College Football is (really) Back… Let's Gamble!

Deshaun Watson opens as one of the year as a favorite to win the Heisman, and his Clemson Tigers are expected to again contend for a national title.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)


Ed. Note- Obviously, we do not condone illegal gambling. Only place bets at legitimate sports books (I had my sister throw down a little money for me when she was in Vegas for a conference), and only if you're of legal age. And yeah, don't, like, bet your life savings or rob people to make bets. This is for fun people. Oh, and I don't condone betting on high school sports, because placing money on unpaid athletes would be morally reprehensi... Ok, let's just get to the article.

All due respect to Cal and Hawaii's trip to Australia, and yesterday's thrilling games featuring Appalachian State, Florida International and Vanderbilt (who all lost, somehow), but college football really returns Saturday.

Yes, I know a trio of ranked teams will play tonight, and hey, Stanford had the decency to schedule a Power 5 opponent, but Saturday is when you'll really wish you were in Vegas, throwing your money away on a group of unpaid 18-22 year old young men you've never met. After all, betting on people who make millions of dollars is so passé.

Just kidding, we're obviously betting on the NFL too this year, but college starts first, so let's dive right into our first college gambling piece of the year.

Who Wins It All?

Look, if you haven't made your futures bets yet, you're about to lose out on some great odds after Week 1. Inevitably, somebody like Florida State or Notre Dame will beat a (seemingly) good team, and suddenly money will pour in on them to win the national title. Heck, Florida State has already gone from 12/1 to 8/1 in most Vegas sports books.

A Casual Fan's Guide to the 2015 College Football Season

Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliot is really good.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

College football gets going with the largest FBS kickoff showcase ever tonight. With 19 games on the schedule for this evening, eight more to come on Friday, and then the "true" kickoff on Saturday, the sheer number of teams, conferences, coaching personalities and players can be overwhelming.

Some people dive into every bit of that, and some people prefer a more casual approach. This article is for the latter. So, with that in mind, let's take a look around the country at what you should know about the upcoming college football season.

College Football Rivalry Week Wrap

Ole Miss won a Golden Egg and ended Mississippi State's title chances Saturday.

 By Andy Dougherty (@AndyDougherty10)

The last weekend of college football’s regular season showcased many of the nation’s top rivalries. With so many big games, a number of ranked teams were vulnerable, and seven of them lost. No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 8 UCLA, No. 9 Georgia and No. 24 Marshall were all upset, while No. 13 Arizona State, No. 15 Auburn, and No. 18 Minnesota fell to higher-ranked opponents.

Let's look back at some of the more memorable games.

NCAA Football Weekend Primer: Jameis Football?

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

A year after following in Johnny Manziel's footsteps as a redshirt freshman Heisman Trophy winner, the beginning of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston's sophomore campaign is looking eerily similar to Johnny Football's.

The only difference is, Winston is worse.

While Johnny spent the summer after his Heisman season trolling folks on the internet, partying around the country and pulling all the co-eds he wanted, Jameis was accused of rape and, on a MUCH lighter note, written a citation for stealing crab legs from a Tallahassee grocery store.

The rape allegation ultimately yielded no charges, and the crab leg fiasco made for better internet jokes than actual outrage, but Winston came back louder, more boisterous and more confident that ever at ACC media day. Not exactly what most people wanted to see from the outspoken signal caller.

Now Winston has gotten himself suspended for the first half of this Saturday night's home game against Clemson. What did the reigning Heisman Trophy winner do?

I cover high school sports, so I will leave the coverage of loud and lewd statements to the good fellas over at Deadspin. You can read all about Winston's moronic, and not actually funny, antics here.

Now, onto football.

Long and Suite Preview: The College Football Playoff and Heisman Race

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota will chase a national championship and Heisman Trophy in 2014.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe) with a cameo from Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

I've written enough introductions, so let's jump right into things. You can find all of my conference previews, along with my "Group of Five" and Independents preview, below.

Pac-12

Big XII

Big Ten

ACC and Notre Dame

SEC

Group of Five/Independents

Now, let's get to our national outlook.

Long and Suite Preview: The ACC/Notre Dame

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

When you think of the ACC this year, chances are the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles, led by reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, are the first team to pop into your mind.

But the conference is far more than just the repeat-minded Noles, as Miami, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Clemson and Louisville all bring back talented squads that hope to ruin FSU's run to the College Football Playoff.

Here's what to expect from the ACC in 2014. Oh yeah, and Notre Dame is annoyingly still not in a conference, but now playing a quasi-ACC schedule. We'll look at the Irish as well.

College Football Weekend Primer: Shame on the NCAA (Again) and the First Quarterly Report

NCAA President Mark Emmert says reducing Penn State's sanctions is "the right thing to do."

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

I think we can all now admit that last weekend featured one of the lamest college football slates in recent memory.

As editor Jeremy Conlin pointed out in our Weekend Football Recap, there was only one game between ranked teams (Though Arizona State shouldn't have been ranked), and I would add that the "marquee SEC matchup" of Florida and Tennessee was largely on affront on the game itself. Even if you clicked away from that turnover-fest to see the competitive Notre Dame-Michigan State game, you were treated to inept offense and vanilla play calling.

Meh.

But fear not college football fans, because exciting football returns this week with four different battles between ranked opponents. For more on those, the NCAA dropping the ball yet again, and our NCAA Football Quarterly Report, keep reading after the jump.

Johnny Football Problems

I guess growing up is hard no matter who you are...

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

If you haven't already read Wright Thompson's piece on Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel for ESPN the Magazine, trust me when I say it is the most insightful thing you will read about Johnny Football this week.

In the piece we learn about Johnny, a 20-year old whose world has been turned upside-down by the instant fame of becoming the first freshman to ever win the Heisman. We read about the mobs of people trying to get a piece of Johnny Football, the bikini model girlfriend he broke up with after she ranked too high on a blog's "hot girlfriend/wife" list, his use of alcohol to detach himself from it all, and the family that is concerned for his well-being.

Basically, he's a 20-year old dude living the dream.

Let's Bet on College Football!!!!

Are you really betting on this dude to win the Heisman again?

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

I know I can't be the only person out there starving for football. I mean, seriously, I actually spent some of my Saturday watching the the Saskatchewan Rough Riders and Edmonton Eskimos play a first half that ended 22-1.

One point! In football!

The only reason I was even watching the game was because one of my all-time favorite Boilers Kory Sheets was Saskatchewan's starting running back, but watching him just made me yearn for college football season. Luckily, Las Vegas had my back, coming out with future odds on who will win the BCS National Championship and Heisman Trophy, plus over/unders for each FBS squad.

Now, I'm not a betting man, but here are the wagers that caught my eye.

Bet The Third-Tier Quarterbacks to Win the Heisman

With 3/1 odds, reigning Heisman winner/Scooby-Doo enthusiast Johnny Manziel is Vegas' favorite to again win the award in 2013. Ohio State's Braxton Miller follows him at 6/1, and South Carolina defensive end/apex predator Jadeveon Clowney checks in at third with 10/1 odds.