The 2023 College Football season is finally here with the Week 0 CFB slate kicking off this Saturday! To ring in the new college football season, it's time to lock in some college football win totals and CFB futures bets to track this season. If you missed it, check out the SEC and Big Ten CFB win totals and college football futures. Today's preview will focus on the Big 12, ACC, and Pac-12 conferences. In particular, the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers headline this college football betting preview as both programs strive to reach the College Football Playoff in 2023. So, let's dive into some of the teams that could be college football sleeper teams or CFB busts this upcoming season. Enjoy these free college football 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, as well as CFB DFS lineup advice. 

 

2023 College Football Big 12 Win Total Bets

Texas Longhorns – OVER 9.5 Wins (-135 on BetMGM)

Texas is back. It’s the expression Longhorns backers say with confidence while the naysayers use it to mock recent underwhelming finishes. In 2023, though, Texas could actually be “back” as it’s set up to compete for a Big 12 title and potentially a College Football Playoff berth. The major reason is a high-powered offense that scored 34.5 PPG last season and could be even better. QB Quinn Ewers showed flashes of his NFL-caliber talent a year ago and is a darkhorse Heisman candidate in another season at the helm of Steve Sarkisian’s potent offense. Ewers will not only be pushed by prized recruit Arch Manning as his backup, but he'll also be throwing to a stacked Longhorns receiving corps that might be the best collection of pass-catching talent in the country. Xavier Worthy is a beast at wideout, Ja’Tavion Sanders is a top-tier receiving threat at tight end, and Georgia WR transfer AD Mitchell is a dynamic play-making talent. Then there’s Isaiah Neyor and Jordan Whittington, who would be studs on any other team. Despite losing Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson to the NFL, Texas still has a strong RB rotation with arguably the best offensive line in the Big 12 too.

While the Longhorns’ defense isn’t as loaded as the offense, there’s still plenty to like on that side of the ball to know it won’t be a detriment this season. For a team that went 8-4 last year, it’s important to get some context on that record when considering to bet the win total this season. All four of Texas’ losses last year were by seven points or fewer, with two of those L’s coming with Ewers injured. One of the other losses was to a breakout TCU team that had something special cooking en route to a Playoff appearance. Meanwhile, six of the Longhorns’ wins were by double-digits as the offense proved to be too much against the Big 12’s lower tier. When looking at their schedule this season, 10 or 11 wins is very much in play. The road game at Alabama is definitely an early-season test, but Texas’ three other tough matchups are winnable (neutral site vs Oklahoma, at home vs Kansas State, on the road at TCU). If they go 2-2 in those four contests, it’s not out of the question to see the ‘Horns go undefeated otherwise. 

Iowa State Cyclones – UNDER 4.5 Wins (-110 on FanDuel)

In case you haven’t been paying attention, the state of Iowa is dealing with a pretty big sports wagering investigation involving numerous college athletes. Unfortunately, Iowa State’s football team is smack dab in the middle of this ongoing situation. The Cyclones’ starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers, top returning rusher Jirehl Brock, and three other projected starters have been charged in this gambling investigation. Brock and a defensive lineman have already left the program but all five starters involved would be ineligible to play for Iowa State, per NCAA rules. It’s a tough situation for the Cyclones, who now have to replace multiple key contributors with inexperience and lesser talent. 

Outside of the whole gambling investigation, this is still a team that went just 4-8 last season with a 1-8 record in its last nine games. The defense wasn’t the issue last year and it actually kept Iowa State in some close losses. It was the offense that was ugly at times and now the Cyclones have to make do without their starting QB and RB – let alone stud WR Xavier Hutchinson, who’s off to the NFL. Then there’s Iowa State’s less-than-ideal schedule that includes four games against ranked opponents and only a few spots where it would be favored. Five wins would be a huge accomplishment for this team, so take the under. 

 

2023 College Football ACC Win Total Bets

Clemson Tigers – OVER 9.5 Wins (-188 on FanDuel

Casual college football fans may not realize that Clemson hasn’t been in the College Football Playoff since 2020 after making it the previous six seasons. A 9-3 record in 2021 and an 11-2 mark last season were “down” years by Clemson standards as they missed out on the CFP bracket both times. Expect the 2023 version of the Tigers to be good again and this time, make some national noise in the college football landscape. Going over on this win total means we’re counting a double-digit win regular season – something Dabo Swinney’s teams have done in 11 of the past 12 years. So, yep, that’s a pretty good track record. 

Clemson’s offense should see big improvements with former TCU OC Garrett Riley bringing an uptempo, high-scoring scheme to town. Cade Klubnik showed flashes last year and can be a playmaker in this offense now that he takes over as the starter with DJ Uiagalelei transferring away. Stud RB Will Shipley is also back as one of the best rushers in the country. Clemson’s schedule, though, is a big reason why 10+ wins is very doable. The Tigers’ three toughest games are all at home against No. 8 Florida State, No. 13 Notre Dame, and No. 21 UNC. That’s huge for a team that struggled on the road over the past two years. There is a road matchup at rival South Carolina to end the season, but Clemson should be favored in that one anyway. 

2023 College Football Pac-12 Win Total Bets

California Golden Bears – UNDER 5.5 Wins (-158 on FanDuel)

It’s been a rough last few seasons for Cal, who hasn’t made a bowl game since 2019. The Golden Bears went 4-8 last year, 5-7 in 2021, and it’s looking like another losing season this time around. The offense is going through major changes with new OC Jake Spavital implementing an uptempo attack and TCU transfer QB Sam Jackson bringing in dual-threat upside. It’s possible the style shift will jumpstart a program that had the 96th-scoring offense in college football last year. On the flip side, a brand-new scheme with an inexperienced quarterback could result in season-long hiccups – especially with a below-average defense on the other side. 

The big worry for California and head coach Justin Wilcox is a brutal schedule that doesn’t offer much breathing room. The Golden Bears open the season on the road at North Texas, which is a sneaky-tough matchup, before facing an improved Auburn squad at home. Then it’s five ranked Pac-12 opponents in a six-game span against all of the conference’s top-tier (Washington, USC, Oregon, Utah, Oregon State). That’s all before facing Washington State and UCLA at the end of the season. Getting to six wins seems very unlikely for Cal.

 

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