Now that the offenses have a game under their belt, expect to see more scoring in Week 2 of the college football season. Play Texas Tech and Nevada over the total tonight.
Week 1 is always the lowest scoring week of the college football season, with offenses needing a bit of work against 'real' defenses before they can get into any kind of a rhythm. Historically, the biggest increase from scoring from week to week occurs between the first and second week of the season. For example, in 2007 scoring increased by more than eight points per game from Week 1 to Week 2, while Overs cashed at a 67% clip. There’s no shame in looking for solid Overs to bet this week.
Texas Tech put up 639 yards of offense in their opener last week, scoring 49 points, yet we’re getting quotes like these from the Red Raiders head coach Mike Leach: "We are a spotty team. I don't think that we played what I consider well more than three series in a row on either side of the ball."
Third year quarterback Graham Harrell said, "That was a pretty sloppy game and offensively we were pretty sloppy. We've got a long ways to go and a lot of room to get better."
I expect a focused, well-executed performance from an offense that scored 41 points per game last year, facing a slower, undersized Nevada defense that struggles to stop high octane attacks.
But don’t sell the Wolfpack’s offense short either. Head coach Chris Ault has found the perfect quarterback to run his pistol offense in sophomore Colin Kaepernick, the WAC Freshman of the Year last season. Eight starters return from an offense that scored 33 points per game last year, six points higher than that at home.
Expect a wild shootout in Reno on Saturday Night, sending this game flying Over the total.
Free Pick: Texas Tech-Nevada Over 67 (-110)