A new season of College Football is almost here. With a new season comes an opportunity to have a little extra change in your pocket.
In the coming weeks leading up to kickoff on August 26, I will go from conference to conference sharing my preseason win total bets that are worth putting some coin on.
For this edition of Brendan’s Best Bets, we are taking a look at MAC preseason win totals. Odds are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook.
Akron Over 3.5 Wins (-162)
Akron upgraded its talent all across the board. QB DJ Irons returns to lead an improved offense under Joe Moorhead. The offensive line should be much improved this year as well. The defense improved as the season went on in 2022. If they keep that momentum going, they could be a solid unit.
The Zips will be either favorites or slight underdogs in games against Temple, Morgan State, Bowling Green and Kent State. This team also had bad turnover luck last year and lost a lot of close games. Those are all signs of improvement for this campaign.
Bowling Green Under 4.5 Wins (+138)
Last year, Bowling Green made its first bowl game since 2015. The Falcons had four outright upsets last season. The likelihood of that happening again this season is slim. The schedule is also tougher this season. Bowling Green has a stretch of back-to-back-to-back away games at Georgia Tech, Miami (OH) and Buffalo. They have other tough games against Liberty, Michigan, Ohio, Ball State and Toledo.
The offense returns eight starters and has a chance to be marginally better than last season. The Falcons upgraded at QB with the addition of Connor Bazelak and they return their entire running back room. However, they lost their defensive coordinator and only return five defensive starters. The defense could be the achilles heel of this team.
Buffalo Under 6.5 Wins (-130)
The Bulls made a bowl in Maurice Linguist’s second season. This year, Buffalo returns just 10 starters. The Bulls are breaking in an entire new receiving unit and they lose some key pieces on defense. Buffalo also has a young offensive line.
The schedule includes two sets of back-to-back away games at Louisiana and Akron and at Kent State and Toledo. A bowl game is still a realistic possibility but a winning record is unlikely in an improved MAC.
Central Michigan Under 5.5 Wins (-150)
After a 9-4 season in 2021 and having the nation’s leading rusher, the Chippewas fell to 4-8 last fall. This season, Central Michigan loses Daniel Richardson at QB. Either Jase Bauer or Bert Emanuel will start. Bauer had a one-to-five touchdown to interception ratio in limited action last season. Emanuel is an elite runner but needs to improve in the passing game.
Overall, the offense returns just four starters but the defense returns nine starters and should be solid. While I can see them improving to five wins this season, getting to a bowl will be tough with the schedule that includes games against Michigan State, Notre Dame, South Alabama, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, Ball State, Northern Illinois, Ohio and Toledo. I project all of those teams to make a bowl game.
Eastern Michigan Under 7.5 Wins (-110)
Chris Creighton had his best season as Eastern Michigan head coach in 2022. The Eagles went 9-4 with a bowl victory. This season, I expect Creighton to revert back to six or seven wins. Eastern Michigan has some concern along the lines of scrimmage. The Eagles have just two returning starters on the offensive line and they lose All-American Jose Ramirez on the defensive line.
Getting to eight regular season wins again will be tough. The defensive back seven will be really good, but I expect a lot of the better MAC teams to have the trenches advantage against Eastern Michigan.
To recap, here are the bets we are making:
Akron Over 3.5 Wins (-162)
Bowling Green Under 4.5 Wins (+138)
Buffalo Under 6.5 Wins (-130)
Central Michigan Under 5.5 Wins (-150)
Eastern Michigan Under 7.5 Wins (-110)
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