Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes stole the show during Week 1 of the College Football season. After going unranked in many preseason polls, the Buffaloes became America’s team and found themselves comfortably in many Top 25s.
Without further ado, I present you the Big Ten Betting Power Rankings. Each week, Vaughn Dalzell and I break down every game in the Big Ten and list out actionable betting information for every game. Unlike your traditional power rankings, these rankings don’t care if a team is good or bad… only if they can make us money that week.
Lines available on BetMGM Sportsbook
1) Wisconsin at Washington State – Badgers’ Team Total UNDER 32.5pts (-105) – Tanner Mordecai and the Badgers need time to get to know each other. Points will be at a premium in Pullman while Wisconsin figures things out on offense.
2) Iowa at Iowa State – UNDER 36.5 (-110) – Under 36.5 is a good look for two of the best defenses in college football. Until the offenses prove they can keep up, these are under teams.
3) Illinois at Virginia Tech - Virginia Tech ML (-145) - Head Coach Ryan Walters lost his first game as the Head Coach at Purdue at home against Fresno State. Doubtful he gets that first W on the road in Blacksburg.
4) UNLV at Michigan – UNLV Team Total UNDER 10.5pts (-145) - Michigan’s defense is stout. The Wolverines gave up three last week in their season opener against ECU, and it’s doubtful UNLV will fare better this week at The Big House.
Join in the college football conversation Saturdays at 11AM ET. From sides to totals to props, get ready for the weekend of college football with the NBC Sports College Football Betting Q&A.
Movin’ On Up – Wisconsin
Both Vaughn and I are fading this Wisconsin team in some fashion. I opted for the less safe with Washington State +6.5, where Vmoney took the Badgers’ team total under 32.5 points. Both plays work for me, so they found themselves at the top spot this week.
We heard the rumblings of this impressive air-raid offense coming to Wisconsin all off-season. I’m not saying that won’t happen, but significant philosophical changes take time, especially when you bring Tanner Mordecai into the fold. He’s a solid quarterback but will need time to unlock his total potential.
Unfortunately, they travel to Pullman and play an underrated Washington State team. The consensus is all Pac-12 teams don’t play defense. That’s wrong; this Cougars team loves to hang their hats on the hard work they put on the defensive end.
Look for stud quarterback Cameron Ward to lead his team to an upset of the Wisconsin this week.
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5) UTEP at Northwestern – UTEP -1.5 (-110) – If you get into the business of trusting Northwestern’s offense led by Ben Bryant, you could find yourself upset and broke at the end of the season. Trust that UTEP will steal the show and win this game
6) EMU at Minnesota – Game Total UNDER 48.5 (-110) – EMU does not have the talent to score enough to push this total over the projected 48.5pts. And while the Golden Gophers should score, it’s doubtful they can score 35-40.
7) Nebraska at Colorado - Colorado ML (-155) – Too many athletes and too much attitude for Nebraska to handle.
8) Temple at Rutgers – Rutgers -8.5 (-110) – Greg Schiano’s defense is again dominant. Pair that dominance with an aquept quarterback in Gavin Wimsatt, and the Temple Owls might have their hands full this week.
9) Charlotte at Maryland – Maryland Team Total OVER – This game is off the board right now, but if you see a team total around 37.5, take it for the Terps. Charlotte allowed almost 500 yards per game, just the thing Taulia Tagovailoa should exploit.
10) Youngstown State at Ohio State – Youngstown State Team Total UNDER – There may be questions under center in Columbus, but there is no doubting this defense.
11) Richmond at Michigan State – 1st Half MSU Team Total OVER – Michigan State actually looked better than expected and even appeared as if they may be better than the Spartans’ teams of the last two years.
