Either the powers that be want to give me a reprieve and are hoping that I can win one more college football parlay this week, or they are deviously wondering how deep of a hole I can dig for myself in this endeavor.
The parlay I put together for college football betting purposes on Championship Week was … awful, to put it bluntly. I was confident that Texas would be able to knock off Oklahoma for a second time, and I had faith that Memphis would be able to do what it couldn’t do against UCF in the regular season.
I was wrong on both counts. Texas put up a valiant effort against Oklahoma, but the Longhorns just didn’t have the guns to pull off the upset. Meanwhile, the Tigers saw history repeat itself. Memphis again jumped out to a first half lead on UCF, but the Knights stormed back in the second half, erasing a three-score halftime deficit to not only win but cover the spread as well. The only win in my three-team parlay was Alabama, and that was quite the battle. Hopefully, the first week of bowl season treats me better.
Week 1: No Play
Week 2: +$267.68
Week 3: -$100
Week 4: -$100
Week 5: -$100
Week 6: -$100
Week 7: -$100
Week 8: -$100
Week 9: +$264.46
Week 10: -$100
Week 11: -$100
Week 12: -$100
Week 13: -$100
Week 14: -$100
College Football Parlay Betting Odds
UAB -2.5 vs. Northern Illinois
North Texas ML +264 vs. Utah State
$100 to win $594.91
I love UAB against Northern Illinois in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Huskies generally treat bowl season for what it is, an exhibition. In the Rod Carey era, Northern Illinois has made it to a bowl game five times, and the team has lost all five of those games. Only one of the losses was even close. They lost 21-14 to Utah State in the 2013 Poinsettia Bowl, but each of their other four defeats have been by at least three touchdowns.
Additionally, the Huskies have one of the worst offenses in the country. They were ranked 115th in the nation in total offense according to S&P+, and if Marcus Childers didn’t have the game of his life in the MAC Championship Game, those numbers would have been much worse.
Related: College Football Bowl Betting
Motivation is huge come bowl season, and UAB will have plenty of it this time. The Blazers were ecstatic to simply get to a bowl game given all the program had been through last year, and their trip to the Bahamas for the Bahamas Bowl ended up being a celebration more than anything else. This year, UAB is out to win its first bowl game in program history.
I’m going big and calling my shot in the other bowl game. I simply don’t understand the line in this one. Utah State was one of the best Group of Five teams this season, but the Aggies have been in turmoil since the end of the year. Head coach Matt Wells left for Texas Tech a couple weeks ago, and it was only announced earlier this week that Gary Andersen would take over the program again after a coaching search that got messy in the end.
Meanwhile, North Texas’ players are ecstatic that both their head coach and offensive coordinator decided to stay for one more season. Seth Littrell and Graham Harrell were both rumored to be leaving Denton, but both coaches announced their intentions to stay for at least one more year.
That continuity will pay off in a big way here. Mason Fine is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country, and he could have a big day against this defense. North Texas is just 2.6 points worse than Utah State according to S&P+, so there is a lot of value on the Mean Green here.
