By Tony Erquiaga and Robert Perea
Tony
As Robert Perea and I have joined forces to create a regional sports section, I am now joining him in picking some college and football games this year.
A note to the degenerates out there — this for entertainment purposes only. Ha. I made my first bet some 34 years ago and I still haven’t won. There is a reason there are big buildings in Las Vegas.
We are going to have fun with this and might even get a pick or two right. The college football season should be more than crazy with probably eight teams with the opportunity to win a national championship.
In the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks still play football, right? They won the Super Bowl, right? Never seen a team get less respect coming into a new year. It is all about the Rams. Don’t even get me started on the 49ers. Prostitution, car wrecks and electric grids. Maybe we can play some football?
On to the picks (lines as of Wednesday at William Hill):
North Carolina vs. TCU (-7.5) at Dublin, Ireland: This number is a little low for me, but I suspect it is due to the game being played In Ireland. The offseason hasn’t got much better for Bill Belichick and North Carolina. Is a trip to Dublin really the right choice? The Tar Heels are a trainwreck and I don’t see how he comes back for a third year in 2027. I may be wrong, but it seems like it’s a big family party for the former New England Patriots coach.
TCU was picked fifth in a tough Big 12 conference with Texas Tech, BYU and Houston. Texas Tech and BYU have legitimate chances at reaching the College Football Playoff. I am hoping the Horned Frogs are not in for an Ireland hangover. TCU 37, North Carolina 14
Memphis at UNLV (-4.5). This is probably one of the best and most intriguing matchups of Week 0. The Rebels were left at the alter by the new Pac 12 at the same time there were talks of the Tigers joining the Pac 12 as well.
To me this is a toss-up and either team can win but with the game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, UNLV has the slight edge. It is crazy to think there are actual expectations for the Rebels. At one time, UNLV was one of the worst schools in the nation. Thanks to its northern Nevada counterpart, Nevada, the Wolf Pack has taken over that throne.
UNLV is good. As Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lomardi said, ‘What the Hell is Going on Out Here?’ I expect a high scoring game. UNLV 38, Memphis 33.
Hawaii at Stanford (-3.5). I have no idea where to go with the pick. If the game was on the island — Hawaii no problem. Stanford playing in the ACC is just wrong and Hawaii is supposed to be decent this year. Unless Capt. Andrew Luck brings his troops (by the way one the best parody accounts on X), the Cardinal may be in for a long night. Stanford will want to be careful, as Hawaii storms the beaches of California. Hawaii 28, Stanford 24.
Robert
As Tony said, these picks are for entertainment purposes, if by entertainment you mean laughing like a hyena at how wrong I can often be.
Which brings me to my annual disclaimer: I actually do put a few bucks on all of these picks, and usually on others that I don’t write here, but my betting methods do not suit all tastes. For example, I often bet on games expecting a certain game flow, knowing full well that if the game flow doesn’t go that way, there is a high likelihood of embarrassment. But one of my betting mantras is that if you’re going to lose, do it right.
The first week of college football has always been my favorite to bet because the opening lines are based on assumptions, but with the transfer portal and teams basically building new rosters every year, it’s much more difficult to find lines that are way off. There may be even more of those kinds of lines now, but they’re harder to spot. But at least now we can put the off the field drama of the past eight months behind and start watching some football.
(Also, like Tony, I will cite the line from William Hill at the time I write column, but lines change fast and can vary by sportsbook.)
Sacramento St. (+10) at Eastern Michigan: This is one of those games that might offer a high degree of embarrassment, but here goes anyway. If Sac State hadn’t lost coach Brennan Marion in the offseason this would be a stronger bet, but I keep reading that the Hornets are “moving up” to a tougher conference in their first year in the FBS. But I would argue that the Big Sky is a tougher conference than the MAC. Sac St. went 7-5 overall last year, 5-3 in the Big Sky. Eastern Michigan was 4-8, 3-5 in the MAC. The Eagles averaged 24.1 points per game and allowed 29.8. I’m willing to bet they can’t beat the Hornets by more than 10.
Hawaii (+4) at Stanford: Stanford is only 8-19 against the spread as a home favorite over the past 10 years, and they are 0-7 in the past six years. In the last five years, they were 3-9 four times and 4-8 last year. Not the kind of program that should be laying points.
Memphis (+4 ½) at UNLV: This is the most fascinating, and in the big picture as far as the college football playoffs, the most important game of the week. But even though they tied for the Mountain West regular season title last year, I didn’t think UNLV wasn’t as good as the year before, and I’m not as high on coach Dan Mullen as I was Barry Odom. Memphis disappointed last season, but I am a believer in new Memphis coach Charles Huff, who won the Sun Belt title in 2024 at Marshall and took Southern Miss to a bowl game last year after they were 0-12 in 2024.
Comment
Comments