College Football saw big upsets in Week 1 and Week 2. Where can we find the big surprise in Week 3?
The first couple of weeks can be hard to bet on in college football. Preseason rankings and prior year performances can provide some insight into how teams will perform, but there’s no way to see how a team will look in the current year or how much players have improved without seeing some live game action. Now that we’ve had two weeks worth of data, let’s go make some money with a nice parlay. Take a look to college football week 3 games.
Michigan State Spartans at Miami (FL) Hurricanes
Sparty has started off the 2021 season by matching their 2020-win total, and Miami has limped their way to 1-1. However, their schedules have been vastly different. Miami’s start against Alabama and Appalachian State trumps a road game against a weak Northwestern team and Youngstown State.
Sportsbooks have the spread set at -6, favoring the Hurricanes in this game. Despite Miami’s 0-2 start against the spread, the Hurricanes should be able to get going this week. D’Eriq King finds his way on offense, and the defense slows down Kenneth Walker and the running game.
Virginia Tech Hokies at West Virginia Mountaineers
The Hokies are 2-0 against the spread at the start of the year and play great on defense and special teams. The running game is there, and if Burmeister can up the passing game efficiency, the Hokies could be a threat in the ACC.
West Virginia had a virtual scrimmage last week after losing at Maryland Week 1. Expect a couple of turnovers from Virginia Tech and an outright win. BetUS has the Hokies with +110 odds to win the game.
Cincinnati Bearcats at Indiana Hoosiers.
This must be a game that Cincy has circled all off-season. The Bearcats want to make the CFP and have limited chances to prove they hold up against power-five teams. Indiana struggled mightily against Iowa in Week 1, but Iowa is looking like they have one of the top defenses in the Big Ten.
Michael Penix didn’t turn the ball over against Idaho in the Hoosier’s Week 2 win but also wasn’t tasked with doing much. The Bearcats struggled in the first half a week ago before blowing the game open. This should be one to watch as the Bearcats are 3.5-point favorites per BetUS.
San Jose State Spartans at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.
The Spartans keep making appearances in this write-up, and I’m riding with them this week. UCLA’s defense picked on Hawaii in Week 0, and the Spartans bring a stout group with them as well. Nick Starkel needs to do a better job of taking care of the ball than he did against USC, but the team should be ready to go after a week’s rest. BetUS has San Jose State as just under a touchdown favorite at -6.5.
Total Parlay Analysis
Combining these four games into a parlay bumps the total odds up to +1360. So a $10 bet on this parlay brings home $136. Taking three road teams to win and cover the spread can be a risky play, but these teams have shown their worth taking the chance on.