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

IT’S BACK — the post in which I offer you some questionable sports gambling advice but really just use the whole thing as an excuse to ramble about the week’s biggest games and tell some terrible jokes. For some expert GAMBLIN’ tips, tune in to this week’s edition of the Blatant Homerism Podcast. Allen and his brother aka The Skinny know what they’re talking about (with the exception of Allen accidentally referring to UCLA as USC, which we can live with).

You can also find the TV schedule and live stream info down at the bottom. Please note that the FSU-Boise State game has been moved to Tallahassee and will be played at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET) on ESPNNews. We’ll change that on the graphic once we’re sent the updated file.

Anyway, HERE WE GO!

Georgia Tech at Clemson (-35.5) (Thursday) - With the transition to away from Paul Johnson’s brand of football this offseason (and the transition away from Russell in the previous offseason), there’s a bit of a buzz (BUZZ, folks) throughout Georgia Tech’s fan base. However, the people on The Flats are well aware that there are going to be some serious growing pains over the next few seasons, and that will never be more apparent than during Thursday night’s game in Death Valley. The Yellow Jackets might not score on the Tigers in this one. Gambling pick: Clemson covers and does so convincingly. Under 60.5

Utah (-6.5) at BYU (Thursday) - Utah is becoming an incredibly trendy sleeper pick for the College Football Playoff this season. Could I see them winning the Pac-12 South? Of course, although UCLA could give them a challenge. However, the athletic disparity between the Utes and the North’s powers — Washington and Oregon — is a bit too wide.

At any rate, Utah has won the last eight games in this series. Will that change Thursday night? BYU returns quarterback Zach Wilson and the majority of an offense that hit its stride down the stretch last season. When combining that with the Cougars’ experience on defense and the fact that they’re playing at home, I think they can pull off the upset. Gambling pick: BYU beats the spread and actually grabs the W in front of a raucous, yet exceedingly sober, home crowd. Over 49

Oklahoma State (-14) at Oregon State (Friday) - This line is shockingly low when considering how, you know, God-awful Oregon State is at football. No matter who Oklahoma State trots out at QB (I’m sure we’ll see both Dru Brown and Spencer Sanders), the offense is going it have its way, and the defense should be able to make in enough plays in Jim Knowles’ second season at the helm. I am, however, looking forward to watching Addison Gumbs, who was never able to flash his full potential in Norman. The OU transfer has unsurprisingly won a starting job as an outside linebacker. Gambling Pick: Oklahoma State covers. Over 72

Boise State at Florida State (-6.5) - This game, which has been moved from Jacksonville to Tallahassee due to the hurricane threat, is a bit tricky. Will FSU’s offense be competent after Willie Taggert soullessly hired Kendal Briles to run it? The ‘Noles were 97th in offensive S&P+ last season, which was due in large part to yet another brutal offensive line. That unit has five new starters and a new position coach, but things really can’t get any worse on that front, and perhaps the new blood will have a positive impact.

Anyway, Florida State still has elite athletes, but they’ll have to be extra-sharp to avoid an upset at the hands of a Boise State team that prides itself on disciple (and also has a decent amount of returning talent. Gambling Pick: James Blackmon and FSU’s offense don’t demonstrate enough improvement out of the gate, and Boise State grabs the cover and the win. Under 53

South Carolina (-11) vs. North Carolina in Charlotte - Boy, talk about two coaches with potential axes to grind. Mack Brown has resurfaced in his old stomping grounds and will be facing off against his former coach-in-waiting — Will Muschamp — in his first game on the job. Brown surely felt a bit betrayed by his former DC’s decision to head to Gainesville, and Muschamp likely felt that Brown was taking a bit too long to step aside.

Unsurprisingly, the two have been respectful in the press setting, and if any coach is capable of being cordial and putting on a polite face, it’s Mack Brown. Additionally, plenty of time has passed since the split, so perhaps they’re cool. However, I’m going to pretend that they still hate each other because it’s now the only decent game in the 2:30 slot and, quite frankly, I need to be entertained. Gambling pick: South Carolina wins, but UNC beats the spread. Under 63

Oregon vs. Auburn (-3.5) in Arlington - The matchup between Oregon’s offense and Auburn’s defense is the best unit vs. unit matchup of the early college football season, the other matchup is also intriguing.

True freshman QB Bo Nix, who was ranked as the No. 2 high school QB in the country behind only Spencer Rattler, has earned the starting job for the Tigers. On the other side, Oregon’s defense adds No. 2 overall prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux to a unit that returns seven starters. Overall, I’d give the edge to the Oregon defense. Gambling pick: Oregon beats the spread and wins straight-up in a game that features one of the more hilarious culture clashes between fan bases. However, Pacific Northwest hippies and Southern frat dudes can agree on one thing, and that’s a love for Widespread Panic. Hopefully they can figure than one out and have a heady time in the lot at JerryWorld. Over 56

Houston at Oklahoma (-23) (Sunday) - We’ve discussed this at length over the past few weeks, but Oklahoma’s defense will probably have to come up huge in order to cover. Having said that, this line keeps coming down, so keep an eye on that if you’re planning on placing a bet between now and Sunday. Gambling pick: Houston beats the spread, but OU ends up pulling away down the stretch for a somewhat comfortable win. Over 79.5. Is that even a question?