The 2016 College Football season kicks off this weekend at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia. The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will battle the California Golden Bears in the season opener. Once again Alabama are favoured to win the NCAA Championship. However, teams such as Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan and Tennessee (to name a few) all have talented enough rosters to challenge Alabama for the title.
Check back on Before You Bet for our weekly featured College Football betting tips.
2016 College Football Week 1 Betting Tips
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at California Golden Bears (Saturday 27 August at 12:00pm)
One of the first things to look at in College Football is “How many starters are returning from last season”. California will have basically the same Offensive line that they had last season. This is a very important factor and one of the reasons why the Offense will have plenty of success against Hawaii.
California lost their star quarterback Jared Goff (number 1 NFL draft pick) to the LA Rams. Goff was obviously a big part of the 38 points per game averaged last season. However, the new look Californian team are returning productive running backs from last season. An experienced Offensive line + productive running backs vs a weak Hawaii defense (gave up over 240 yards rushing per game) = Success for California.
Prediction: Hawaii 21 California 42
Tip: Total Points Under 63.5 - $1.94 at CrownBet
South Carolina Gamecocks at Vanderbilt Commodores (Friday 2 September 10:00)
This is one of the least glamorous SEC matchups all season. After going 3-9 last season the South Carolina Gamecocks have basically hit the reset switch. Starting with the Head Coach. The Gamecocks still haven’t announced a starting quarterback and its likely they will play the game with two. It’s very hard to predict how the freshman talent will play in their first game on the road.
On the other hand, we have Vanderbilt who finished with four wins last season and seem to be heading in a positive direction. The coaching staff is in their third year and they are returning 17 offensive and defensive starters. This won’t be pretty but with home field advantage and experience on their side I am leaning towards the Commodores.
Both coaches are defensively minded and turnovers should be high. Therefore, points should come at a premium.
Prediction: South Carolina 16 Vanderbilt 20
Tip: Total Points Under 42.5 - $1.92 at sportsbet
USC Trojans at Alabama Crimson Tide (Sunday 4 September 10:00)
Two College Football juggernauts meet for the first time in 31 years. The number 1 ranked team in the country Alabama vs the 20th ranked University of South California. Once again Alabama will contend for the title. They have NFL calibre players on both sides of the ball, especially the defensive side. Alabama will miss Derek Henry at running back but I’m confident that whoever Nick Saban puts behind this talented Offensive line that they will have success.
Alabama has averaged 38.4 points in their past five season opening games.
Prediction: USC 20 Alabama 37
Tip: Total Points Over 53.5 - $1.92 at sportsbet
Ole Miss Rebels at Florida State Seminoles (Tuesday 6 September at 10:00)
The Mississippi Rebels have one of the tougher schedules in College football. This opening game might be the toughest. Their quarterback Chad Kelly is very talented. Kelly threw for over 4,000 yards and rushed for 500+ last season. However, he has lost his number one go too wide receiver Laquan Treadwell (to the NFL).
Florida State’s offense is big, strong and fast. They run a complex system that leaves defensive coaches scratching their heads. Running back Dalvin Cook is a superstar! Cook rushed for 1691 yards and 19 touchdowns last season (he also runs the 100m dash in 10.08 seconds) good luck stopping him Mississippi.
Prediction: Ole Miss 17 Florida State 45
Tip: Total points over 57.0 - $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!
