College football Week 1 action report: Pros betting Washington, Notre Dame
College Football Playoff bids could already be at stake in Week 1.
Saturday will feature two marquee matchups with four top-15 teams - No. 6 Washington vs. No. 9 Auburn, and No. 14 Michigan vs. No. 12 Notre Dame. That means two will start the season behind the eight ball in their quests for a playoff berth.
With the help of Will Bernanke, lead analyst at CG Analytics in Las Vegas, we offer some insight into how bettors are approaching both of the day's must-watch games.
Washington @ Auburn
Kickoff: 2:30 ET
Open: AUB -3/48.5
Current: AUB -1/49
The Pac-12 favorite Huskies and a Tigers team that took down both Georgia and Alabama during the regular season in 2017 meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a neutral-site clash.
Gus Malzahn's Tigers opened as field-goal favorites, but they've since seen that number dip thanks to some smart money coming in on Washington.
"So far, CG is getting respected action on Washington and public action on Auburn," Bernanke told theScore on Friday.
Washington cracked the playoff two seasons ago but was bounced in the semifinals by Alabama. Coming off a 10-win season, its 2018 win total was set at 10.5, and if there's one Pac-12 team with the talent to make a run to the playoff, it's Chris Petersen's Huskies.
Auburn is also coming off a 10-win season and would likely be getting more attention if not for two other SEC teams - Alabama and Georgia - being ranked higher and holding bigger expectations for the upcoming season.
Michigan @ Notre Dame
Kickoff: 7:30 ET
Open: ND -1/46.5
Current: PK/46.5
A rivalry between two programs with rich traditions fell by the wayside for three years, but Michigan-Notre Dame is back, and the storied rivalry will pick back up with the stakes high.
Both nationally recognized teams draw public action on a weekly basis, but, according to Bernanke, it's Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish who are garnering the respected money for Saturday's prime-time matchup.
For Notre Dame to make it happen, it'll have to go through one of the top defenses in the country. Michigan's 2017 D ranked third nationally in yards per game and 14th in points allowed per game (18.4), and nine starters from defensive coordinator Don Brown's unit return this season.
This is the best team Jim Harbaugh's had in four years, as Michigan finally has the missing piece to the puzzle. Quarterback Shea Patterson was granted eligibility to play after transferring from Ole Miss, and Michigan fans know all too well how crucial quarterback play will be in 2018.