SEC Odds and Picks for Week One

It  is officially ‘Game Week” in college football. Every team in the SEC is a week or less away from their opening game of the 2013 season. In the south, people are putting up their lights and decorations in anticipation of this most beloved event. Crimson and White, or Navy Blue and Orange are everywhere you look in the great state of Alabama, home of the last four national champions. Black and Red has take over in Georgia while Orange and Blue is all the rage in the Sunshine State. The fall color in Tennessee is a pale orange that folks can wear while hunting up until kickoff. Ah, yes! It is football time in the SEC!

Oddsmaker has the odds for this week’s games:

Ole Miss Rebels at Vanderbilt Commodores– Ole Miss is -3 -110 and Vandy is +3 -110.  This is the only conference game of the week in the SEC, which makes it the most important game of the week. Vanderbilt has had a tough off-season with some of the players getting into legal trouble. That is something that does not happen often at Vanderbilt. Ole Miss made a huge splash with one of the nation’s best recruiting classes this off-season. Of course, these guys are true freshmen so don’t look for them to make a huge impact this early. Vandy normally finds a way to pull out games against the Rebels. We will take Vanderbilt +3 -110.

North Carolina Tar Heels at South Carolina Gamecocks– The Tar Heels are +11.5 -110 and South Carolina is -11.5 -110. The Gamecocks bring Jadaveon Clowney back for one more year. Clowney is likely going to be the top pick in the NFL Draft. The Tar Heels have some talent and could give the Gamecocks a good game. South Carolina typically struggles on offense in their openers. We like the Heels +11.5.

Alabama Crimson Tide vs Virginia Tech Hokies– Alabama is -19 -110 while the Hokies are +19 -110. Getting 19 points with a team as good as Va Tech sounds like a lot. But really, it’s not. Bama is again the favorite to win another BCS National Championship. Last season, they faced the Michigan Wolverines in their opener and they destroyed them. There is really no reason to believe it won’t happen again is there? We like Bama -19 -110.

Kentucky Wildcats vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers– UK is -5 -110 and WKU is +5 -110. This is coach Bobby Petrino’s debut at WKU and coach Mark Stoops debut at UK. Of those two, we’d be more likely to trust Petrino. Take WKU +5 -110.

Mississippi State at Oklahoma State– The Bulldogs are +12.5 -110  and the Cowboys are -12.5 -110. Is Mississippi State really this bad? We think not. We are going to take the Bulldogs +12.5 -110.

Toledo Rockets at Florida Gators– The Rockets are +24 -110 and the Gators are -24 -110. The Gators normally have trouble scoring 24 points. The Rockets are not as bad as people might think either. We like the Rockets +24 -110.

Louisiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at Arkansas Razorbacks– The Cajuns are +11 -110 and the Hogs are -11 -110. The Ragin Cajuns can be a pesky bunch. Last year they had Florida on the ropes all game long before losing by seven. This is Bret Bielema’s debut for the Hogs but we like the Cajuns +11 -110.

Washington State Cougars at Auburn Tigers– The Cougars are +15 -110 and the Tigers are -15 -110. How is Auburn a 15 point favorite against anybody? Gus Malzahn taking over as head coach likely had something to do with it. Take Auburn -15 -100.

Georgia Bulldogs at Clemson Tigers– This is the game of the day in college football on Saturday. Two top five teams from bordering states with a long history against one another get together for the first time in years. What a way to kick off a season! The Bulldogs are -2.5 -110 and the Tigers are +2.5 -110. The Bulldogs will be lethal on offense but they have to replace a lot of talent on defense. We like the Tigers at home +2.5 -110.

LSU Tigers at TCU Horned Frogs- LSU is -4.5 -110 and TCU is +4.5 -110. The game is in Dallas which is the home area of the Horned Frogs. But we like LSU -4.5 -110.

Rice Owls at Texas A&M Aggies– There is no line on this game, probably because we still do not know if Johnny Manziel will be playing.

Austin Peay Governors at Tennessee Volunteers– There is no line on this game.

Murray State Racers at Missouri Tigers– There is no line on this game.