Football season is nearly upon us, and with just three weeks before Week 0, I am itching to get all of my futures gambling in. I am going to share my favorite of these future bets with you fine people today. These are not all of my bets, but as a degenerate gambler there are probably some of my bets you shouldn’t be following. Anyway, let’s get into the wagers. They will be sorted based on the types of bets.

All odds are accurate as of the time of writing.

Conference Winners

Now, these wouldn’t all necessarily be my picks to win the conference, some of them certainly are, but there are others where the value is simply too good to pass up.

Miami to Win ACC +500

Clemson’s reign in the ACC is seemingly coming to a close, and after Pittsburgh’s shocking win last year, I am predicting the Hurricanes to be the next team to stake its claim for the throne. I have not been shy about my affinity for Tyler Van Dyke and think he has a chance to build off of his phenomenal second half of last year and become one of the best quarterbacks in the country. I think Van Dyke and the new culture coming into town with Mario Cristobal gives this 2022 Hurricanes team a chance to be a turning point for the program. The Canes have been known as chokers in recent history, and a few key wins from them last year seemed to have changed that dynamic in my opinion. In back-to-back weeks, Miami won two games against tough, ranked ACC opponents in NC State and eventual champions Pittsburgh. The Canes did it behind the fantastic arm of Van Dyke and kept punching back no matter how hard they got knocked down. This bet is also nearly as much about Clemson as it is Miami. I think Clemson’s offense is going to continue to struggle under D.J. Uiagalelei, and ultimately it will be the Tigers’ downfall. If you are a bit scared of the Hurricanes’ ability to win a conference championship game, their odds to win the Coastal Division at +150 is also great value in my opinion. Additionally, the over on their win total at 8.5 is one of my favorite win total bets of the year, as I think they get to double-digit wins.

TCU To Win Big 12 +1400

While Miami is more of a trendy favorite pick, TCU would be my dark horse candidate to take down a conference. In a relatively wide open Big 12, I think the Horned Frogs have a good chance to have a strong season. There is a large variance in the projected outcomes for this TCU team, but the upside is tremendous. It is yet to be seen what new defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie’s defense will look like, but he fielded strong defenses with regularity at Tulsa. Any semblance of a defense will give the Horned Frogs an advantage in the boat race happy Big 12, and with another year of development from quarterback Max Duggan, their offense should be strong as well. Some teams struggle to gel under new leadership, however TCU should benefit from returning a large number of upperclassmen to help that transition happen smoothly. The defense should benefit from the new scheme and a couple of instant impact transfers in safety Mark Perry and linebacker Johnny Hodges. As with all of these conference or division winners bets, if I like them to win the conference, I like the over on their win total. TCU’s number ranges anywhere between 6.5 and 7.5. I prefer the value at 6.5 obviously but would play it up to 7.5.

Northern Illinois To Win MAC +500

For our last conference winner, we have a repeat with Northern Illinois repeating as champs. It’s no secret that the MAC is going to have some shootouts, and MACtion could lead to some point totals over 100. As such, I went with the team that I think will return the best offense. In a conference where multiple top teams are dealing with turnover, NIU returns senior quarterback Rocky Lombardi, an experienced offensive line and its top two pass catchers in Trayvon Rudolph and Cole Tucker. The loss of Jevyon Ducker to Memphis will hurt, but Harrison Waylee has run well when given opportunity and is on the Doak Walker watch list. The defense will be looking to improve on its abysmal 2021 performance, however, that might not be in the cards. There are some new faces, but I’m not sure any of them will make enough impact to turn the unit around. Luckily, a strong defense isn’t necessary to win the MAC, as the Huskies showed last year.

Division Winners

For these teams, I generally like their upside, but for one reason or another, I don’t trust them to capture the conference championship. That could be because of a dominant team in the opposite division or a gap in the value of winning that extra game. However, I do think that these teams are primed to have strong seasons and are likely to win their division. 

Purdue to Win Big Ten West +600 

The Big Ten West is a wide open race, with five teams possessing a reasonable chance to earn the right to lose to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. The Boilermakers have the distinct advantage of having the best quarterback in the division in Aidan O’Connell. The offense will struggle to replace the production of their top two receivers from last year, but luckily Purdue’s offense is designed to help receivers prosper. Tight end Payne Durham will also help clear up space and will be a safety blanket for O’Connell on key downs. Another key player will be Iowa transfer Tyrone Tracy Jr., who will be stepping into a fairly large role. If this bet is to truly hit though, there has to be an improvement in the running game. Purdue had one of the worst rushing offenses in the country last year, and that simply will not cut it. The Boilermakers’ passing offense is proficient enough that they don’t need 200 yards on the ground a game, but they need more than 80 yards per game like they averaged last year. The defense was solid last year and should be solid again, and having the best quarterback should help this team win close games in conference play. Purdue may not be the best team in the Big Ten West, but having the longest odds of the non-Illinois teams is a bit absurd.

Wake Forest to Win ACC Atlantic +750

This is another bet where I am betting on the downfall of Clemson. I simply do not believe in that offense scoring enough points to get the job done. Its defense is going to be nasty and likely has multiple future first-round picks, and that will help the Tigers stay in games. However, if they need a drive to stay in a game or ice out the clock, I don’t know that they can get it done. Wake Forest on the other hand, has an absolutely explosive offense. If you listened to our ACC preview show here on The Transfer Portal CFB, you would know that Dave and I were very high on this Demon Deacons offense. Dave predicted that they would go 11-1 and that Sam Hartman would win the Heisman, while I predicted that A.T. Perry would go for over 1,500 yards. There are some reasonable questions to be asked about how their defense will perform, but there is hope that that unit can be turned around under the guidance of new defensive coordinator Brad Lambert. Richmond transfer defensive lineman Kobie Turner might help shore up the run defense after his FCS Second Team All-American campaign last year. Wake Forest should be a fun team to root for, as its games will likely be explosive boat races, so tossing a couple bucks to septuple my money is a worthwhile investment for me.

Player Bets

Finally, let’s take a look at some players that I think could have standout seasons in 2022. Player props are hard to find for the college game, but if your book has any, any of the players that I pick for a Heisman I would also generally like the over on their yards prop.

Caleb Williams QB — USC +550 For Heisman

I’m not entirely convinced that the Trojans blow the football world away and make it to the College Football Playoff. However, if they do, you can be almost positive Caleb Williams will be firmly in the Heisman discussion. The odds have drifted a bit here, but it would be a shock if the Trojans weren’t in the top 10 scoring offenses in the country, and if they do that, go 11-1 and win the Pac-12, there’s a good shot they get to the playoff. 

Tyler Van Dyke QB — Miami +4000 For Heisman

Have I mentioned that I love Tyler Van Dyke? I don’t know how many articles or videos I’ve gone this year without mentioning him at least once, but I think this kid is a star. He was the second-best quarterback in the country in the second half of last year, hands down, no qualifiers. He was that good. Now he comes into the year as the solidified starter with a full offseason of work with the ones, and he should feel extremely comfortable in the offense. If we extrapolate his stats from the last six games of the year (which is of course always risky but let’s do it for fun), he would be in line for a year of 4,388 yards, 40 TDs, with only six interceptions. He put up those numbers while going 5-1 in conference play and beating two ranked teams. If he can build on that second half, he could be in for a special year.

Malik Cunningham QB — Louisville +10000 for Heisman

When I saw this number, I was frankly shocked and looked for any injury news on Malik Cunningham. I bet this number at +6600 when the odds dropped, so +10000 feels like absurd value. Cunningham isn’t quite the electric runner that famous former Heisman Cardinal Lamar Jackson was, but he’s pretty dang close. I’d also argue he’s a more polished passer than Jackson was his final year at Louisville. His talent and production is undeniable, so this will hinge on the quality of wins Louisville puts together this year. The Cardinals face a few quality opponents that might have enough sway to give him real Heisman buzz this year. If they can win two out of three against UCF, Clemson and Wake Forest, his name will start bubbling toward the top of Heisman odds. This becomes especially true if he has a good performance against that daunting Clemson defense. This is a big year for Cunningham as he will be pushing to gain himself some draft capital, so I expect him to show out in 2022.