I’m not a betting man, first and foremost because I’m the absolute worst at picking games and point spreads. The worst. Coupled with that piece of information, I like to keep my money.
But that’s besides the point, which is this: opening lines for key Week 1 games from 5Dimes are out. And they look like this:
Tursday, Aug. 29
North Carolina at South Carolina (-14.5)
USC at Hawaii (+19)
Saturday, Aug. 31
Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (+22) (Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, Ga.)
LSU vs. TCU (+6) (Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Tx.)
Georgia at Clemson (-2)
Monday, Sept. 2
Florida State at Pittsburgh (+8.5)
Not surprisingly, Alabama, the defending national champs, opens up as a 22-point favorite over Virginia Tech. The Tide have doneextremely well in neutral site games under Nick Saban, and early oddsmakers believe this year won’t be any different. But a pair of other Saturday games -- LSU vs. TCU and Georgia vs. Clemson -- have the makings of being great matchups.