5: Pittsburgh ACC Coastal Winner (+500): Starting out at #5, We have Pittsburgh to win the ACC Coastal and if you know me, this is a hard one to type out, but with Kedon Slovis being the new addition at QB along with a top 25 offensive and defensive line, I don’t see Miami or Virginia pushing them out to win the division. At +500 odds, this is a great bet with great value.
4: Baylor OR Oklahoma State Big 12 Conference Winner (both +500): Every Year we do the same thing in the Big12 and that is overhype Oklahoma and Texas. While I can guarantee you that Texas is NOT back, Oklahoma is the favorite to win the conference and it will be tough for Baylor or Oklahoma State to win the conference over them, BUT I love how both Baylor and Oklahoma State finished their 2021-2022 seasons and truly believe one of these two teams will win the Big12. With both teams being +500 to win the conference, I’ll be betting both of them to win since the odds are favorable. It might be a hail mary, but I like the odds and think I’ll get lucky on this one.
3: Penn State Over 8.5 Wins: +110: Look, I know anyone who reads this won’t believe me saying PSU will have 9 wins this season, BUT they are being severely overlooked and I truly believe that Sean Clifford will have a great year. As my dad has been saying all summer, “Clifford will have a Kenny Pickett like year”. The PSU defense will be top tier again this season and with one of the best WR rooms in the country, they have play makers to score points. The biggest two questions are at offensive line, which I think will actually have more depth this year than previous years and the obvious one being if James Franklin can get his game management together and avoid costing PSU any wins. Just like Michigan’s run last season, I think PSU has a good run this season and surprises the nation. I put $100 on them to go over 8.5 wins and think it’s good money there. While they will most likely lose to Ohio State and Michigan, I think they will win out the rest of their games and finish with 9-10 wins.
2: CJ Stroud Heisman Winner (+200): To start here, only one player has ever won the Heisman trophy twice and as much as I love Bryce Young, I don’t see him being the second player to ever do it. As a PSU fan, it hurts me to say I believe Stroud will win the Heisman, but I really think that’s his fate this season. He’s got all of the intangibles and has the nation’s hype on his back. The Big10 and College Football playoff will go through OSU and Stroud, he will have every opportunity to show why he should win it. While he’s the favorite and the “easy pick” here, I think he’s going to ball out this year and show why he deserves to be the 2022-2023 Heisman trophy winner.
1: Ohio State National Champions (+300): Again, nothing pains me more to have any kind of hype for Ohio State, but with all things considered I think it’s their year to win a championship. At the very least, I think they will make the championship game and will have a chance to win it. With +300 odds, I like the bet and expect them to be in the top 2-3 all season long. Might be an opportunity to cash the bet out for some money towards the end of the year as well if my opinion on the Buckeyes changes. I will also say this, PSU hosts Ohio State this year and I do think PSU has a good chance to upset them, but even if they do – they will still go on to most likely win the Big10 and then go to the College Football Playoff. I’m VERY low on Michigan this year and think their run last season was a fluke. Ohio State matches up well against teams like Bama, Georgia, Clemson, Oklahoma etc. and if Stroud does win the Heisman, he’s probably going to put them in a position to be national champions too.
