It’s been a great start to the college football betting season. After just missing out on a 4-0 ATS start, my picks went undefeated last week and each selection hit with room to spare. Samford and Florida State was more than 80 percent of the way to going over the total at halftime, Oregon State was up 41-7 on Southern Utah by halftime, and Abilene Christian erased a halftime deficit to get the cover. There’s not much I like this week, but there is good value in a couple of FCS Week 3 games.
Week 1 Record: 3-1 ATS
Week 2 Record: 3-0 ATS
FCS Week 3 Betting Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Villanova -10 vs. Towson
This spread should be higher, especially considering Villanova beat Temple in its season opener. The Wildcats have a great quarterback in Zach Bednarczyk. Villanova’s season was derailed when Bednarczyk went down with an injury last year, but he is back and playing well. Bednarczyk went 29 of 40 for 254 yards with three touchdowns and an interception against a good Temple defense, and he had little problem moving the ball against Lehigh last week too.
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Villanova has a very good defense, and its leader has also returned from a season-ending injury. Rob Rolle is one of the best safeties in the FCS, and he can help short-circuit Towson’s passing attack. The Wildcats are allowing just 5.1 yards per pass attempt now that he is back in the lineup.
The Tigers have a pretty good quarterback in Tom Flacco (yes, he’s the brother of Joe Flacco). He was solid in Towson’s season-opening win over Morgan State, and he looked good against Wake Forest last week. However, the Demon Deacons were likely spending a lot of time prepping for Boston College on a short week.
Towson is very one-dimensional and does not have a good defense. Villanova should be able to move the ball effectively against the Tigers throughout the game and control the clock in a comfortable win.
Kennesaw State -23.5 vs. Alabama State
When these two teams met in Alabama State last season, the Owls could only manage a six-point victory. However, a lot has changed since then. Kennesaw State has come into its own as a program, and Chandler Burks has grown into a great quarterback.
Burks ran for over 1,000 yards and threw for over 1,000 yards last year, and he almost led Kennesaw State to a win over an FBS school in their opener. He has mastered running Brian Bohannon’s triple option with a twist offense, and that has made Kennesaw State lethal on offense.
Additionally, Kennesaw State is a senior-laden team. The Owls started play in 2015, and many recruits in that first wave are starting as seniors. With so much experience, this team has an edge over many others.
Meanwhile, Alabama State just isn’t that good. The Hornets nearly lost to Division II Tuskegee in their season opener, and they were pasted by Auburn last week. They have yet to prove they can move the ball effectively on the ground or through the air.