Betting the Big 12: Week 1

I said all along that once we got into late September, football season would feel normal. I was wrong. The first couple weeks of games have been weird, but the power conference squads are taking over. And the 2nd week of September feels right to me. Gone are the Big Ten unders, and late night Pac-12 weirdness. But as long as there are games on the schedule, we’re going to bet them, even though this week leaves a lot to be desired. So let’s hit up the sportsbook and make it happen. It’s Betting the Big 12 Week 1! For the purpose of this column, let’s assume all bets are -110 and we’ll bet the same amount on every game (1.1 units to win 1). So for example, if you bet $11 on every game at -110, you win $10 back per winner. Please bet responsibly!

THE GAMES

Arkansas State (0-1) at Kansas State (0-0)

Kickoff: 11:00am | TV: FOX | The Line: Kansas State -10.5

Arkansas State covered as a 19 point underdog to Memphis last week. But they made a ton of mistakes along the way. Now, an extra week of live game reps can’t hurt, but K-State will have actual game film to break down and plan around as well. Plus, I don’t think Memphis would be a 9 point favorite against K-State on a neutral field. Conventional wisdom would say take Arkansas State, but I think the Red Wolves have a letdown from last Saturday.

Pick: Kansas State -10.5

Eastern Kentucky (0-1) at West Virginia (0-0)

Kickoff: 11:00am | TV: FS1 | The Line: West Virginia -40.5

Eastern Kentucky lost 58-0 to Marshall last week. The ‘Eers aren’t about to get one-upped by their rival against the same team.

Pick: West Virginia -40.5

Louisiana (0-0) at Iowa State (0-0)

Kickoff: 11:00am | TV: ESPN | The Line: Iowa State -12

This makes me nervous. But I’ll be damned if I’m not taking Iowa State in this spot. Roll Clones!

Pick: Iowa State -12

Missouri State (0-0) at Oklahoma (0-0)

Kickoff: 6:00pm | TV: lol | The Line: Oklahoma -42.5

Lincoln Riley’s squad will put up plenty of points. I’d take them to cover against a really bad FCS team. I’ll go with Spencer Rattler to get plenty of reps in his first game. Just wait until that one guy Periscope’s the game instead of buying the PPV.

Pick: Oklahoma -42.5

UTEP (1-0) at Texas (0-0)

Kickoff: 7:00pm | TV: LHN | The Line: Texas -43

*Tessitore voice* Texas is back folks. At least, back enough beat up UTEP. The Miners almost lost to Stephen F. Austin last week. They might be the worst FBS team playing this fall. I’m not afraid of the big number.

Pick: Texas -43

Houston Baptist (0-1) at Texas Tech (0-0)

Kickoff: 7:00pm | TV: ESPN+ | The Line: Texas Tech -39.5

I don’t know anything about Houston Baptist. They put up 31 against North Texas last week. Tech will score, probably a lot, but I don’t know who is playing QB. One of these games will be closer than expected. HBU scores enough late to keep it within the number.

Pick: Houston Baptist +39.5

Coastal Carolina (0-0) at Kansas (0-0)

Kickoff: 9:00pm | TV: FS1 | The Line: Kansas -7

This pick is more on principle than anything. Coastal Carolina beat Kansas 12-7 in Lawrence last year. Kansas shouldn’t be favored by 7 points against anybody.

Pick: Coastal Carolina +7

BONUS PICK FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

Clemson -33 at Wake Forest

Wake Forest gets to host College Gameday for the first time in school history. The reward? #1 in the country comes to town with no fans in the stands. Trevor Lawrence is going to be motivated. Wake’s QB transferred and best WR opted out of the season. Clemson in a blowout.

ONE NFL PICK WHILE WE’RE AT IT

Bengals +3 vs Chargers

I’m high on Joe Burrow as a rookie, mostly because I think his receivers are really good. The Chargers don’t inspire much confidence in anyone. Let’s grab the live underdog. I think Cincy wins this on the field outright, but I’ll take the 3 points to be safe.

SIR YACHT’S B1G PROP OF THE WEEK

Number of national championships won by Jim Harbaugh on Xbox during the hiatus?

O/U 12.5

Enjoy the games!

SEASON RECORD: 0-0