College football Week 1 betting trends | Betting

Las Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall is an analyst at VegasInsider.com. He provides the Review-Journal with college football tech notes and trends. Follow @VegasInsider on X.

Thursday

Nebraska at Minnesota: Matt Rhule debuts as Nebraska coach. The Cornhuskers have lost and failed to cover their past four vs. Minnesota, the last three of those by exactly seven points. Rhule was 11-3 against the spread his last 14 games as an underdog at Baylor. The Golden Gophers were 2-5 ATS their last seven as chalk a year ago. Edge: Slight to Nebraska.

Florida at Utah: A rematch of the Gators’ exciting win in last year’s opener. Florida was 4-1 ATS on the road last season and 5-0 as a regular-season underdog. Billy Napier teams are 10-1 as regular-season underdogs the past three seasons at Louisiana and Florida. The Utes are 8-2 ATS their past 10 at home, but only 2-4 ATS in their last six against nonconference opposition. Edge: Florida.

Saturday

Ohio State at Indiana: The Buckeyes won and covered the last two meetings by a combined 110-21 score. However, Ohio State is 1-5 ATS its last six Big Ten road games. The Buckeyes are on a 12-3 over run, and the last six meetings with Indiana have gone over. The Hoosiers are 6-19 ATS since late 2020. Edge: Over and slight to Ohio State.

North Carolina vs. South Carolina: These teams met in the 2019 opener, also on a neutral field, and the Tar Heels won straight up. However, North Carolina is 8-13 ATS its last 21 games. The Gamecocks have been very middling in most spread categories for coach Shane Beamer, but enter on 12-7 over run. Edge: Slight to over.

Colorado at Texas Christian: Deion Sanders makes his Colorado debut. The Buffaloes posted a 2-10 ATS mark last season but also were 9-3 to the over. The Horned Frogs won and covered their first four last year en route to a 8-1-1 ATS start. Sonny Dykes’ teams are 14-2 ATS in their first four games of the season since 2019. TCU also was 6-1-1 as chalk in 2022. Edge: TCU and slight to over.

UNR at Southern California: The Wolf Pack were winless outright in their final 10 games with just two spread wins in that span. After failing to cover against San Jose State in the opener, the Trojans have dropped four of their last five ATS as double-digit favorites. USC was 5-2 ATS at home last season and is working on nine consecutive overs. Edge: Over and slight to UNR.

Boise State at Washington: The Broncos were 0-5 ATS outside the Mountain West last season but are 4-1 their past five as an underdog. Kalen DeBoer teams are 8-0 ATS in first four games each of past two seasons at Fresno State and Washington. The Huskies were 4-0 straight up and ATS outside the Pac-12 in 2022. Edge: Washington.

South Alabama at Tulane: The Jaguars won and covered openers the past two seasons and were 4-0 ATS in the regular season outside the Sun Belt Conference last year. South Alabama has covered three straight as an underdog and is 14-8-1 to the over since early 2021. Tulane went 4-1 ATS vs. nonconference opponents last season. The Green Wave won and covered nine of their last 10, with their final five games going over the total. Edge: Over.

West Virginia at Penn State: The Mountaineers have covered five straight nonconference regular-season games but are 4-8 in their last 12 as an underdog. The Nittany Lions closed fast last season, going 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven and 4-0 ATS their last four regular-season games against FBS-level nonconference foes. Edge: Penn State.

Sunday

Northwestern at Rutgers: David Braun makes his Northwestern coaching debut. The Wildcats sagged to 1-11 SU and 4-8 ATS in 2022 and are 7-17 ATS the past two seasons. One of those wins was against Rutgers in 2021. The Scarlet Knights are 4-2 as chalk the past two seasons, but 3-11 ATS in Big Ten home games since 2020. Edge: Slight to Rutgers.

Louisiana State vs. Florida State: The Seminoles won last year’s matchup 24-23. LSU was 2-4 ATS away from home in coach Brian Kelly’s first season, including a win over depleted Purdue in bowl game. The Tigers were 4-1 ATS in nonconference games last season. Florida State is 11-5 ATS since late 2021 and 7-4 as an underdog since 2021. Edge: Slight to Florida State.