2023 College Football Win Total Predictions & Betting Picks for SEC and Big Ten Conferences
The 2023 College Football season officially kicks off this Saturday with a slate of Week 0 CFB games. Before the action gets going, it's time to lock in some college football win totals and CFB futures bets to track this season. The SEC and Big Ten conferences have claimed the top tier of the sport during the regular season and College Football Playoff in recent years. So, let's dive into some of the teams that could be college football sleepers and those that may be CFB busts for the 2023 season. Enjoy these free college football bets and win total predictions as you get ready for this weekend's games! Stay tuned for college football betting picks and CFB bets throughout the season. Get the Fantasy Alarm All-Pro subscription right now to get college football betting picks and CFB bets throughout the season.
2023 College Football SEC Win Total Bets
Arkansas Razorbacks OVER 6.5 Wins (-150 on BetMGM)
The over/under for Arkansas is set at 6.5 wins after finishing with a 6-6 record last year. However, there are plenty of reasons for optimism for the Razorbacks to finish above .500 and improve on last season. First off, Arkansas got to six wins a year ago despite a porous defense and playing without starting QB KJ Jefferson for a few games. The offense brings back its two main contributors in stud RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and Jefferson, an electric dual-threat talent. Both guys headlined the attack a year ago and will be one of the best rushing duos in the SEC this season. New OC Dan Enos should fine-tune things on the offensive end to get the best out of Jefferson and Sanders. Meanwhile, the Razorbacks’ defense can only get better after giving up 30.6 PPG last year (101st in FBS). New DC Travis Williams brings an aggressive scheme to a unit that added a bunch of talent via the transfer portal, especially in the secondary.
When looking at Arkansas’ schedule, it sets up well to start and end the season on high notes. The Razorbacks begin the year with three easier home matchups against Western Carolina, Kent State, and BYU. They also wrap things up with a three-game home stretch against Auburn, FIU, and Missouri. If head coach Sam Pittman can have his team go at least 5-1 in those six, it would go a long way to the over here. The four-week mid-season gauntlet against LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama will be tough, but there might be an upset hiding in there if the Razorbacks take a step forward on both offense and defense from last year.
Ole Miss Rebels UNDER 7.5 Wins (+100 on BetMGM)
Ole Miss took advantage of an easy first-half schedule last season with a 7-0 start. Then, the Rebels came back down to Earth and lost four of five games to finish the year. They barely got over 7.5 wins last season and it’ll be tough to repeat that success with a brutal schedule in 2023. Lane Kiffin’s squad has to deal with back-to-back matchups against Alabama and LSU in the first month of the season and then consecutive games against Texas A&M and Georgia at the back end. In the middle, there are two sneaky-tough meetings with improved Arkansas and Auburn teams. That’s before we even mention the season finale rivalry matchup on the road at Mississippi State or a matchup on the road at Tulane in the second game of the year. Navigating this schedule would be tough for any team, but especially one with a number of question marks like the Rebels.
As for those potential issues, Ole Miss has some uncertainty on both sides of the ball. The offense should, in theory, be fine under Kiffin’s guidance, but the QB situation is still murky. Both Jaxson Dart (last year’s starter) and Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State transfer) were inconsistent a season ago and neither offers much stability or trustworthiness under center. As for the Rebels’ defense, it ran into trouble against competent opposing offenses last season and needs to make significant improvements. Though former Alabama DC Pete Golding comes in to sure things up, Ole Miss still went underwent a roster overhaul on the defensive side with a slew of transer portal additions. Overall, the ceiling for this team looks like eight wins, but there are more paths to seven or six victories.
2023 College Football Big Ten Win Total Bets
Wisconsin Badgers OVER 8.5 Wins (-144 on FanDuel)
After a disappointing 6-6 record last year, Wisconsin should see big improvements in 2023 and potentially contend for a conference title. Luke Fickell comes to town as the Badgers’ new head coach after an impressive run at Cincinnati. This isn’t just any former Group of 5 coach attempting to cut it in the Big Ten, though. This is a guy who played at Ohio State, coached with the Buckeyes for 15 years and then built Cincy into a Playoff-caliber program. Fickell already has the Big Ten mindset and knows what it takes to win in this conference. Plus, DC Mike Tressel brings similar vibes over to a Wisconsin defense that was one of the best in college football last season.
The Badgers’ offense is the big X factor this year and it’s a new uptempo attack that we’re not used to seeing in Madison. New OC Phil Longo had some high-scoring offenses at UNC the past couple of seasons and he brings his Air Raid scheme to the Big Ten now. SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai brings a veteran presence to the quarterback position and familiarity running a high-scoring. pass-focused offense. Wisconsin still has stud workhorse RB Braelon Allen to lean on as well. As for their schedule, the Badgers will benefit from one of the easier ones week-to-week. Their toughest matchups, against Ohio State and Iowa, both come at home. Plus, Wisconsin doesn’t have to face either Michigan or Penn State. When looking at the schedule, it’s hard to envision four losses for a Badgers squad that could easily win double-digit games.
Minnesota Golden Gophers UNDER 7 Wins (-120 on FanDuel)
On the surface, this win total may seem low for a Minnesota program that’s gone 8-4 in both of the past two seasons. Yet, we should bank on some regression for the Golden Gophers with notable losses on offense and a rough schedule on tap. QB Tanner Morgan and RB Mohamed Ibrahim are both gone and those absences will be more glaring than with other college football programs. Morgan has been Minnesota’s starting QB for the past four-plus seasons and Ibrahim had been a workhorse for a number of years while regularly getting 25-40 carries per game. This is a ton of production and veteran experience to replace on offense. At quarterback this year, the Golden Gophers will roll with Athan Kaliakmanis, who threw more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (3) for half of last season while filling in for the injured Morgan. He’s very raw and unproven as a passer and could run into trouble leading this offense, especially with Ibrahim no longer there to lean on.
If we count on the offense taking a significant step back in efficiency, Minnesota’s tough schedule doesn’t offer much confidence. The Golden Gophers have five games where they’re clear underdogs: at No. 21 North Carolina, home vs No. 2 Michigan, at No. 25 Iowa, at No. 3 Ohio State, home vs No. 19 Wisconsin. If we say Minnesota goes 1-5 in those matchups, it’ll need to go at least 6-1 in their other seven games to get to seven wins this season. That’s a big ask, especially since the season opener is a rare conference matchup vs Nebraska. At best, Minnesota can push on this win total bet – but six or fewer wins appears the more likely scenario.
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Player News
Malaki Branham has been traded to the Wizards as part of a deal that sent Kelly Olynyk to the Spurs.
Branham was drafted with the 20th overall pick in 2022 and has spent his first few years in San Antonio. Now, he’ll get a fresh start. He averaged 10.2 points per game as a rookie, but he’s seen his role decrease in the years since. He’ll likely be a depth guard with upside in Washington.
Andrew Abbott has been added to the National Leauge’s roster for next week’s MLB All-Star Game.
It’s a deserving selection for Abbott, who will head to the Midsummer Classic for the first time in his career, after posting a sparkling 2.15 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 78/22 K/BB ratio across 83 2/3 innings (15 starts).
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Kelly Olynyk has been traded to the Spurs in exchange for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and a 2026 second-round pick.
Olynyk was traded to Washington just before the draft, and now he’s headed to San Antonio, where he will play some reserve minutes behind Victor Wembanyama. He’ll split time with Luke Kornet, though he will also be able to spend time next to Kornet or Wemby in larger lineups due to his ability to space the floor. This is the third time that Olynyk has been traded since the start of this past season; he opened the year with Toronto and was sent to New Orleans during the season.
Sean Manaea (oblique) allowed three runs over 3 2/3 innings on Tuesday in a minor league rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse.
Manaea threw 73 pitches in his final rehab tune-up and will likely rejoin New York’s rotation on Sunday against the Royals for his season debut. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters earlier on Tuesday that the veteran southpaw would piggyback with Clay Holmes during the club’s first-half finale.
Philly Voice’s Geoff Mosher believes Eagles RB Will Shipley is the offensive player most “under the microscope.”
Shipley was a fourth-round pick out of Clemson last year and played sparingly out of the RB3 role. Mosher is watching how the 22-year-old will step up to fill the back-up running back role that Kenneth Gainwell - who departed for the Steelers - occupied last season. Gainwell was important in pass protection and a good presence when Saquon Barkley was out on possessions for blitz pickup and pass-catching. Mosher says, “if Shipley can show growth in those areas, he could undertake Gainwell’s role and give the offense even more optionality.” The Eagles added AJ Dillon in the offseason, though Dillon is more of a downhill-runner than a third-down back for the RB2 role. Shipley won’t have much value in redraft leagues, but could find his way to production through filling in an open role in the Eagles backfield.
Blue Jays recalled LHP Justin Bruihl from Triple-A Buffalo.
Bruihl joins Toronto’s relief corps ahead of Tuesday’s game against the White Sox with Nick Sandlin hitting the injured list with elbow inflammation. The 28-year-old lefty has made four relief appearances this season for the Blue Jays. He’ll operate in low-leverage spots.