#13 NC State (-11.5) @ East Carolina (+315)
Regional non-conference games are something that we should have more of in college football. This rivalry game between the Pirates and the Wolfpack is a prime example of why that is. A sold out Dowdy-Ficklen stadium will be rocking on Saturday when the #13 ranked Wolfpack come to town. NC State has won the last two meetings between these squads but the Pirates did defeat NC State the last time they played in Greenville in 2016 at the beginning of the horrendous Scottie Montgomery era. Expectations are sky high in Raleigh this year as Pack fans believe they have a Hesiman-caliber QB in Devin Leary that has the potential to lead them to a conference title or higher. The Pirates are coming off their first winning season since 2014 and they return veteran signal-caller Holton Ahlers. Star running back Keaton Micthell is one of the fastest guys in college football and can take it to the house in a blink of an eye. Although ECU has higher expectations than they’ve had in years, they really have nothing to lose in this matchup; which is always a good ingredient to an upset. NC State returns a lot of experience on defense and they certainly don’t want their season to start with a loss to a hated in-state rival. I believe ECU has the firepower to keep up with the Wolfpack and the defense is finally good enough to contain a good offense and force some turnovers. NC State better get off to a good start or we could see the Pirates take control of this game and never look back. If you’re itching to place a little something on an underdog moneyline, look no further than the East Carolina Pirates.
Cal (-19.5) vs UC Davis
You won’t have to look far to find the last time UC Davis pulled off an upset. The Aggies put together a 19-17 victory over Tulsa last season en route to an FCS playoff appearance. UC Davis is projected to be one of the better FCS teams this season as they return a lot of experience and QB Miles Hastings. Purdue transfer Jake Plummer will be under center for the Golden Bears in week one, but we will see how well he meshes with his new weapons. Cal does have a solid running attack which the Aggies will need to contain to win this game. On the flip side, Cal does not have positive results when they give up a lot of rushing yards so that is an area that UC Davis needs to exploit. Running back Ulonzo Gilliam will need to be effective on the ground and UC Davis will need to control as much clock as they can. When you’re looking at potential FCS over FBS upset, it doesn’t hurt to try and find an FCS playoff team playing a team who has been mediocre or worse over the last few seasons. To pull off this upset, UC Davis will need a similar game like when they beat Tulsa last season. If it’s a one score game at halftime, I like Cal to cough up a big turnover in the fourth quarter that could lead to a UC Davis upset for the second year in a row. If you’re looking to hop on an FCS over FBS upset, I like this one.
SMU (-11) @ North Texas (+317)
A local rivalry where the visiting team has a new head coach and the home team is fresh off a nice road win to start the season? Sign me up for that upset. North Texas started off on the right foot with a convincing week 0 win against UTEP, who made a bowl game last year. QB Austin Aune threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. SMU comes into 2022 with a new head coach after Sonny Dykes bolted for TCU. HC Rhett Lashlee and QB Tanner Mordecai will look to take the Mustangs to another level in the American Conference. The secondary is the biggest question mark on this SMU team, which could lead to a big day in the air for North Texas. SMU will be letting the ball fly just as much as most SMU teams always have. The over/under is set at 68 so oddsmakers and just about anyone who knows college football predicts that this will be a high scoring affair. I like the fact that North Texas has already played a game and their home field advantage as the biggest reasons for this potential upset. If North Texas can protect the football, I like the Mean Green to start the season 2-0 and send SMU back to Dallas with a sour taste in their mouth.
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