Welcome folks to the NCAA edition of the I’ve Got A Phelan sports betting guide. Naturally the NCAA has many more teams playing every given weekend than the NFL, so I’m going to base my prediction on teams within the top 25 teams based off of the ESPN app. The top 25 is an ever revolving door. Just look at the movement of teams from week 1 to week 2. I Got A Phelan we will be seeing more of the same in this slate of potential upsets and shootouts. Take a look into these upcoming predictions and consider adding them in hopes of bettering your outcome this football weekend.
Money lines
Coach Matt Rhule leads his Nebraska team into a tough game against No. 22 Colorado this week. (Damien Dennis/The Pit Media)
Nebraska (+114) over Colorado (-134): For you die-hard believers in “Prime Time” Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes I understand the hype, but I am not sold. The defense is a major concern and workhorse Travis Hunter is going to find it hard to maintain his volume against a cornfed Cornhuskers team. That type of offense output is not going to be sustainable and these Huskers may not excel in one specific area they also don’t have any dooming weaknesses. This all around steady play is going to wear these Buffaloes into a 1-1 start to the season.
Texas A&M (-177) over Miami Florida (+157): I feel the Aggies are going to feel a little disrespected with the lines being this close and put up big numbers on Miami. This Weigman/Stewart combo figures to stay potent. This is each school’s first real test of the year, but the Aggies are built tough. Miami is going to have too pressure the QB hard in hopes of having their potentially dangerous offense keep up. Hard Rock stadium is going to feel like Hard Luck stadium when this one is over.
Spreads
NC State (+7 and 1/2) at -115 over Notre Dame (7 and 1/2) at -105: I will start off by saying I believe the Irish get the win, but I don’t think it’ll be by more than a touchdown. After two blow out wins they look good and are operating incredibly smooth. This NC State squad is a stiffer test than the previous two wins. Something about last years woes against Marshall and Stanford, along with some wins that looked like potential blowouts finishing within one score make me hesitant. I just find it hard to pick a spread of greater than 7 for these Fighting Irish.
Baylor (+7 and 1/2) at -102 over Utah (-7 and 1/2) at -118: Baylor did not show up last week to say the least, dropping the opener to a lowly Texas State team. This wasn’t pretty, but I contribute some of this performance to first week jitters and sloppy play that will improve. Utah took down Florida last week, but it had a vibe of Florida beating Florida at times. I think Baylor rebounds with a solid performance and catches Utah walking tall, but back on their heels and keeps this close. A win is another story, but I do see this being a close game.
Upset
Texas (+240) over Alabama (-285): A game figured to draw a lot of views is the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide and the visiting 11th-ranked Texas Longhorns. Looking to break into the top 10 and put them selves firmly into CFP conversation early in the year, the Longhorns are going to spear the Crimson Tide and make their bid early on. Ewers was picking apart the tide defense last year before a shoulder injury sidelined him. Even then it took a last second field goal for the Tide to turn a close game into a win. Texas comes back with a vengeance and snatches the win away. The QB controversy and concerns didn’t appear apparent during a win over MTSU, but this test again the Longhorns stifling defense is going to cast a shade of doubt back over the QB room of Alabama. The running game won’t be there and the passing offense is going to show its true colors.
Over/Under
Due to player props being subject in the NCAA world I will toss out a couple over/under totals I think will hit.
The under of Nebraska and Colorado (58 and 1/2) at -110: As mentioned previously in this article, I foresee the Buffalo offense hitting a bump this weekend and not reaching half of the the 45 points it took to knock off TCU. Nebraska will play to slow of a game to put up much more than 24 themselves. I got a Phelan this one goes Nebraska 24 over Colorado 21.
The over of Oregon and Texas Tech. (68 and 1/2) at -110: While set at a high total I just see these teams trading bombs with each other. Oregon set the bar incredibly high with an unheard of 81 points. For the sake of their now likely shredded push up champion mascot I don’t see another 81 against a tougher Texas Tech team. I do see another high total though. Put that with Texas Tech famous air raid attack and this total ends up in the 70’s. I’m feeling Oregon 45 over Texas Tech 35.
Thank you all again for giving me the time out of your day to let me help you. From now on the I Got A Phelan sports book guide will combine the NFL and NCAA editions into one article. This is set to be released every Friday. Now you can set all your football betting dominoes after one easy read. May this weekend be full of fun, wins, and profit. Until next week, farewell folks and good luck!
(These odds and information were found on betonline.com and the ESPN app. This was done on September 7, 2023. )
