Jim Barnes’ college football forecast: BYU, USC among best bets

Anyone who tells you it’s casual to triumph astatine sports betting is lying.

It’s highly difficult. Those uncommon nonrecreational sports bettors you perceive astir give their beingness to it, and often person partners oregon employees who stock the enactment of breaking down games, trying to stitchery accusation astir teams and monitoring the betting market.

I americium not a nonrecreational sports bettor. I americium a writer who writes astir sports betting, an avid amateur who has been fortunate capable to crook his hobby into a job.

My champion sports person been assemblage shot and basketball. I can’t committedness I volition person a winning season, but I expect to person one.

As the saying goes, these picks are for amusement purposes only. Don’t stake your owe connected these (please).

Here are my 5 champion plays for Week 1 of assemblage football, with the statement enactment arsenic of Thursday:

— Southern California (-14): The Trojans person precocious hopes, but they look a pugnacious trial against the Spartans, who went undefeated against an all-Mountain West docket past season. San Jose State besides has a crippled nether its belt, having cruised past Southern Utah 45-14 successful 1 of the scant Week Zero games, portion USC is playing its play opener. But sometimes having played a crippled works against a team; present their hostile has immoderate portion to study. Quarterback Kedon Slovis and the Trojans should propulsion distant successful the 2nd half.

— Kentucky (-31): Louisiana-Monroe was atrocious successful past year’s COVID-shortened season, going 0-7 with six of the losses by 18 oregon much points (all against non-Power Five schools). Now the Warhawks person to effort to enactment wrong shouting region of a Southeastern Conference team. Circa Sports, the sharpest sportsbook successful Las Vegas, ticked up to -31½ connected Thursday erstwhile the remainder of the marketplace was astatine 31 oregon adjacent 30½. That’s a awesome to laic the points with Kentucky.

— Akron (+37): This is simply a stake against Auburn alternatively than a stake connected the Zips, who went 1-5 past season. Former Boise State manager Bryan Harsin takes implicit astatine Auburn, and it wouldn’t beryllium a astonishment to spot the Tigers commencement dilatory nether caller management. Or astatine slightest not travel retired firing capable to triumph by much than 5 touchdowns.

— Texas-San Antonio (+5½): It’s champion to anchor handicapping successful statistic and logical reasoning, but a much creator betting mentation I subscribe to is, “This doesn’t look right.” Illinois has excitement surrounding the programme nether caller manager Bret Bielema, and the Illini upset Nebraska arsenic 7-point underdogs past week. Now Illinois is laying little than a touchdown astatine location to a Conference USA team? This doesn’t look right. Take the Roadrunners.

— Brigham Young (-12½): The Cougars had adjacent to a imagination play successful 2020, going 11-1 nether backmost Zach Wilson, who became the No. 2 wide NFL draught prime by the New York Jets. But BYU was much than Wilson, and Arizona is starting implicit with caller manager Jedd Fisch aft an 0-5 season.

Contact Jim Barnes astatine jbarnes@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV connected Twitter.