Ahhhh yes. A new season. Ready to kick this thing off correctly.
1. Western Kentucky @ Vanderbilt (+115)
Thursday 7:00pm CT | SECN
This is a weird game for me. When I saw that WKU was a 3+ point underdog earlier in the week, I started thinking something looked weird about that. And knowing that the game opened right off the bat with Vandy as a 17pt favorite... this game is now WKU -2.5, which is almost a 3 touchdown swing. Any game that swings more than 7 points, I go against the public. Vegas ain't dumb... these are the kinda games they make their living on - looks like a surefire bet, but isn't. I think Vandy finds a way to win this one straight up. Somehow, someway.
2. Michigan (+5.5) @ Utah
Thursday 7:30pm CT | FS1
Jim Harbaugh's first game at Michigan is a doozy. But the biggest thing here is that Michigan does have a lot of talent. Utah won a TON of close games last year... and even though they're at home, I look for this game to be close. I'm not sure who's going to pull out the win at the end, but I think the Wolverines keep this within the 5.5. Harbaugh is known for quick turnarounds, and I think he starts it off with him team looking significantly improved right off the bat.
3. Washington (+12.5) @ Boise St
Friday 9:15pm CT | ESPN
Ok... so here's the deal. Chris Peterson is the guy who built Boise St. He's only been gone for one season, so he knows this team about as well as any coach can. Now, does anybody think Brian Harsin is a better game coach than Peterson? Especially with an entire offseason to get ready for the game? I don't think so. I'll take Peterson, especially getting almost 2 touchdowns.
4. Louisville (+11) vs Auburn (in Atlanta)
Saturday 2:30pm CT | CBS
Bobby Petrino is 10-0 in season openers... This is his team's 2nd season in his offense, and they return a ton of talent from a 9 win team last year. Now, on the other side, Auburn is breaking in a new quarterback, and has a new defensive coordinator with some pretty complicated schemes. This isn't the first game that Auburn would like to have on the schedule. I think Louisville keeps this game really interesting. Auburn is more talented, but I think Louisville is better prepared.
5. Georgia Southern (+20) @ West Virginia
Saturday 6:30pm CT | FSN
Georgia Southern's first year in D1 was last season, and they won 9 games, and 2 of the 3 games they lost were only one possession (42-38 at Georgia Tech, 24-23 at NC State). West Virginia is good, but it's difficult to stop GaSo's triple option attack. I look for this one to be significantly closer than the line.
6. Ohio St @ Virginia Tech (+13)
Monday 7:00pm CT | ESPN
Ohio St has several people suspended, they're not sure who is going to be the leader at QB, and Virginia Tech's Bud Foster has had a LONG time to get ready for Urban Meyer's offense, which his team stifled last year in the Horseshoe. There's a ton of hype about the Buckeyes, but Lane Stadium in Blacksburg is a really difficult place to play, especially at night on ESPN, and Urban Meyer is actually pretty bad when picked as the favorite. Ohio St may win, but I look for this one to be closer than the line.
