Caleb Wilfinger
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At long last, Week 1 is finally here! Sure, Week 0 was a nice appetizer, but this week truly marks the start of the 2023 college football season. The action kicked off with a handful of games last night, and I cashed my first mega parlay of the season at +610 odds. Let’s keep the momentum going!
Friday’s slate looks to be a very entertaining one that offers a handful of compelling matchups which I’ll be targeting in this piece. There is value to be had across the board, so I have built a 3-leg college football parlay of my favorite plays on the slate. Let’s look at the three components of our NCAAF mega parlay for Friday’s action.
Hawaii ML (+136)
Louisville vs Georgia Tech Under 49.5 (-110)
Central Michigan +14.5 (-115)
NCAAF Parlay odds: +735
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
For this parlay, we are going with an underdog against the spread, an underdog on the money line and a game total under. Let’s break down each of these legs one by one.
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Hawaii Rainbow Warriors ML over Stanford Cardinal (+136)
This line has moved considerably all week, and for good reason. Hawaii kept it close against Vanderbilt last week, turning some heads in the process. It will be a short turnaround for head coach Timmy Chang’s group, but having a game already under their belt is a huge advantage compared to Stanford. The biggest improvement for most college teams comes between their first and second game, and I expect the run-and-shoot offense to be clicking against a Cardinal defense that is in the midst of a complete rebuild.
Stanford’s offense returns only 2 starters and there are a ton of unknowns for this team in Troy Taylor’s first game as a head coach. The Rainbow Warriors have the more experienced coach and the better quarterback in this one, so let’s back the hosts to get the job done on the island.
Get our college football picks for all of the big Week 1 matchups!
Louisville Cardinals vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Under 49.5 (-110)
The Jeff Brohm era in Louisville is here and the new head coach has brought quarterback Jack Plummer from Purdue with him. Plummer played for 4 years under Brohm and should be able to adapt well to the new school with a similar offense. However, that might not be the case in the season opener, especially against a feisty Georgia Tech side that will be looking to run the ball and kill the clock with its triple-option attack.
Louisville is certainly the more talented side, but styles make fights and I think the Yellow Jackets could successfully muck the game up enough to keep things close. Given that both offenses averaged well under 30 points per game last season and we’ll have two new quarterbacks and head coaches making their program debuts, it’s hard not to favor the under.
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Central Michigan Chippewas +14.5 vs Michigan State Spartans (-115)
Although Michigan State certainly has the brand-name value, the Spartans have gone from CFB Playoff contenders to barely competing for a bowl game within a mere two seasons. I don’t like anything about this Michigan State team and I made that clear in my Spartans team preview last month. Therefore, even though Mel Tucker has usually demolished directional Michigan schools in his time as head coach, I’m projecting a much closer game this time around.
Central Michigan replaced a lot in the offseason, but the Chippewas kept their explosive rushing attack intact and should find plenty of ways to score under experienced head coach Jim McElwain. On the other side, quarterback Payton Thorne and top wide receiver Keon Coleman are both gone for the Spartans, and their second-best wide receiver, Jayden Reed, is now a Green Bay Packer. To make matters worse, Michigan State’s ground attack was awful and its defense was even worse, ranking 101st in the nation in passing defense in 2022 while giving up 416.5 yards per game. The Spartans should at least have the tools to beat a MAC school at home, but I still have faith in a refreshed Chippewas team to keep things within two possessions on Friday.
Be sure to read our full Central Michigan vs Michigan State predictions
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