Saturday’s Top 5 College Football Games
The race for the College Football Playoff begins in earnest on Saturday.
The new college football season well and truly got underway on Thursday with No. 21 Texas A&M giving No. 9 South Carolina a good shellacking in the SEC opener.
Now we reach the first Saturday of the season and are presented with a full schedule of what promises to be fast and furious football.
To help you decipher today’s schedule, Betting Sports has sifted through game after game to bring you what we believe to be the top five games on tap. We start with the defending champions.
*****
No. 1 Florida State vs. Oklahoma State
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX (8:00 p.m. ET)
After last season’s ultimate success, No. 1 Florida State will begin the season in Arlington, Texas, a destination the school hopes to return to for January’s national championship game. On Saturday, the Seminoles will meet an Oklahoma State side looking to begin the year with a huge scalp. The Big 12 school was in the running for a conference championship last year, and while the Cowboys may be unranked, they represent a very serious threat, despite what the 17 1/2 point spread suggests.
*****
No. 14 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Louisiana State
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX (9:00 p.m. ET)
It feels good to start the year ranked. It doesn’t feel quite as good to lose your first game as a ranked side (just ask the Gamecocks). But this will be the scenario for either No. 14 Wisconsin or No. 13 Louisiana State as the two sides meet in Houston Saturday. The Badgers are expected to contend in the Big Ten this season while LSU is a potential conference winner in the SEC. Which conference comes out of this one with bragging rights?
*****
No. 16 Clemson at No. 12 Georgia
Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA (5:30 p.m. ET)
Another matchup between ranked sides sees No. 16 Clemson visit No. 12 Georgia. The Bulldogs are expected to finish first in the SEC East this season, and have been installed as the favorite in this one. The Tigers of Clemson have been close in the past few seasons, and will be hoping this is the year they take the ACC. An upset over the SEC side would be a great place to start.
*****
No. 5 Ohio State vs. Navy
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD (12:00 p.m. ET)
No. 5 Ohio State opened as a 17.5-point favorite but plenty will interested to see how the Buckeyes perform in this one after losing dual threat quarterback Braxton Miller for the year. Urban Meyer’s team was one of the favorites to win it all prior to Miller’s injury, but now run the risk of falling into irrelevancy. A win against a gritty Navy side, which finished a respectable 9-4 a season ago, is essential if the school plans on beating the odds this campaign.
*****
Fresno State at No. 15 Southern California
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA (7:30 p.m. ET)
Fresno State finished 11-2 a season ago, winning the Mountain West title before losing to the Trojans in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Bulldogs begin this year with a chance to avenge that loss. No. 15 Southern California had another disappointing season in 2013 and will be hoping that a change in coaching personnel leads the side to success this season. As it stands, the Trojans are considered 5/1 to win the Pac-12, behind both Oregon (Even) and UCLA (11/4). Will a controversial week for the Trojans carry over on to the football field, or will Steve Sarkisian find a way to stabilize his team?
*****
For a comprehensive list of College Football odds, click here.
Up-to-date College Football Futures, courtesy of Bovada, can be found here.
A selection of team prop bets can be found here.
A selection of player prop bets can be found here.
