The 2024 college football season has barely begun, but it has already had its fair share of chaos. If you're unsure how to bet on Week 1's full slate of games, perhaps a quick look back at Week 0's wild matchups will help. Here's what we learned from Week 0.
THE GEORGIA TECH KICK TO UPSET NO. 10 FLORIDA STATE pic.twitter.
com/JT6axonYn4 First upset of the season Last week, Yardbarker referenced BetMGM's projection that the Florida State-Georgia Tech game would be a close one despite the Seminoles being the ranked team and favored by 10.5 points. That prediction paid off as Aidan Birr split the uprights with a 44-yarder to give the Yellow Jackets the 24-21 upset victory over in Dublin, Ireland.
A game like this can make you think twice about betting such a big spread. Travel is a luxury — but not a key to victory For the most part in Week 0, road teams did the most damage. Florida A&M came from behind on the road to top Norfolk State 24-23, while SMU did the same to defeat the Wolf Pack in Nevada 29-24.
The only real exception to this trend was Hawaii, as the Rainbow Warriors rallied late for a 35-14 home win against Delaware State. Travel is going to be a major topic this season since the conferences are newly configured. Bettors should be aware of both home and away teams' travel schedules before placing their bets, as mileage and time change can impact performance.
It was cool to make a fourth-quarter comeback As you may have noticed, Week 0 was full of come-from-behind rallies to victory. In addition to SMU, Florida A&M and Hawaii, Montana State rallied out of a 31-14 hole with a monstrous fourth quarter to defeat host New Mexico 35-31. In a more underrated matchup, Southeast Missouri State outscored North Alabama 24-0 in the second half to pull off a 37-15 victory on home soil.
If a large number of comebacks make you nervous about betting the spread on big games this season, placing a game prop may be a better route. Heading into Week 1 Bounce-back for Florida State? The Seminoles are 17-point favorites at DraftKings to win at home against Boston College in Week 1. The Tallahassee Democrat was confident a couple of weeks ago in FSU pulling off a win despite all the trouble Thomas Castellanos and the Boston College offense gave them last year.
Between BC's weapons and the Week 0 loss in Ireland, you may be better off fading the Seminoles this week. More upsets to come? C BS Sports is predicting that Western Kentucky stays within a whopping 31.5-point spread against No.
5 Alabama. "Experienced quarterback TJ Finley transferred to Western Kentucky after spending time at LSU, Auburn and Texas State, so he has faced plenty of SEC teams during his career. He is facing an Alabama secondary that is reloading this season, which is one of several position groups that suffered from attrition following Nick Saban's retirement.
" Nail-biter to watch? The Sunday matchup between No. 23 USC and No. 13 LSU is a must-see since both teams have difficult schedules this season and a victory could lead to an early-season ranking.
This matchup will look different without Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels under center, and with coaching upgrades both teams made at defensive coordinator. So which side of the 4.5-point spread should you lean on? "Both teams would love a win to earn a quality victory ahead of tough conference stretches, but at least right now, USC seems best equipped to hit the ground running on offense," Bleacher Report predicted.
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