Ricky Dimon
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College football, ladies and gentlemen…. It’s here! Yes, some “Week 0” games have come and gone; but this is the real thing—a massive college football schedule all weekend long (and really all week long, with games on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday to go along with the Saturday slate. A showdown between Georgia and Oregon is among the headliners, while plenty of other SEC teams—not just the Bulldogs—are getting their seasons started with marquee matchups.
Let’s take a look at the best bets to be made in the best conference in college football.
Get our college football picks for all of the big Week 1 matchups
Arkansas -6.5 over Cincinnati (-110)
Cincinnati is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance, but let’s not get carried away by that result. One, the season ended with a blowout loss to Alabama and now the Bearcats have to open with another SEC West foe. Two, they lost 12 guys to the NFL Draft. Power 5 programs can sometime reload right away from that kind of exodus with incredible recruiting, but it’s tougher for the likes of Cincinnati. With Desmond Ridder and many others gone, the ‘Cats may take a step back in 2022. Arkansas, on the other hand, is a program fully on the rise under head coach Sam Pittman. Quarterback KJ Jefferson will probably run circles around Cincy’s defense, leading the Razorbacks to scored enough points to cover a spread of less than a touchdown.
Be sure to check out our full Cincinnati Bearcats vs Arkansas Razorbacks predictions
Oregon vs Georgia Under 53.5 (-110)
Georgia absolutely crushed almost all of its opponents last year en route to the national title. That was in large part thanks to a defense that was one of the best in the history of this sport. The Bulldogs lost a whole host of defensive stars to the NFL, but much like Alabama, they reload as opposed to unload. They will almost certainly have multiple first-rounders in the 2023 NFL Draft, as well. It would be a surprise if UGA’s defense isn’t one of the nation’s best in 2022. Moreover, the Dawgs’ offense will likely be run-heavy—again. Last season they averaged 36 rushing attempts and 26 passes per contest.
Keep in mind that new Oregon head coach Dan Lanning just left Georgia (defensive coordinator), so he could not be more familiar with the Bulldogs. He will know how to at least contain Stetson Bennett and the rest of the game. As is the case with most UGA games in recent years, the under is the way to go.
Be sure to check out our full Oregon Ducks vs Georgia Bulldogs predictions
LSU -3 over Florida State (-110)
Similar to Georgia, LSU will have a lot of new faces on the field and on the field to start this season. The Tigers have a new face on the sideline, too, in the form of head coach Brian Kelly. Although LSU may not be the championship-winning program it was a few years ago with Joe Burrow under center, Kelly could have his team contending again sooner rather than late. A bunch of promising transfers will help get Kelly’s tenure in Baton Rouge off and running in year one. Florida State has already played once, beating Duquesne 47-7. There isn’t much to draw on from that result…but there is a lot to draw up from the Seminoles’ recent seasons. And it isn’t good. This is a program stuck in neutral – one that will likely drop to 1-1 in the early stages of its 2022 campaign.
Be sure to check out our full Florida State Seminoles vs LSU Tigers predictions
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