Week 1 of College Football is finally here. I’d call it the opening week of football, but we did get games last week, which were pretty entertaining. I’m trying to temper my expectations a bit as we have only one ranked matchup this week, and that doesn’t come until Sunday. Week 1 is set up for teams to try to beat the crap out of other teams so that they can get things in line before their conference schedule starts and they have tougher opponents. This game likely will be no different as Akron takes on Wake Forest.
Akron is not going to be a very good team this season, and is predicted to have about five wins. The Zips’ over/under for the year is listed at 4.5 games and slightly juiced to the over. Their schedule doesn’t look like they have an overly difficult path, but there just isn’t a ton of talent on the roster. Ben Finley, their quarterback from last season, is gone, and they turn the ball over to Reese Poffenbarger.
It could be a good thing, though, going to Poffenbarger. He came over from Miami and North Texas, two schools that have had very dynamic offenses. However, he wasn’t the starter at either college. Jordan Gant is back in the backfield and had a decent year last year with a 4.8 yards-per-carry average. He only found the end zone six times, though. I have a bit of a mixed opinion on the Zips, as they have four transfers starting in their defensive unit. That could be good, but it might take a while for continuity and cohesion to come out for them.
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Wake Forest is one of those schools that occasionally has a good season, but never really has a fully dominant team. They really aren’t expected to be much better than Akron, but they will be at least a little better. They are expected to have at least six wins this year. They have a tough schedule this year with Purdue next week and Miami the following week. It won’t be easy for them, but there are definitely a few winnable games (including this one) on the agenda.
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Like Akron, the team has a new quarterback under center. Gio Lopez will be the primary thrower for them. He had a decent season last year at North Carolina, where he threw for 1,747 yards and 10 touchdowns. He did have five interceptions with it, though, so protecting the ball will be important for him. There has been a lot of change on this roster with two new offensive line members and two wide receivers coming in the transfer portal.
Usually when a team starts the season, they start rather slowly. When a team has transfers and revamps everything, I think they will start even slower. Both of these teams have a lot of changes and are learning new offenses in live action for the first time. I think the under 48.5 is the right look in this game. The Zips and Demon Deacons both have new quarterbacks, and neither is overly impressive. Give me the under 48.5.
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