College Football Preview: Odds, Trends for Upcoming Games

Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer, however it also brings us college football.

Several intriguing clashes will be taking place on the gridiron over the next week. William Hill has odds posted for six of those contests, including two for tonight.

“Setting lines for college football this season is going to be crazy,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. “Who knows what’s going to happen each week? The Central Arkansas-Austin Peay game was going all over the place due to COVID rumors. It’s not going to take much to move a line, that’s for sure.”

In the first game, Central Arkansas goes up against UAB at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. After beating Austin Peay 24-17 this past weekend, Central Arkansas will aim to make it two straight in the win column to start this campaign. UAB, however, is a 21-point favorite (-1300 moneyline) while the total is at 49.5.

A showdown between South Alabama and Southern Mississippi kicks off an hour later (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). This line has seen some movement, as South Alabama is now a 13.5-point underdog after opening at +15.5. William Hill bettors have been siding with the underdog Jaguars, as they have gotten 53% of the total number of tickets and 54% of the total dollars wagered.

The most exciting matchup for this slate, though, takes place on Labor Day itself.

“BYU-Navy should be by far the biggest handle for these upcoming games,” Bogdanovich said. “It’s the last one being played, it’s two really good football teams and the line is right around that pick’em area.”

Navy was a 2-point favorite at one point, but the line has swung to its opponent’s favor. BYU is now -1, as the Cougars have brought in 67% of the total number of tickets and 80% of the total dollars wagered. The total has also shifted in this one, going from 53.5 to its current number of 50. One Nevada bettor placed $2,200 on BYU-Navy under 51 points (-110) for a total potential payout of $4,200.

Yet, the biggest bet for these upcoming games thus far at William Hill has come in on the biggest favorite.

SMU is a 21.5-point favorite (-1800 ML) in its season opener against Texas State. Another Nevada bettor put down $8,000 on SMU -1800 for a total potential payout of $8,444.45.

Check out William Hill’s latest odds and trends below for this week’s upcoming college football games.

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