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Being thorough is a key to making money in the College Football Season. However, at the same time, many bettors have limited time to do all the necessary research. Also, even the most “seasoned” bettors like to have a handy “quick reference guide” or “cheat sheet” available that allows them to hone in on potential value spots throughout a season. That is the intent of this article. While this is not an all inclusive listing of all the teams from A to E it is indeed a “value guide” for most of the teams in this range. Next up I will take a look at teams from F to J and so on…
This six part series effectively breaks up the 120 teams into groups of roughly 20 each and while I certainly will not write about value for every single team, I will indeed indicate the teams for which there could be value going with or against them. I will notate why I feel this way and, again, this is not intended to be an all inclusive list nor is it intended to be a detailed list. It’s a quick reference guide for early in the season to help you look for spots where, as an example, a “play on” team is matched up with a “go against” team.
That is the type of “value play” that you definitely want to be a part of! Now, let’s take our first look by starting with the A to E group!
Air Force – The Falcons surprised a lot of people by winning six of their last seven games before then falling short against California in the Armed Forces Bowl. However, don’t expect such a surprise this season. The Falcons return just eight starters and they lost two key players on offense in QB Shaun Carney and Chad Hall. Yes, much of the Falcons success is the system but this still looks like a down year compared to 2007.
Army – We stay with the ‘military theme’ for team number two to watch this season. The Black Knights certainly don’t appear to be an “exciting” team but exciting to us is making money! That said, there could be some nice opportunities to play on Army this season. Their schedule is much softer than it’s been in recent seasons and that should help prevent them from getting worn down as they have in seasons past. Also, coach Stan Brock has decided to bring back the option offense and we feel the right personnel is in place to execute this offense with success. Lastly, because they were just 4-6-1 ATS last season there should be some value to be had in playing on Army this season!
Ball State – The Cardinals offense was very dangerous last season. In 2008, they return the entire group on offense and their defense has a “fighting chance” too as they return eight starters. Note also that Ball State’s special teams game is solid with both the punting and kicking games appearing to be in good shape. Even though they play in the MAC this is a team you should plan to keep an eye on as they could be a money maker.
California – Finally, a “big school” for you to take a look at and we feel you won’t like what you see! The Golden Bears disappointed last season and, with a lot of key personnel losses, 2008 is quite likely to be another disappointing season for the Bears. Since California is still a Pac Ten “big name” school we could still get some value in facing them at times this season and we certainly will be looking to do just that. The Bears lost a lot of key personnel on both sides of the ball and the losses at the skill positions of WR and RB could be particularly hard to overcome early in the season.
Clemson – The Tigers did lose four starters from the offensive line but this team is so talented they had to make this list! We’ll be looking for spots to play on Clemson once the offensive line proves that it has gelled as a unit. The offensive backfield looks great, the defense is rock-solid, they’ve got solid talent at the wide-out spot, etc. Keep in mind only a very tough loss to Boston College kept this team from taking the Atlantic Division in the ACC. This team will be “up there” in the standings once again this season and though we may proceed with caution early on, this team should end up being a moneymaker as the season goes on.
