At this time of the year, there’s not a lot of sports betting action to go around. But if you’re like me and gearing up for the college football season, I’m sure you’ve already taken a peek at all of the preseason props. I’ve assembled a conference by conference list of these props to give you my favorite picks for the 2018 season. Bookmark these articles and come back in December to tell you how much money I either made for you or, more likely, lost for you.
Favorite Over Bet: Florida State Over 8 Wins
Florida State is one of my favorite bounceback teams of 2018. While they likely won’t be back to what they were, I think there’s a good chance they rebound back to being the second best team in the ACC Atlantic. On the Seminoles’ schedule the only certain loss I see is against Clemson, while there are a few more tough games against Miami and Notre Dame on the road and Florida at home. The fun thing about this bet is that they could lose every single one of those games I mentioned and still push. The talent level on this roster is far too high to have another disappointing season.
Favorite Under: Virginia Tech Under 8.5 Wins
Take this one to the bank because this is straight money. VT loses seven starters on defense, including both Edmunds brothers, who were first round picks last year. As much as I believe in Justin Fuente, I just can’t see this team as a nine win team in 2018. I think that they will get slaughtered by Florida State in week one before getting a few easy games to pad their stats. There is no doubt that the schedule does the Hokies some favors, but I think they end up losing to FSU, Notre Dame, Boston College, and Miami, with other possible losses against Duke and Georgia Tech. While there’s a floor of six wins for this team, it’s perfectly reasonable to only see them at 7-8 wins.
Conference Favorites: Clemson -300
I probably wouldn’t actually bet this because of the heavy odds, but how can you not pick Clemson? They’re the best team in the conference by far and have all of the talent in the world. We’ll come back to them a little later.
Conference Longshot: Georgia Tech +4000
If you’re just throwing some money on a team that may have a shot at a good value, I think Georgia Tech would be the team to pick. The schedule sets up well for them and they play in the division without Clemson. If GT can beat Miami at home then they just have to get past Pitt, Louisville, Duke, VT, North Carolina, and Virginia to make their way into the title game with just one conference loss. It will be hard to do, but Taquon Marshall and the triple option are tough to stop and could wreak havoc. Beating Clemson in the championship game is a different story, but you would think a team with a tricky offense has a better chance than most.
Playoff Longshot: Miami +650
For this one, I think Miami is the only team besides Clemson with a shot. Florida State at +750 is a reasonable pick since they wouldn’t have to play Clemson in this hypothetical championship, but having to beat them out for a division title would also be tough. Miami probably won’t beat Clemson, but I could see a situation where they sneak in to the playoffs despite not winning their conference championship. Despite picking Georgia Tech as a possible conference champ, non-conference games on the road against Georgia and USF likely crush their playoff hopes (if they had any in the first place).
Heisman Values: Cam Akers +2800, Deondre Francois +4000, AJ Dillon +4000
This is me placing a lot into Florida State. If they are good this season, Akers and Francois have a chance to take home the hardware. Both are extraordinarily talented players on a great team and in a system that can do them favors number-wise. Dillon is a fun pick here that while Boston College isn’t competing for the conference crown, this kid can ball out. It would be fun to see Dillon at least get the nod as a finalist in New York.
National Championship: Clemson +450
This is the only correct answer. Clemson is my national champion as of today. Trevor Lawrence will likely be the starter at this point and could add another element to an already dangerous offense. The defense will be absolutely ridiculous and hardly anyone will score on them for most of the year. The Clemson Tigers will be your 2018 National Champions.
