Oklahoma Sooners: College Football TV Schedule & Gambling Picks - Week 1

Ladies and gentlemen, the cold, dark offseason is over. Today, college football begins in earnest, and in less than two days, it’ll be FOOTBALL TIIIIIIIIME IN OKLAHOMAAAAAAAA. Sure, it’s an 11 a.m. game, but let’s be honest — you were already going to wake up early no matter how much you were suffering from the night before. That’s the power of college football. I’ll be in my position at an early hour, and I encourage everyone to do the same. Don’t let Bob Bowlsby’s ineptitude prevent you from tailgating like a champion. In fact, you should do it just to spite him.

Additionally, OU’s opener is actually intriguing, so that should add to your excitement. The rest of the college football slate, however, actually seems kind of underwhelming by opening-week standards. Here’s how I think some of those games will shake out from a gambling standpoint, followed by the complete schedule at the bottom:

UCF (-23.5) at UConn in the Civil ConFLiCT: Former OU QB/OC Josh Heupel is running the show at what is now Florida’s largest university by enrollment. McKenzie Milton returns at QB, and that fact alone makes UCF a favorite in each regular-season game. Having said that, the defense could be what keeps them from covering some spreads. Randy Shannon takes over as DC in Orlando, and he has his work cut out for him following the losses of Shaquem and some other key pieces. But... the Golden Knights are playing UConn, so I wouldn’t be too worried about the defense tonight. Gambling pick: UCF covers. Under 70

FAU at Oklahoma (-21): I’m not overly worried about Oklahoma dropping this one, but this OU defense facing the FAU offense in its first game makes me a tad uneasy. OU’s running game (and the play-action pass) will lead the Sooners to victory. FAU’s offense will put up some points and give us a slight scare. Gambling pick: OU wins, 45-31, meaning FAU beats the spread. Over 72

Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (-2.5) at NRG Stadium in Houston: As depleted as Ole Miss’ roster may seem, there’s still talent left over — particularly on offense. Tech has been improving on the defensive side of the ball under DC David Gibbs, so this one is kind of tough. I think Ole Miss comes out on top in a close one. Gambling pick: Ole Miss straight up. Over 67

Texas (-13.5) vs. Maryland at FedEx Field in Andover, Md.: Unless Sam Ehlinger proves something, I’m not picking Texas to cover anything that large against many P5 teams. Don’t get me wrong — they’ll win, but even a Maryland program experiencing turmoil can keep it closer than that. Gambling pick: The Terps beat the spread. Under 53

Washington vs. Auburn (-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta: The best game of the day includes two teams with good (not great) quarterbacks, promising defenses and CFP aspirations. Is Auburn a tad overrated? I think so, but playing a de facto home game will help. Gambling pick: Auburn wins and covers. Over 49

Tennessee vs. West Virginia (-9.5) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte: In the end, Tennessee probably landed a decent head coach. Unfortunately for him, his team could be kind of rough for another year or two. The Mountaineers are good end experienced enough at the skill position to put up points, and the Vol offense isn’t explosive enough to fully expose that defense for what it is. Gambling pick: WVU covers by a hair. Under 61

Michigan (-1.5) at Notre Dame: The Irish lead the nation in returning defense production, so that unit should be salty. Meanwhile, MICHIGAN’S OFFENSE ISN’T THAT BORING ANYMORE. They now have Shea Patterson, a former Ole Miss QB and five-star prospect who likes to scramble. Gambling pick: Give me Notre Dame straight up. Under 46.5

Louisville vs. Alabama at Camping World Stadium in Orlando (Bama -24.5): Louisville’s offense can’t really replace a guy like Lamar Jackson, but Bobby Petrino’s offense isn’t going to fall off a cliff. The defense, on the other hand, is probably going to suck again under new DC Brian VanGorder. The Bama defense is still very much a Bama defense and should probably take care of the decent offense on the other side. The Tide’s uncertainty at QB will be inconsequential on Saturday, as the running attack will pave the way. Gambling pick: Bama covers. Under 62

Miami (-3.5) vs. LSU at AT&T Stadium in Arlington: We’re here to talk about the gambling picks for the game itself, but where would you set the over/under for fights in the stadium and parking lot at this one? Jerry World is going to be Death Valley Northwest, so the lack of Miami fans might bring the number down a tad, but those folks are feisty. I assume we’ll see one or two viral scuffles. As for the game itself, I don’t have much confidence in former Ohio State QB Joe Burrow, who came to LSU as a grad transfer. The Canes were frauds a year ago, but they could be better this time around. The athleticism is definitely there. Gambling pick: Miami covers. Under 46.5

Virginia Tech at Florida State (-6.5): Deondre Francois returns as the FSU starter after missing nearly all of last season, and I’m a huge fan of his. You’d be hard-pressed to find a QB with more poise than he showed behind a bad offensive line in 2016. Josh Jackson isn’t a bad QB himself, and the VT offense should be fine. The Hokies did, however, suffer a ton of injuries and attrition on defense this offseason, so give me the ‘Noles. Gambling pick: FSU covers. Over 55