Charlie Strong takes his Longhorns to South Bend for a matchup against Notre Dame (Getty).
Although several games have already been played, today is the first big day of college football for 2015. The race for the Playoff begins, and some teams are starting their season off with real tests. Other teams have an easier opponent scheduled for their first game, making huge point spreads available. Florida is favored by 35.5 over New Mexico State, and Oklahoma is a 33-point favorite to defeat Akron.
Large spreads don’t always to victories, however. SMU gave Baylor a fit last night before falling behind in the second half, ultimately falling 56-21. Look for smaller advantages this week, like picking against a new starting quarterback on the road (Re: Michigan).
Young quarterbacks may get rattled, but that shouldn’t affect a seasoned team like Alabama. They’re one of today’s best bets against Wisconsin at -10. 38 points is a ton, but Oklahoma should cover with ease against Akron. Lastly, Penn State goes to neighbor Temple as a cushy two-touchdown favorite. Temple may not pull the upset, but they’ll give the Nittany Lions all they can handle to start the season.
Here are the lines for Week One (Provided by Oddsshark.com):
Stanford (-10) vs. Northwestern, 12 p.m. ET
UL-Monroe vs. Georgia (-31), 12 p.m. ET
Kent State vs. Illinois (-13.5), 2 p.m. ET
Florida Atlantic vs. Tulsa (-21), 2:30 p.m. ET
BYU vs. Nebraska (-7.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan (-7), 3:30 p.m. ET
UTEP vs. Arkansas (-35), 3:30 p.m. ET
Louisville vs. Auburn (-10.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Virginia vs. UCLA (-14.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Penn State (-14) vs. Temple, 3:30 p.m. ET
Bowling Green vs. Tennessee (-17), 4 p.m. ET
Troy vs. NC State (-23), 6 p.m. ET
UL-Lafayette vs. Kentucky (-14), 7 p.m. ET
Akron vs. Oklahoma (-38), 7 p.m. ET
Arizona State vs. Texas A&M (-3), 7 p.m. ET
UNLV vs. Northern Illinois (-16), 7:30 p.m. ET
Ga Southern vs. West Virginia (-38), 7:30 p.m. ET
New Mexico State vs. Florida (-38), 7:30 p.m. ET
Texas vs. Notre Dame (-9), 7:30 p.m. ET
Wisconsin vs. Alabama (-10), 8 p.m. ET
Texas State vs. Florida State (-37), 8 p.m. ET
Miss State (-13) vs. Southern Miss, 10 p.m. ET
Arkansas State vs. USC (-27), 11 p.m. ET