We already discussed the lines FanDuel released for various Games of the Year back in late February.
DraftKings has now joined FanDuel in offering spreads for the 2023 college football season. Let’s start with some Week 1 matchups.
DraftKings has Utah listed as a 10-point home favorite vs. Florida. The Utes will be looking to avenge a 29-26 loss in last year’s opener at UF.
The biggest question about this game is the availability of Utah star QB Cam Rising, who tore his ACL on Jan. 2 in a loss to Penn St at the Rose Bowl. Rising has led Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 titles, throwing 46 touchdown passes compared to 13 interceptions in the last two years. He also has 964 rushing yards and 12 TDs in those two seasons.
Florida will be playing its first Thursday night game during the regular season since 1992.
On Saturday of Week 1, DraftKings has North Carolina installed as a two-point favorite vs. South Carolina in a game that’ll be played in Charlotte. The betting shop has TCU listed as a 21-point home favorite vs. Colorado.
Then on Sunday night, LSU vs. FSU is a pick ’em in Orlando. The Tigers will be looking for revenge after dropping a one-point game to the Seminoles in New Orleans last year.
In Week 2, DraftKings has Texas A&M as a 6.5-point road favorite at Miami. The other lined game on Sept. 9 is Alabama -8.5 vs. Texas.
The Aggies bested the Hurricanes 17-9 to cover the spread as 6.5-point home ‘chalk’ in a defensive struggle last season. The Crimson Tide got a late field goal to edge the Longhorns, 20-19, but Steve Sarkisian’s team easily took the cash as a 21-point home underdog.
In Week 3, Georgia is a 24-point home favorite vs. South Carolina. The Bulldogs smashed Shane Beamer’s team 48-7 as 25-point road favorites last year.
Other Week 3 spreads at DraftKings include Tennessee -8 at Florida, Washington -6.5 at Michigan St. and LSU -9 at Mississippi St.
On Sept. 23, Utah is an eight-point home favorite vs. UCLA. This will be the first season that Chip Kelly doesn’t have Dorian Thompson-Robinson as his starting QB for the Bruins, who finished 2022 with a 9-4 straight-up record and a 6-7 against-the-spread mark. They beat Utah 42-32 as 3.5-point home underdogs.
The candidates to replace Thompson-Robinson include Ethan Garbers, five-star true freshman Dante Moore and Kent St. transfer Collin Schlee, who has a 16/5 career TD-INT ratio and eight rushing TDs.
Other Sept. 23 lines are Clemson -2.5 vs. FSU, Alabama -16 vs. Ole Miss, Texas -7.5 at Baylor, LSU -11.5 vs. Arkansas and Ohio St. -7 at Notre Dame.
In Week 5, Tennessee will have revenge on its mind when it hosts South Carolina. The Gamecocks ruined the Volunteers’ College Football Playoff hopes with last season’s 63-38 win as 22.5-point home underdogs. DraftKings has UT as a 13.5-point home favorite.
Other lined contests for Sept. 30 include Georgia -19 at Auburn, Michigan -18 at Nebraska, LSU -4 at Ole Miss, Texas -17 vs. Kansas and Texas A&M -2.5 at Arkansas.
You know KJ Jefferson is going to want to make amends against the Aggies, who somehow won a 23-21 decision over the Razorbacks in 2022. With Arkansas leading 14-7 last season at A&M’s 3 on second and goal, Jefferson leaped towards the end zone on a keeper up the middle.
Before getting the ball across the plane of the goal line, the ball was knocked loose and recovered by A&M’s Tyreek Chappell. Chappell ran out to the 18 before handing the ball off to Demani Richardson, who took off down the sidelines for a TD to completely shift the momentum of the game.
With 1:30 left trailing by two, Arkansas kicker Cam Little’s 42-yard field-goal attempt hit the top of the right upright and floated down into the end zone unsuccessfully. Since the game was in Arlington where the Dallas Cowboys play, the right upright was five feet taller than uprights at college stadiums. Otherwise, the field goal would’ve been good.
In Week 6, DraftKings has Alabama favored by 10 at Texas A&M and Texas is -5 vs. Oklahoma.
On Oct. 14, LSU is -17 vs. Auburn, Notre Dame is -1.5 vs. USC, Tennessee is -9.5 vs. Texas A&M, Alabama is -18 vs. Arkansas and Washington is -1.5 vs. Oregon.
The Huskies went 11-2 SU and 8-5 ATS in 2022, finishing the year on a seven-game winning streak. They won 37-34 at Oregon as 12-point road underdogs thanks to a late fourth-quarter rally.
Washington and Oregon both return two of the nation’s top signal callers. UW’s Michael Penix, who had 408 passing yards against the Ducks last year, finished 2022 with 4,641 passing yards and a 31/8 TD-INT ratio.
Bo Nix, who had a breakout campaign at Oregon in 2022, was injured late in the loss vs. Washington. Nix finished the year with 29/7 TD-INT ratio and 14 rushing TDs.
In Week 8, Alabama is a 10–point home favorite vs. Tennessee. The Vols ended a 15-year losing streak to ‘Bama last season with a 52-49 win on a walk-off field goal.
Other Oct. 21 games include Ohio St. -10 vs. Penn St., USC -7 vs. Utah, Kansas St. -4 vs. TCU, Clemson -10 at Miami and Michigan -16.5 at Michigan St.
The lined games on Oct. 28 are Georgia -22 vs. Florida (Jacksonville), Oklahoma -6.5 at Kansas, Ohio St. -9.5 at Wisconsin, Clemson -10.5 at UNC and Utah -1 vs. Oregon.
On Nov. 4, Ole Miss is -4 vs. Texas A&M, USC is -7 vs. Washington, Alabama is -8.5 vs. LSU, Clemson is -4 vs. Notre Dame, Texas is -9.5 vs. Kansas St. and Oklahoma is -8.5 at Oklahoma St.
Here are the lined contests on a loaded Nov. 11 slate: UGA -19.5 vs. Ole Miss, Ohio St. -23 vs. Sparty, Oregon -2 vs. USC, FSU -17 vs. Miami, Texas -5.5 at TCU, Washington -3.5 vs. Utah, UNC -9.5 at Duke, LSU -17 vs. Florida and Michigan -2.5 at Penn St.
The only single-digit ‘chalk’ situation for Georgia is on Nov. 18 at Tennessee. DraftKings has the Bulldogs favored by 7.5 in Knoxville. When these team met in Athens last season, UGA held off the Vols, 27-13, covering the spread as a 10-point home favorite.
Other Nov. 18 spreads include Kansas St. -5 at Kansas, Clemson -10.5 vs. UNC, TCU -4 vs. Baylor and USC -12 vs. UCLA.
Finally, Ole Miss is -1.5 at Mississippi St. to kick off Rivalry Weekend on Thanksgiving night. The Bulldogs won 24-22 over the Rebels in Oxford as 2.5-point road ‘dogs last year.
On Friday (11/24), Oregon is -9 vs. Oregon St. and Oklahoma is -8 vs. TCU.
Then on Nov. 25, PSU is -8.5 at Sparty, Michigan is -2.5 vs. Ohio St., LSU -11 vs. Texas A&M, Clemson is -6.5 at South Carolina, FSU is -10 at Florida, Alabama is -15.5 at Auburn and UNC is -4.5 at NC St.