Volume 2 I 2019 College Football Betting Guide $19.99 2019 COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING GUIDE CONTENTS 3 COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS UPON US 4 WHO’S WHO AFTER BIG TWO 5 KEEP IT SIMPLE AND TAKE STOCK IN THIS HANDICAPPING ADVICE 8 VSiN STAFF PREDICTIONS 6 13 RANKING THE STARTING QBS BY CONFERENCE 17 ASSESSING THE NEW COACHING STAFFS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF 25 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PREVIEW PREDICTIONS 51 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE PREVIEW 81 BIG 12 CONFERENCE PREVIEW 103 BIG TEN CONFERENCE PREVIEW 133 CONFERENCE USA PREVIEW 163 FBS INDEPENDENTS PREVIEW 23 176 MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE PREVIEW 202 MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE PREVIEW 2019 BET ON 228 PAC-12 CONFERENCE PREVIEW AND BET 254 SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW 284 SUN BELT CONFERENCE PREVIEW AGAINST TEAMS DATABASE CREATIVE COO EDITOR MANAGER DIRECTOR VSiN STEVE MAKINEN JASON LATUS MATT DEVINE BILL ADEE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND EDITORS: Kelley Bydlon, Ron Flatter, Brady Kannon, Mike Lombardi, Bruce Marshall, Patrick Meagher, Mitch Moss, Brent Musburger, Wes Reynolds, Paul Stone, Dave Tuley, Jonathan Von Tobel, and Matt Youmans photos by USA Today Sports Images COMMON ABBREVIATIONS USED THROUGHOUT THIS GUIDE ATS – Against the Spread • Avg - Average • DC - Defensive Coordinator • Def - Defense • Dog - Underdog Eff Strg - Steve Makinen Effective Strength Rating • Fav - Favorite • FL – Final Line • FT – Final Total • HC - Head Coach H2h – Head-to-Head • L - Losses • L# - Last number of games • LY – Last Year • MOV – Margin of Victory • O - Over OC - Offensive Coordinator • Off - Offense • OL – Opening Line • OT – Opening Total • Opp – Opponent O/U – Over/Under • PA - Points Against • Pct - Percentage • PF - Points For • PPG - Points Per Game PYPG – Passing Yards per Page • RS - Returning Starters • RYPG – Rushing Yards per Game SM BR - Steve Makinen Bettors’ Rating • SM PR - Steve Makinen Power Rating • SU - Straight Up • TO - Turnovers TYPG – Total Yards per Game • U - Under • W - Wins • YPP – Yards per Play • YPPT – Yards per Point • YPR – Yards per Rush 2019 VSiN COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING GUIDE 2 COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS UPON US BY STEVE MAKINEN - @STEVEMAKINEN Hello college football enthusiasts! I have to assume the various conferences across the college football that because you’ve chosen to purchase the 2019 landscape. Matt Youmans tackles the Pac-12, Big VSiN College Football Betting Guide, at least Ten, and Independents, Bruce Marshall breaks down you’re taking your preparations for the 2019 the Big 12 & Sun Belt, Wes Reynolds gives us a look kickoff seriously. It fgures to be a great season at the ACC & American, Dave Tuley shares his Takes and in being along for the ride with VSiN, you’re on the MAC & SEC, and fnally, Jonathan Von Tobel giving yourself a great chance at making it a highly sizes up the Mountain West and Conference USA. proftable one as well. This is just one of many resources that you’ll be able to utilize this season Add all of that to 2-page spreads on each of the from VSiN, as we also offer 24-hour programming 130 teams in FBS and you have the makings of a on our website and numerous other media, daily massive and valuable publication that you’ll want to email newsletters, a weekly digital magazine called keep handy all season long. Point Spread Weekly that just celebrated publishing its 100th edition, and NEW FOR 2019, daily From last year, I recall getting all kinds of emails updated online statistics, trends, and other matchup from readers asking me for tips on how to best data that you can access 24/7. With so much utilize the info in the VSiN College Football Guide. information coming from experts that the industry To start off, I would say to read the editorials has come to trust, your betting fortunes are certainly frst. Our guys are experts that pour hours into in the right hands with VSiN. After all, as the legend studying the teams and massaging their approaches Brent Musburger always says, “Cashing tickets is to wagering. If they spot a team that looks like what it’s all about.” a good OVER bet on a season win total wager, there’s probably a sound reason for it. Also, make Speaking of Brent, we are extremely pleased to special note of the key games they point out in the have him contributing to this year’s College Football conference preview pages. These are spots that Betting Guide, as he brings us an Opening Lines teams could be looking ahead in the prior week, column in which he addresses our cover subject: or perhaps facing a letdown afterward. Finding Can anyone prevent another Clemson-Alabama value in a wager for a particular game can often be title game rematch? It is certainly the top story done when looking at it in the context of the games heading into the season, as both of those teams around it. are loaded for 2019, and each has a quarterback that can stake claim to being the nation’s best. See I have personally designed and uncovered the data what Brent has to say on the subject in his exclusive for each of the team pages. I put a lot of stock into piece. teams’ situational records in recent years, how they are trending as a program, who they tend to match In this guide you will fnd plenty of features that are up best & worst with on their annual schedules, and designed with a specifc purpose in mind…helping above almost anything else, the experience they you build your betting bankroll. We know you are have coming back for this season. This last point using VSiN for a reason and we don’t step around is not only done quantitatively by the amount of the matter. We want you to win this season! Other returning starters shown, but also qualitatively by well-respected preview magazines will give you the articles I have contributed to the guide. I have a good idea of the players and teams, but they been handicapping football for well over 20 years, won’t give you the odds, stats, facts, and other and there is very little I fnd more valuable than handicapping tidbits that you will need to make it returning player experience and coaching staffs in a big season at the betting window. Thank you for college football, and quality of quarterback play. recognizing the difference. If any of you are looking for the piece I ran last Some of the articles you will fnd in this publication year on Teams Expected to Improve or Decline in come from: 2019 based upon trends and stats of recent years, that article will be published in an upcoming Point • Michael Lombardi, who gives us some sound Spread Weekly edition. If you aren’t on board for betting advice to take into the season your subscription to that yet, what are you waiting • Paul Stone, who has fve Bet On & Against Teams for? There is a ton of great information like that to recognize for 2019 published each and every week. • Myself, Steve Makinen, on ranking the quarterbacks across the country Enjoy the guide, and best of luck this season from • Myself, on the impact that each of the coaching everyone at VSiN. changes will have on success and/or totals Steve Makinen @SteveMakinen We also have fve of the most prominent contributors Editor to VSiN year round offering up their predictions for [email protected] 2019 VSiN COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING GUIDE 3 WHO’S WHO AFTER BIG TWO BY BRENT MUSBURGER - @BRENTMUSBURGER Which four schools will at Georgia, Eason never regained his job from Jake make it to the College Fromm. There’s no shame in losing out to Fromm, and Football Playoff the last Eason has something to prove back in his home state. week of December? I begin with Clemson and Oregon is led by QB Justin Herbert, a future NFL frst- Alabama, thus joining rounder. But guess what? This season the Ducks draw everybody else with an the Auburn Tigers on Aug. 31 at Arlington, Texas. Their opinion. rivalry game against Washington will be played at Seattle. The schedule works against the Ducks as it does I can only guess how against Texas. The Longhorns host LSU early September, many times Nick Saban and that’s a tall order for a team replacing three has studied his low Tide offensive-line starters. (16-44) vs. Clemson in last season’s fnal. Obviously, he thirsts for a rematch. And he may be rewarded. Who will join the Big Two is a bigger puzzle. Leading candidates include Ohio State and Michigan of the Big Ten, Oklahoma and Texas of the Big 12, Oregon and Washington of the Pac-12, Georgia and Florida of the SEC and independent Notre Dame. I’m predicting Michigan and Washington will join Clemson and Alabama. Admittedly, Michigan is a risky choice. Part of my reasoning focuses on the committee, which has snubbed the Big Ten conference the last two years. That’s bad business. The Big Ten produces huge TV ratings, and that means more money for the colleges in the next contract. Barring a performance meltdown, I cannot see the Oregon Quarterback conference being snubbed a third straight season. Justin Herbert The easy selection is Ohio State. The Buckeyes buried Michigan last year 62-39. But there are three reasons I’m looking elsewhere in the Big Ten. 1) No one knows if Ryan Day is as good a coach as Urban Meyer was, especially on game day. Urban stepped away a perfect 7-0 against “that team up north,” as Woody Hayes always referred to Michigan.