We had a taste of Week 0 and our first Thursday of college football, and then another sampling on Friday. Now it’s time for the full meal deal with our first college football Saturday of the year.
There are three Top 25 matchups on the board spread out through the day with all eyes on the No. 5 Notre Dame-No. 2 Ohio State showdown in primetime. Let’s take a closer look at these three contests and see what’s the best bet in each.
Oregon vs. Georgia Odds By BetAnySports
Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ducks | +16½ ( -110 ) | 54 ( -110 ) | +575 | ![]() |
Bulldogs | -16½ ( -110 ) | 54 ( -110 ) | -850 | |
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The Georgia Bulldogs are the national champs and while they open up on a neutral site against No. 11 Oregon, the oddsmakers don’t seem to think this will be much of a challenge for them. They’re a massive 17-point favorite.
The main issue for Oregon is that they’re likely not going to face another defense as staunch as this one. Georgia was all-time good last year and they might not fall off all that much in 2022. They have two preseason All-Americans in their front seven and are likely to stymie much of what Oregon does offensively.
Oregon Ducks was 10-4 last year but remember that they were 7-0 at home and 3-2 on the road. They don’t put together strong efforts away from home. Expect Georgia to roll here.
Pick: Georgia -17
Cincinnati vs. Arkansas College Football Odds
Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati | +7 ( -120 ) | 54 ( -110 ) | +215 | ![]() |
Arkansas | -7 ( EV ) | 54 ( -110 ) | -255 | |
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Two teams who were great stories last season will meet in this one. Arkansas exceeded expectations and emerged as a team on the rise in the SEC. Meanwhile, the Bearcats became the first non-power conference team to make the College Football Playoff.
The challenge here for the Bearcats is that they sent nine players to the NFL Draft. That’s a lot to overcome – especially when playing on the road in Week 1 in the SEC. They’re breaking in a new quarterback and this could be a tall order for the squad. Look for Arkansas to win and cover.
Pick: Arkansas -6.5
Notre Dame vs. Ohio State College Football Odds
Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Notre Dame | +16 ( -110 ) | 59 ( -110 ) | +500 | ![]() |
Ohio State | -16 ( -110 ) | 59 ( -110 ) | -700 | |
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The primetime game of the evening will be the Notre Dame-Ohio State contest. While the two teams are separated by just three spots in the rankings, the Buckeyes are still a massive 17-point favorite in this one. It’s pretty clear the oddsmakers don’t have much faith in the Irish.
Notre Dame still has a strong squad thanks to the work that former head coach Brian Kelly built but he’s now down in LSU. Can Marcus Freeman really maintain the team’s success? And even if Kelly was around, there’s not a whole lot he would be able to do in this spot.
Ohio State has the tools to make this a blowout and it’s hard to see how Notre Dame keeps pace. If they can run the ball, play keep away, grind out the clock, then maybe this could be a competitive game. What’s more likely is that C.J. Stroud and company get up by seven or 14 early and Notre Dame has to change their gameplan. That would make things really difficult on them. Lay the points.
Pick: Ohio State -17