The college football season is still a couple of months away but those that follow the game closely enough have the ability to capitalize on the early sports betting lines that have already been released with a handful of games that deserve some early action. A lot can happen over the next couple of months but we know enough at this point to handicap a handful of games that should be locks barring a major injury disaster for any of the teams involved. Here is a look at the five biggest college football locks for 2016.
Christian McCaffrey Will Be A Heisman Finalist
Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson are both back after being Heisman trophy finalists behind Derrick Henry last season. It’s the first time since 2011 that multiple Heisman finalists have returned the following year and there is a good chance that both of them will be in the mix to win it again this season. We like McCaffrey as the best bet to finish among the finalists as a +500 pick to win actually win the Heisman. The Cardinal will lean on McCaffrey even more in the early going this season as they transition to a new quarterback after losing Kevin Hogan and there is every reason to believe he will put up elite numbers at Stanford once again. McCaffrey might not win the Heisman but we have him as one of the college football locks to be among the finalists this season.
Florida State Will Play In Bowl Game
The Seminoles hold the longest active streak of seasons in which they have earned a bowl bid with 34 straight and you can count on them making it 35 in a row this season. Florida State has enough talent to challenge for an ACC championship and while their schedule is challenging they should have no problem getting back to a bowl game in 2016. It’s smart to put some money on the Seminoles to go bowling while also considering putting a little bit of money on them as a sleeper pick to make the College Football Playoff this season. This should be one of the safest college football locks.
Hawaii Over 2.5 Wins This Season
Hawaii has recorded five straight losing seasons since a 10-4 campaign in 2010 and while they aren’t expected to finish with a winning record this year they should at the very least be able to top their sports betting season wins total of 2.5. The Rainbow Warriors have recorded an average of just over 3.0 wins per season over the past five years and the combination of improved talent on their roster and a more manageable schedule should translate to them going over the 2.5 on the season wins total. Consider this a good option among our college football locks.
Week 1
Temple (-15.5) vs. Army
Now that we have provided you with some locks for season bets we can switch the focus to a couple of locks for Week 1. The defending American Athletic Conference’s East division champions will open the season looking to build on last year’s performance after they posted a school-record 10 wins. Temple has more than enough talent to contend for the AAC championship and a lopsided Week 1 win over Army should really help their confidence. The Black Knights are coming off their fifth consecutive season with at least eight losses and they aren’t expected to finish much better than their 2-10 mark from a year ago so look for the Owls to hand them a lopsided defeat and open the season with a ton of momentum on their side.
Week 1: Penn State (-18.5) vs. Kent State
The Nittany Lions have won their last three home openers against Mid-American Conference teams by an average of 23 points and even without Christian Hackenberg at quarterback we expect that trend will continue. Penn State will run a more up-tempo offense this season that spreads things out and capitalizes on opponents weaknesses and that could translate to even more points than they scored last year. The Nittany Lions should definitely have their way at home in Week 1 against a Golden Flashes team that went 3-0 last season and averaged just 13.1 points per game including three shutout losses. Penn State will dominate this game and should be able to cover the spread as another lock for Week 1.
