by Matt Fischer
We’re one week away from college football! This is the best time of year. Everyone is full of optimism and fantasizes about their favorite team running the table and bringing home a BCS Championship. It’s also the time of year to take advantage of the soft opening lines for the “games of the year” the sportsbooks have already released.
This is the first premium offering we have at SportsFormulator so it means a lot. I want to thank you for believing in me and SportsFormulator. Hopefully you’ve chosen to join us for the season and take advantage of our information throughout the 2013 football season.
After running the formula and analyzing these games, here are my top 10 2013 preseason plays against the spread in college football.
1. Michigan at Pick ‘Em against Notre Dame – The loss of QB Vernon Golson is going to hurt the Irish in a big way. He became their top playmaker last season. Tommy Rees has experience and is a slightly better passer but just won’t be the threat Golson was. Michigan is undervalued. Devin Gardner will go over the top of the ND defense and hit some big plays to get Michigan this win early in the season.
2. Baylor -8 against West Virginia – This could be the highest scoring game of the 2013 season. WVU can’t stop anything. I look for Lache Seastrunk to light them up and Baylor wins this by at least 20.
3. Arizona State +3.5 vs. Notre Dame (in Dallas) – The Sun Devils have speed everywhere and it’ll overwhelm the Irish. This is the game Taylor Kelley gets national attention.
4. Boise State +3.5 at Washington – Washington has a lot of hype behind them to start the 2013 season. These two teams played each other in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl which Boise won by 2. I like Steve Sarkisian but he’s no Chris Peterson. With an entire offseason to study the Huskies, the Broncos will be ready and I think win outright.
5. Michigan +4.5 vs. Ohio State – Many have Ohio State cruising through the year to a spot in the BCS Championship. I think this is where they slip up. Michigan is just as good as the Buckeyes as our power rankings show. This will be a tight game and I’ll gladly jump at the home team getting points.
6. Cal +10 vs. Arizona – This is a game I see rivaling the Baylor vs. West Virginia game. I think Sonny Dykes is going to do well at Cal and I see him having his offense hanging out with the Cats from Tucson.
7. North Carolina -2 vs. Miami (FL) – With this line, you’re basically picking the winner. Bryn Renner, the UNC QB, is very underrated and I think is headed for a huge season under Larry Fedora. This is a Thursday night game and it’s nearly a sure thing the home team wins. Take the Heels.
8. Michigan -2 at Northwestern – Northwestern plays three great quarters typically against top Big Ten teams and then fades in the final stanza. I look for this game to be the same.
9. Cal +17 at USC – This game could mean a lot for USC but that’s what the formula projects. This game is sandwiched between games at Oregon and Stanford. It’s easy to see USC overlooking Cal and the Bears keeping this game close.
10. Stanford -5 vs. Notre Dame – Again I’m against the Irish. This will be a low scoring affair but I think Stanford’s defense holds the Irish to single digits so if they can just put two TD’s on the board they should cover.
Get the latest from Sports Formulator by connecting with us on Twitter – Facebook – Google+ – Instagram.
No Responses