CFB best bets for Friday: To home 'dog, or not to home 'dog
Another night, another set of games in college football's slow build through Week 1. It's the second of five consecutive nights where the youngsters get the stage to themselves before the pros show up to garner the headlines.
The drama of the college game is to sports what "Shakespeare in the Park" is to the arts. But here - with apologies to Hamlet - the phrase goes, "To home underdog, or not to home underdog. That is the question."
No. 10 North Carolina @ Virginia Tech (+5.5, 64)
The magic of college football is in its predictable unpredictability. A night game in Blacksburg with "Enter Sandman" cranking as Virginia Tech marches in is rather intimidating. It's the type of atmosphere that forces the ranked road team into a couple of turnovers while the Hokies' offense cracks a big play or two, riding the energy of the stadium to an upset.
Not this time. The post-Frank Beamer Virginia Tech squad has seen its defensive efficiency fall off while failing to get that same output on special teams as when Beamer was prowling the sidelines. UNC's Heisman-hopeful Sam Howell has too much experience to fall into the traditional trap here. The line is under a touchdown because the spot looks like it could be problematic, but Mack Brown's Tar Heels could make an early-season statement in the ACC.
Pick: North Carolina -5.5
Duke @ Charlotte (+5.5, 60.5)
North Carolina's basketball rival, Duke, finds itself on the road as well, facing a Charlotte squad it blew out by 34 points last season. Less than a year later, and this line is under a touchdown? Something smells fishy. The Blue Devils' 53-19 win actually saw the 49ers rack up more first downs while the former held just a 401-348 edge in total yards. Duke essentially cashed in on a couple long runs and ran the score up late for one of just two wins on the year.
Will Healy's Charlotte played just six contests in last year's mess of a campaign following its first Bowl appearance in school history. In fact, the 49ers might have the better high-end talent in this matchup, with Chris Reynolds at QB and a handful of transfers to bolster their depth on both sides of the ball. The likes of Daniel Jones and Jamison Crowder aren't walking into the Blue Devils locker room these days. Watch out for Charlotte to pull off the upset.
Pick: Charlotte +5.5, ML (+200)
Michigan St. @ Northwestern (-3, 45)
Speaking of talent not being what it used to be, there's very little separating Michigan State and Northwestern these days. In fact, the Wildcats are the ones with the five-star recruit at quarterback in Hunter Johnson, the Clemson transfer. Northwestern is also the side coming off a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game and boasting state-of-the-art facilities. Meanwhile, the Spartans are still trying to decide who can start at quarterback this season.
While Pat Fitzgerald is ideally backed as an underdog, we still get a short price with the Purple Cats in Evanston after sharps moved the number from an open of -6. They can have their closing line value while we'll take the short price on the hosts.
Pick: Northwestern -3
Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there’s a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on twitter @mrussauthentic.