at Miami (FLA) Hurricanes OVER 61.5

Alabama’s re-tooled offense will be looking for that fast start out of the blocks as the defending national champion. Give credit to the ACC’s Hurricanes for scheduling such a tough test for their first game of the year.

As an elite SEC program, the Tide should be able to get close to this total line on their own. The total has gone OVER in eight of their last 12 Saturday games on the road. As an 18.5-point road favorite, the early betting consensus leans heavily toward Alabama covering that number.

Texas Tech Red Raiders at Houston Cougars OVER 64

This in-state battle will be a great test for the Red Raiders as one of the longshots to win the Big 12 this season. Houston is in the top five to win the AAC this year. While each team is known for scoring points, this matchup could be more of a defensive battle than expected.

The total has stayed UNDER in eight of the Red Raiders’ last nine games closing as favorites. They are 13-1 straight-up in their last 14 season openers. The total stayed UNDER in four of Houston’s final five games of the 2020 season.

Georgia Bulldogs at Clemson Tigers UNDER 51.5

The game of the day will have major ramifications for this season’s college football playoff situation. Georgia needs to win this game more than Clemson and the only way that happens is by outscoring the Tigers. Clemson’s offense should pick up where it left off.

The total has gone OVER in four of Georgia’s last six games as an underdog.  It has also gone OVER in five of Clemson’s last seven season openers. It went OVER in six of the Tigers’ last seven games played.