Entering Week 3 of the college football season I look to continue the heater I’m on after the first two weeks. Going 5-1 on my under the radar picks has been profitable, but as we all know it’s difficult to maintain that kind of success at the betting window for an entire season. The focus of these picks, though, is to highlight games that oddsmakers might overlook or take advantage of a spread or total that just doesn’t seem right. And that’s happened early in the season.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
It wasn’t intentional but the three Week 2 picks involved teams and games out West. I either underestimated Air Force or over estimated Colorado in the only loss of the season. Backing the Buffs with 17.5 points looked like a good bet, but Colorado is much worse than I expected. It’s easy to overreact to teams, positively or negatively, after one game. I thought about putting the brakes on USC after their impressive win in the opener, but instead chose to ride them as an 8-point favorite at Stanford. A new coach and several transfers have changed the culture and the Trojans are riding high. Expect oddsmakers to catch up.
Oddsmakers have a hard time handicapping every game with the main focus on matchups that get the most attention and expected handle, which always includes blueblood programs and Power Five conferences. We’ve always been able to find a couple under the radar picks from the Group of Five conferences, though the Sun Belt is doing its best to change that. League members Appalachian State and Marshall each posted wins over top-10 opponents in Week 2. Now, let’s move along to Week 3 to see where we can fatten our bankroll on some under the radar picks.
UTSA Jackrabbits ( +11.5 ) at Texas Longhorns
A lot of folks are claiming Texas is back after the Horns’ near miss against Alabama. Coming off as a three-touchdown underdog, Texas went ahead on a late field goal only to watch the Tide rally behind Heisman favorite Bryce Young to get the win in the waning seconds. It was a strong effort by the Horns, but they paid for it. Starting QB Quinn Ewers is out with a shoulder injury and backup Hudson Card is hurt. At this point coach Steve Sarkisian isn’t saying who takes first-team reps in practice. Either way the offense will be impacted against an opponent that’s surrendered 75 points in two games. Granted they both went to overtime, still the Jackrabbits’ goal is to outscore teams and they have a quality quarterback in Frank Harris and receivers Josh Cephus and Zakhari Franklin. This game has been on UTSA’s calendar for some time since it’s the first meeting between the programs and I don’t think the Jackrabbits are going to screw it up. They may not win, but I like the points.
North Texas Mean Green ( +3 ) at UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
Maybe the loss to SMU has something to do with the line putting North Texas as a 3-point dog against a UNLV team that’s been one of the worst in the Mountain West for years. I was surprised to see UNT catching points since they are considered a threat to win C-USA. And they showed how explosive they are with a huge 59-27 win over Texas Southern last week. The Rebels showed a lot of heart battling back with a chance to upset Cal, but the offense failed on three fourth-down situations. They also allowed the Bears to roam the field before settling down allowing two field goals and intercepting a pass on three Cal trips inside the UNLV 10. I have to look beyond the game and see that Cal has a Week 3 matchup at Notre Dame, the marquee opponent on their schedule. It would be easy to look beyond UNLV to that matchup allowing the Rebels to hang closer than they probably should have.
Kansas Jayhawks ( +10 ) at Houston Cougars
This is a different Kansas club than what we’ve seen in the past. Scott Leipold has the Jayhawks playing with intensity and determination using the underdog role to their advantage. They went into Morgantown last week and stunned West Virginia, 55-42, in overtime as a two-touchdown dog moving to 2-0 for the first time in a decade. They have athletes who are difference makers led by dual threat QB Jalon Daniels, who tossed three TDs and rushed for 85 yards last week. The Jayhawks lead the nation in scoring totaling 111 points. The Cougs may have been overrated entering the season with a defense looking to find an identity. I’ll back the points in this matchup that also has a chance to go over the total of 62.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
