A measly two points was all that separated Austin Peay from getting a cover against Georgia in their opener last week and would have given me a 4-0 start to the season. Regardless, I can’t complain too much with how I started this college football betting campaign. I comfortably nailed the under in Rhode Island-Delaware, picked up the cover when The Citadel hung within single digits of Wofford and most importantly made a nice chunk of change when my FCS over FBS upset special cashed. I called Villanova to beat Temple outright as a 14-point underdog and was not surprised in the slightest when the Wildcats beat their city rival 19-17. I’m not gloating just yet though. There’s money to be made these coming weeks.
Week 1 Record: 3-1 ATS
FCS Week 2 Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Over 54.5 in Samford at Florida State
Samford has the best quarterback you’ve never heard of in Devlin Hodges. Hodges could go down as the most prolific passer in FCS history this season, eclipsing Steve McNair’s record 14,496 career passing yards. Hodges came into 2018 with 10,301 career passing yards and had no trouble lighting up Division II Shorter University in the season opener.
If you’re wondering whether Hodges can get it done against an FBS opponent, he has already answered those concerns with an unequivocal check mark. Last year, Hodges went 26-35 for 227 yards and two touchdowns against a great Georgia defense. In 2016, he was even more impressive against Mississippi State, leading Samford to 41 points on a day where he registered more than 500 total yards of offense.
The Bulldogs’ defense is good for an FCS team, but they are not likely to put up much of a fight against Florida State. Samford gave up 42 to Georgia last year and 56 to Mississippi State the year before, making me love the over in this one even more. Willie Taggart is going to want to prove that his offense works after laying an egg against Virginia Tech last week, and with his hurry-up mentality, it wouldn’t surprise me if this game ended up in the 70s.
Oregon State -12.5 vs. Southern Utah
It wasn’t much of a surprise to see Ohio State come out and rip Oregon State in Week 1. Ohio State has the talent to run it up, and the Buckeyes did not take their foot off the gas pedal against Oregon State. If you’re a fan of the Beavers, you have to be encouraged with how the offense played though.
Not many people expected Oregon State to move the ball as effectively as it did against Ohio State. All four of the Beavers’ touchdown drives against the Buckeyes were 75 yards or longer, and Artavis Pierce broke off some nice runs against this front four.
Meanwhile, Southern Utah was tripped up by North Alabama in their first game at the FCS level. The Thunderbirds gave up over 500 yards of offense in a stunning home loss that showed this defense needs a lot of work, particularly along the front four and in the secondary. Southern Utah is completely replacing its defensive front from last season, and the secondary lost some of its best players from 2017 too. That should bode well for Oregon State.
Abilene Christian -3 vs. Angelo State
This line is a little perplexing to me. Abilene Christian is not a great FCS team by any stretch, but the Wildcats are going up against a mediocre Division II team in Angelo State. The Wildcats put up 466 yards of offense and 27 points against Baylor last week, and they can score some points with quarterback Luke Anthony leading the charge.
