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College football Week 2 trend plays

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Last week, we saw Alabama cover yet another opener and UConn fail to come through against a non-conference opponent.

Here are some trends to keep an eye out for in Week 2.

Texas A&M at Clemson

Clemson has had no trouble laying it on opponents of late. The Tigers have covered nine of their last 10 as favorites, and are on a 9-1 run against the spread dating back to last season.

Trend play: Clemson -17

Oregon State at Hawaii

Oregon State's defense showed little resistance in the opener against Oklahoma State. The Beavers allowed 555 yards of total offense in a 52-36 loss at home. In Week 2, Oregon State will meet Hawaii on the road, where the defense has been non-existent. The Beavers are on a 12-1 run to the "over" when playing as visitors, allowing a mind-boggling 48.5 points per game over that stretch. Up against a Hawaii offense that nearly topped 600 total yards against Arizona in Week 0, the Beavers should be on the wrong end of another huge point total.

Trend play: Over 78

Western Michigan at Michigan State

Michigan State is the best "under" team in the nation right now. The Spartans haven't scored more than 28 points in a game in roughly a calendar year and head into Week 2 cashing their last nine on the total. The defense has been the strength over that stretch, and the team is coming off a game in which it held Tulsa to negative-73 rushing yards. That's a real stat.

Trend play: Under 46.5

Miami at North Carolina

Miami has had a tough time scoring on the road. The Hurricanes head into their Week 2 game against North Carolina on a blistering 1-10-1 run to the "under" when playing away from home, and the offense didn't inspire much confidence in Week 0 against in-state rival Florida. The last time Miami went over the total - in any game - was Week 6 of last season.

Trend play: Under 48.5

North Texas at SMU

North Texas started the 2018 campaign by covering three of the first four, including a 27-point outright win over Arkansas in Week 3. Recently, however, the Mean Green have been pure fade material. North Texas enters Saturday on an 0-7 run against the spread overall and 0-4 against the number on the road. SMU looked good in the opener, which it won 37-30 over Arkansas State as a 2.5-point underdog.

Trend play: SMU -4

Stanford at USC

Stanford registered a double-digit win over Northwestern in Week 1 despite just 365 yards of offense and a pair of turnovers. Perhaps this weekend's situation will provide an offensive breakthrough for head coach David Shaw: The Cardinal have gone over the total in each of the last seven games as a road underdog. Bettors would get a rather low total in this spot, as both teams could be without their starting quarterbacks. USC's J.T. Daniels suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener and Stanford's K.J. Costello left early in Week 1 after a hit to the head.

Trend play: Over 45.5

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.

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