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Handicapping Tips: Five NCAA Football Week 1 upsets worth considering

Betting NCAAF Futures

The college football season officially gets underway on August 29th but many sportsbooks have begun posting lines for Week 1 games. The games still may be a ways away but here are five underdogs expected to make some noise in Week 1. Lines courtesy of BetOnline.

Boise State (+2.5) at Washington

A rematch of the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas sees these teams begin this season the way they ended last season. Boise State won that matchup, 28-26.

An 11-2 campaign was hardly anything to write home about for the Broncos, but that improved the team’s overall record to 84-8 under head coach Chris Petersen.

As for the Huskies, they have to be concerned with quarterback Keith Price who took a big step backward last year after a strong sophomore season.

Boise State’s two losses last season came by a combined total of six points. The team is 7-1 ATS as an underdog under Coach Petersen.

Northern Illinois (+6.5) at Iowa

These teams met to open the season a year ago with Iowa prevailing by a single point. The teams went in very different directions afterwards with Iowa going 3-8 the rest of the way, losing their final six games of the year, while Northern Illinois ran the table, going 12-0 before a loss to Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Dave Doeren has moved on but the offense that put up 38.6 points per game last season remains largely intact. Expect Jordan Lynch to throw for more than the 54 yards the Huskies gained through the air when these teams met a year ago.

Western Kentucky (+3) v. Kentucky

Western Kentucky eked out a win in overtime when these teams met last year and they’ve trended in the right direction since.

16 starters return for the Hilltoppers this season in what will be Bobby Petrino’s first year at the helm, including running back Antonio Andrews who is one of the best kept secrets in the country. Andrews compiled 2,116 yards of offense and 15 total touchdowns last season.

As for Kentucky, they were a two-win team a year ago and enter this season with major question marks on offense. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

If Coach Petrino gets the passing game going out of the gate, the Hilltoppers will take this game in a walk.

Temple (+26) at Notre Dame

I can assure you I am not crazy. I do not expect Temple to beat Notre Dame in South Bend. Just be aware that the line for this game is a lot larger than it probably should be.

The Irish lost both of their No. 5s from a year ago, Manti Te’o and Everett Golson, the two most important players from the team’s run to the National Championship Game last season.

Already known as a team that has been guilty of playing down to their opponents on more than one occasion, the Irish will also have to overcome the temptation to look past the Owls to their second game of the season against the Michigan Wolverines in The Big House.

Georgia (+2) at Clemson

Georgia isn’t getting nearly the respect they deserve after a strong 2012 campaign in which they pushed eventual National Champion Alabama to the brink and won their first bowl game with Aaron Murray at the helm.

The team lost some key defenders to the NFL draft, but Murray returns to play behind a solid offensive line with a great running game in an offense that returns 10 starters.

Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins return for the Tigers, but the Clemson offense won’t be nearly as explosive without Andre Ellington and DeAndre Hopkins.

This feels like a statement game for the Bulldogs that they will use as a stepping stone to a third consecutive SEC championship game.

The 2013/14 College futures betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on NCAA football, you are in the best possible place for online betting. CappersPicks.com has CFB odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find COLLEGE lines up for early games as well.

By Gino Bottero

Gino is new to CappersPicks.com but NOT new to the online gambling industry.He's got an AMAZING knack for discovering hidden gems when it comes to betting on sports. Stick with him as he predicts when a team will have a letdown! Check Gino out for NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB betting articles all season long!