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Enamored with picking the favorites is what the sportsbook’s want. Year after year the books and offshore books win money off of sports fans because of their knack to rush their selections on the hot team. Week one that can not be the case because no one has played a game. All that people can go by is what the team did a year ago and what the media has fed them. Upsets are bound to happen on a weekly basis in college sports. Shake ups amongst the top twenty five are already going to occur after this Saturday.

Here are some potential money line plays for those digging for more than a standard parlay combination.

California over Northwestern- People are getting giddy on this Big Ten Northwestern team that nearly won all their games last season. I believe they’ll be a quality team but they’re a team that is not going to run away from anybody. They’ll keep teams in games. California is being overlooked in this matchup at home. Though they were inconsistent last year, it’s a team that has talent. Northwestern travels all the way to Berkeley for a 10:30 PM start on the west coast. Those are factors that I believe will tilt this game to Cal’s favor.

Utah St. Over Utah- Chuckie Keeton was a name that people did not know of a year ago. After Utah St. was repeatedly on ESPN’s Friday night telecast’s more and more people got to know him. He makes correct and key plays and led Utah St to a powerful season with a decisive bowl game win. Utah was a tricky team down the stretch last year, and might be a year away from having an impact again. Last year Utah St beat Utah for the first time since 1997. They’ll make it consecutive seasons with a Thursday win.

Syracuse over Penn State- This is a line that has shifted tremendously to the side of Penn State from 4-4.5 to now 7. It’s an odd shift to me as Syracuse has withheld media eyes on practices and has not named a starting quarterback yet. I believe the point spread increase is an over reaction. This is not the same Penn State team that went into Syracuse in 2009 in blew them out by 40 points. It’s a sanctioned scholarship reduced team going into the second year of untested waters. Syracuse hired Scott Schafer who will keep things in gear in Syracuse. Many point to the fact that Ryan Nassib, Marcus Sales, Alec Lemon, and Justin Pugh are gone on the offense. Those were seniors expected to move on. Syracuse has a bevy of underclassmen ready to step in like any other mid-tier college program would. The power back field of Jerome Smith and Prince Tyson-Gulley is still there, and I think Drew Allen starts the season off with a bang against Penn State. This is at a neutral site in New Jersey, and even though the fans will be over represented by Penn State, Syracuse will pull this out in the end.
Other Small ML Play- Boise St over Washington
Big Upsets I like- Wash St over Auburn, and Nevada over UCLA
Actual Parlay I’ll Likely Do- Cal, Syracuse, Nevada, and Jacksonville over Kansas City week one. $100 would net you $23,000 for a payout.