By JESSE SCHULE for VegasTopDogs.com Each week throughout the college football season, Vegas Expert Jesse Schule will dissect the new Top 25 rankings, looking for betting value. He’ll showcase the most overrated team, along with the most underrated ranked team, and an unranked squad that he feels should be in the Top 25.
Most underrated Top 25 team: Washington Huskies (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) The Huskies showed signs of greatness last season, with upset wins over Top 25 teams Stanford and Oregon State. The season ended with a disappointing loss to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Washington avenged that loss in emphatic fashion in Week 1, blowing out the No. 19 ranked Broncos at Husky Stadium. Bishop Sankey ran for 161 yards and a pair of scores on 25 carries and Keith Price completed 23 of 31 passes for 324 yards and a pair of touchdowns. If the Huskies continue to play like this, they are going to be tough to beat.
Most overrated Top 25 team: Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0 SU, 0-1 ATS) The Buckeyes won big over Buffalo in Week 1, but coach Urban Meyer wasn’t happy with the way his team played in the second half. With OSU clinging to a 10-point lead in the third quarter, Braxton Miller fumbled on his own 1-yard line but fortunately for Ohio State, it was nullified by a penalty. The Buckeyes are going to have to be better against tougher opponents and Urban Meyer knows it. “And then we rough a punter, and we have a fourth down (play) we don’t make and then we throw a screen and it goes the other way,” he told the media. “In a tight game, you’re going to lose.”
Unranked team that should be ranked: Baylor Bears (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) The Bears had the top offense in the country in 2012 (total yards) and they scored 69 points in a Week 1 blowout over Wofford. What’s even more impressive is that their defense, which couldn’t stop anyone a season ago, limited the Terriers to just three points. The Bears have a light schedule through the next two months, with six straight games against unranked teams.
Nice post. Texas might be underrated. We’ll see how they do at BYU this weekend.