College Football Betting Odds: Week 1 Cincinnati at Fresno

The Cincinnati Bearcats will begin the new Butch Jones era as they meet a Fresno State Bulldog team set to leave the Western Athletic Conference for the Mountain West at the end of this year. Kick-off tonight is schedule for 10:05pm EST for the game that can be seen on ESPN2. Online sportsbooks have opened with Fresno State as a 2.5-point college football betting favorite in week 1 odds with an over/under total of 55.5. These two teams met last year at Cincinnati and the Bearcats scored a 28-20 win but failed to cover as 17-point favorites in college football odds. Fresno State actually outgained the Bearcats and had almost 44 minutes time of possession.

The rosters are much different for this week 1 college football betting match-up as well as the Cincinnati brain trust as Jones replaces Brian Kelly, who bolted for Notre Dame. Cincinnati is coming off back to back Big East titles under Kelly and Jones inherits a roster that is talented but thin. Depth is a key concern for the new head coach entering the season although he likes what he has. “I’m excited about our 22 players,” said Jones. “We’re very skilled. It all just goes back to depth.” Junior QB Zach Collaros leads the attack. While he was not the starter last year he got plenty of experience late in the season in key games that he was able to win to keep Cincinnati undefeated in the regular season.

Collaros brings the added dimension of being a great runner along with a strong and accurate arm. Pat Hill enters his 14th season as the Fresno State head coach and simply wants a national championship for the 2010 season. The Bulldogs finished 8-5 last year in college football betting odds and scored 33 points per game. Defense was a weakness though that must improve. “It still takes defense to win championships and play in big games,” said Hill this week.