Week two is here, and while the schedule lacks pristine matchups for our viewing pleasure (aside from SoCar/UGA & ND/MICH), there are still plenty of situational spots and scenarios that bettors can take advantage of.

In case you are new to this segment, this article will point out the top betting nuggets of the week by identifying trends, stats, and situations to be aware of. As I mention every week, it is important to remember that these trends and stats are only one piece of the puzzle when trying to figure out which team to place a wager on. They shouldn’t be followed blindly, but instead they should be considered and factored into the broader context and reasoning for selecting a side.

2013 Betting on College Football – Week 2 Quick Hitters

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Last week’s “Quick Hitters” segment touched on UNLV’s terrible road record. The Rebels had no problem making me look smart with that trend after suffering a bad loss at Minnesota. However, this week, UNLV will returns home where they have gone 7-1 ATS in the past two years. Arizona will be their opponent this week, with the spread sitting at 10 and 10.5 most places.

Taking their show on the road. Oregon is 5-1 ATS in the last two years when favored by 10+ points on the road. Their only ATS loss in that stretch came when Washington State scored a backdoor touchdown late in the fourth quarter to beat the spread last season. Will the quack attack keep this ATS trend going when they travel east to take on Virginia this week (line is at ORE -23)?

New Oregon HC Mark Helfrich (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

BYU = Back Your Underdog. In the role of the underdog, BYU is 7-0 against the spread in the last two seasons. Sure, the Cougars had trouble in their week one opener against Virginia, but that was a difficult spot for them to overcome on the road without their best player in WR Cody Hoffman. Hoffman is probable for the nationally televised, prime time matchup at home vs Texas on Saturday night, which could make this one more interesting than people may think. The current line has Texas laying 7 points at BYU.

The Line Dance:  This is your weekly “reverse line movement” report. If you are not familiar with reverse line movement, here is how it works:

1) Majority of the bets are placed on one side (often more than 70%).

2) The line moves in the opposite direction, defying conventional wisdom.

Example: Buffalo opens +36.5 @ Ohio State. 70% of bettors take OSU, yet the line drops to Buffalo +34.5.

Why is this important? When reverse line movement is evident like this, the oddsmakers are taking a firm stance against the popular opinion. It could also be that large wagers are coming in on the other side to offset the disparity in betting percentages (also known as “steam”). Some people also identify this as “sharp money” vs “public money”. In the previous example, public money is on Ohio State, with sharp money on Buffalo.

Having said that, I usually don’t put too much stock into “sharp money vs public money” if I feel I have an accurate read on a game. However, sometimes I will take a closer look at a matchup to see why the wiseguys are leaning heavy on one side. In the following cases, the “sharp pick” in favor of reverse line movement is listed first. I will keep a running total of these picks, just for reference. On last week’s Quick Hitters (seen here), these picks went 3-0. Here are the reverse line movement trends of the week:

• Kent State +7 vs Bowling Green. 95% of the tickets have been on Bowling Green, yet the line moved from BG -8 to -7.

• Illinois +9 vs Cincinnati. 74% of the action has been on Cincy after their impressive debut over Purdue last week, yet the line has moved from Bearcats -10 to -9.

Hoosier daddy? Indiana’s run defense was absolutely terrible last season, ranking #102 in opponent yards per carry. Last season, the Hoosiers gave up 257 rushing yards and 4.5 yards per carry in a 31-30 loss to Navy. If the Midshipmen can replicate that type of success on the ground on Saturday, they could control this game, and more importantly, keep IU’s high powered offense off the field and out of rhythm. However, with most of their defensive front seven returning, Indiana is expected to improve in the run defense department. This will be their first test of the young season.

Look-Ahead Alert: With big games on deck next week, these three teams may be overlooking their opponent this week. I am also keeping a running total of teams in these “look ahead spots“. So far, these teams put on alert have gone 1-2 ATS on the year. Here are this week’s teams:

• Nebraska: this week -27 vs Southern Miss. Next week vs #18 UCLA.

• Tennessee: this week -13.5 vs Western Kentucky. Next week @#2 Oregon. This was a top five look ahead spot outlined in my TSE premium article, found here.

• East Carolina: this week -20.5 vs Florida Atlantic. Next week @Virginia Tech.

• UCF: this week -24.5 @ Florida International. Next week @Penn State.

Under the Hurricane radar? In the past two seasons, Miami has gone  under the total 6 out of 7 times when facing a top 25 defense. Granted, those games were set at an average over/under of 52 points, but the Florida defense they will line up against on Saturday is one of the best in the nation, making under 49 an intriguing play.

Weathering the Storm. It looks like pretty favorable conditions all around the college football landscape this Saturday. However, here are a few weather situations you need to be aware of, especially when considering totals. I glanced across all the listed games at https://www.wunderground.com/sports/CFB/, so here are the noteworthy forecasts (at least 40-50% chance of rain):

• Miami vs Florida: 40% chance rain/storms, 10-15mph wind

• Northwestern vs Syracuse: 30% chance rain/storms, 5mph wind

• UCF vs FIU: 40% chance rain, 10mph wind

Caging the Tigers. In the past two seasons, LSU is 1-5 ATS when favored by 30+ points. The lone cover came in a 63-14 win over one of the worst teams in FBS last year, Idaho. This week, the Tigers are laying 34.5 points against UAB, which may be called into question given their track record in this situation.