Intro by Doug Kezirian
Sports bettors routinely preach sample size and power ratings, and those principles are tested during the college football season's first two weeks. For a prime example, look no further than Saturday's lone matchup between top-10 teams and the site of College GameDay.
Iowa State (-4.5, 46) hosts Iowa in their annual Cy-Hawk rivalry, but the Cyclones were as high as 8-point favorites earlier this summer. However, each school's opener has swayed the perception. Iowa State barely survived FCS school Northern Iowa 16-10, while the Hawkeyes manhandled Indiana by four touchdowns.
"That's the 64,000-dollar question. With what you've spent days and maybe weeks over the summer compiling your power ratings, how much do you factor in the Week 1 results," professional bettor Paul Stone told ESPN, also sharing that he grabbed Iowa +7 over the summer. "Sometimes we learn a lot from Week 1, especially at the quarterback position. So sometimes you have to be fluid, but it also can be a blip on the radar."
Accurately wagering on which narrative comes to fruition is what handicapping is all about.
Every Wednesday during the season, betting analysts Doug Kezirian (2-3), Bill Connelly (3-2), Tyler Fulghum (1-1), Joe Fortenbaugh (4-1) and David M. Hale (1-3) will provide their top plays across the college football landscape.
Here are their best bets for Week 2 of the college football season.
Note: Lines from Caesars Sportsbook as of Wednesday (unless otherwise indicated).
Friday's game
Kansas Jayhawks at Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (-25.5, 52), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Fulghum: I will preface this by saying I love being a betting bully against the Kansas football program because I went to Mizzou ... but that doesn't make it any less profitable. The Jayhawks squeaked by South Dakota 17-14 at home in Week 1 thanks to a late TD. Still, the Jayhawks were outgained in the contest and now travel to play Coastal Carolina -- the 17th-ranked team in the country -- on the road. The Chanticleers blew the doors off The Citadel in Week 1, beat Kansas in Lawrence last season as underdogs and need all the style points they can get as a G5 team striving to climb the top 25.
Pick: Coastal Carolina -25.5 (-110)