Below we have posted the pointspreads for the opening week of college football 2009. The pointspreads posted below are for Games to be played on September 5, however keep in mind the season starts on September 3rd. On the 3rd, NC State is a -3.5 favorite over South Carolina, Utah is -21 over Utah State and Boise is -5.5 over Oregon. But don’t get too excited. While opening week for college football is in Our sights, there aren’t a whole lot of marquee match-ups. Let’s take a closer look and remember, shop for the best lines at several sportsbooks!
South Carolina at NC ST on the 3rd is a great way to get things started. Any Game involving Spurrier is worth watching if not just for the facial expressions! NC ST will be looking for a little revenge after last years 34-0 whipping. We lean towards the Gamecocks at anything better than +3.5. This one figures to be much closer than last years Game. Also of interest on the 3rd is the Boise-Oregon Game. Last year Boise nipped Oregon. This Game will be a big test for both squads.
As we move to the Games of Saturday September 5th, there’s not a whole lot to get excited about. Most of the big name schools kick off the year with cup cake Schedules. But there are some exceptions. How about Georgia at Oklahoma State? SEC vs. Big 12. The pointspread on that one is Oklahoma State -5.5 or 6 and we lean towards Georgia in that one. Both teams have a healthy number of returning starters from squads that were very good a year ago. They last net in 2007 with Georgia winning 35-14 at home. We have to take the points in a Game Georgia could win straight up.
Missouri and Illinois hook up on opening day for the 3rd straight year. Missouri won both of those in high scoring shootouts. This year Missouri finds themselves a +6.5 to +7 point underdog. Our early thoughts on this one are that the number is a little too high. The wrong team may be favored. Mizu has won 7 straight season openers by an average of almost 20 points per Game. While Mizu lost a fair amount of starters from a year ago, Illinois still needs to prove they deserve to be favored on the road coming of a 5-7 year.
Other Games of interest opening week would be Virginia Tech and Alabama with the Crimson Tide favored by a touchdown. California as a 21 point favorite over Maryland (is Maryland that bad??) and the two Monday Night tilts, Cinci at Rutgers and Miami Florida at Florida State.