College football, ladies and gentlemen…. It's here! Yes, some “Week 0” games have come and gone; but this is the real thing-a massive college football schedule all weekend long (and really all week long, with games on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday to go along with the Saturday slate. A showdown between Georgia and Oregon is among the headliners, while plenty of other SEC teams-not just the Bulldogs-are getting their seasons started with marquee matchups.
Let's take a look at the best bets to be made in the best conference in college football.
Arkansas -6.5 over Cincinnati (-110)
Cincinnati is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance, but let's not get carried away by that result. One, the season ended with a blowout loss to Alabama and now the Bearcats have to open with another SEC West foe. Two, they lost 12 guys to the NFL Draft. Power 5 programs can sometime reload right away from that kind of exodus with incredible recruiting, but it's tougher for the likes of Cincinnati. With Desmond Ridder and many others gone, the 'Cats may take a step back in 2022. Arkansas, on the other hand, is a program fully on the rise under head coach Sam Pittman. Quarterback KJ Jefferson will probably run circles around Cincy's defense, leading the Razorbacks to scored enough points to cover a spread of less than a touchdown.
Oregon vs Georgia Under 53.5 (-110)
Georgia absolutely crushed almost all of its opponents last year en route to the national title. That was in large part thanks to a defense that was one of the best in the history of this sport. The Bulldogs lost a whole host of defensive stars to the NFL, but much like Alabama they reload as opposed to reload. They will almost certainly have multiple first-rounders in the 2023 NFL Draft, as well. It would be a surprise if UGA's defense isn't one of the nation's best in 2022. Moreover, the Dawgs' offense will likely be run heavy-again. Last season they averaged 36 rushing attempts and 26 passes per contest. Keep in mind that new Oregon head coach Dan Lanning just left Georgia (defensive coordinator), so he could not be more familiar with the Bulldogs. He will know how to at least contain Stetson Bennett and the rest of the game. As is the case with most UGA games in recent years, the under is the way to go.