They say it’s foolish to place your football bets in the middle of the week. As a general rule, the best times to bet for value are at the open before the sharps move the lines, and closer to kick-off after the betting public wades in.
However, that rule goes out the window when you’re betting on Wednesday night college football. The midweek is already here; let’s dig deep, peel back the layers, and see what we can find on the NCAAF odds board for our Wednesday night football bets.
Best Bets for Delaware vs. Jacksonville State
We’ve got two Conference USA matchups on Wednesday’s docket, both kicking off at 7:00 PM EDT; the reports we’re studying here at the ranch indicate sharp action on the UTEP Miners for their tilt with Sam Houston, but the Bearkats have drawn the bigger bets, keeping the home side from reaching the full +3.
Not much value on either side for your college football betting picks. Just as well, because the quality of football should be much better for our target matchup.
There’s still room for improvement when it comes to both Delaware (3-2 SU, 2-2-1 ATS) and Jacksonville State (3-3 SU, 2-4 ATS), but the Blue Hens do rank third in this 12-team conference with a minus-1.42 on the Simple Rating System at Sports Reference.
They should have at least a slight edge over the Gamecocks (minus-6.61 SRS, No. 6) this Wednesday.
Wednesday Odds: Jacksonville State +3 (–115)
As it turns out, we’ve got a similar betting dynamic in this matchup compared to what’s happening with UTEP-Sam Houston: The sharps appear to be on Delaware, but the big money is on Jacksonville State. That’s balanced enough to keep the Gamecocks at the same +2.5 as the Bearkats.
But not everywhere. Bovada has the best price on Wednesday’s college football lines at press time with the Gamecocks getting three points at –115 vigorish; this creates enough edge for us to recommend Jacksonville State in a matchup that multiple projections have pegged as a virtual saw-off.
This was always meant to be a rebuilding year for the Gamecocks.
Head coach Charles Kelly had to restock the cupboards after Rich Rodriguez won the CUSA title and bolted for West Virginia, but he’s got a special talent in RB Cam Cook, who leads the FBS with 832 yards and seven TDs on the ground.
Factor in the arrival of dual-threat QB Caden Creel, who will make his second career start this Wednesday, and we’ll take JSU over a Delaware team that just graduated from the FCS.
Jacksonville State QB Caden Creel to Score a Touchdown (–200)
Cam Cook and Caden Creel are the obvious targets for our NCAAF player props – if we want our bets to look as “recreational” as possible. We could go with the Rushing Yards prop, but casual fans are more interested in pure touchdowns, so let’s ride with Creel at this sport’s marquee position.
Not that there’s anything wrong with Cook, but he’s putting up FBS-leading stats because he also leads the nation in carries. And yes, that includes a season-high 31 attempts for 218 yards in last week’s win over Sam Houston.
But Creel also rushed 24 times for 132 yards and a tuddy; that’s way more running than previous starting QB Gavin Wimsatt (46 carries in five games) put in.
Let’s stick with the hot hand – or feet, as it were.
What We’ve Covered, and Next Steps
Even though the Gamecocks will face the No. 122-ranked defense on this week’s F+ Ratings at BCF Toys, we haven’t been blessed with any monster edges for our recommended player props – but they’ll still package well with our original spread pick on Jacksonville State, which is worth investing the standard single unit of your bankroll at +3 (–115).
Will there be a better price on the board by the time you read this?
Check out our live NCAAF odds here at Bookmakers Review before placing your Wednesday night college football bets.
Get Your Football Odds at Bookmakers Review
As always, you’ll only be able to grab the tastiest college football odds if you’ve signed up for a betting account at the right sportsbook – which happens to be Bovada for our featured bet on Jacksonville State.
Not every book deserves your business; use our comprehensive reviews here at BMR to see which locations best match your betting profile, and which ones you should kick to the curb. Shop smart, and from everyone here at the ranch, may the prolate spheroid be with you this Wednesday.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
