Arizona 2018 Betting Preview: QB Khalil Tate Will Take Over College Football

Arizona 2018 Betting Preview: QB Khalil Tate Will Take Over College Football article feature image
Credit:

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Khalil Tate (14) runs the ball against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Arizona 2018 Betting Odds

  • To win the National Title: +22500
  • To make Playoff: +4500
  • To make NY6 Bowl: +1000
  • To win the Pac-12: +2300
  • To win the Pac-12 South: +405
  • Win Total: 8 (over -110, under -120)

All lines taken on Aug. 14. Always shop for the best line.


Arizona 2018 Schedule, Betting Odds

The Action Network Projected Wins: 9.8

Bet To Watch

Arizona to win the Pac-12 South (+405)

This preview should write itself, as video of the most electrifying man in college football should be enough to make anyone buy into Wildcats football this fall. If you own an updated version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary, you should find a picture of Khalil Tate under "explosiveness."

#TBT to Khalil Tate's 71-yard🏠call vs. UCLA. 😲👀#BearDown | #HardEdgepic.twitter.com/RpWebscNlP

— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) December 7, 2017

But wait, there's more! If Tate's legs aren't enough to sell you on Arizona, have a look at what the junior quarterback can do through the air. Although the Wildcats came up short in the Foster Farms Bowl, he put on a show.

Khalil Tate new career high 3rd TD pass for the game.
Tate 13/17 205 yds pass pic.twitter.com/hzPPqbiXLH

— AZ Wildcat Country (@Wildcat_Country) December 28, 2017

If you're adding Arizona to your betting portfolio, it's not all about Khalil Tate. The hire of coach Kevin Sumlin will help the offense and the defense. And the defense ranks 23rd in returning production.

There are questions about the size of the defense, but it got dealt a break by avoiding the two best offensive lines in the conference (Stanford and Washington).

Sumlin walks into a great coaching situation, with a lot of offensive talent, an experienced defense and an easy conference schedule. The 54-year-old has a knack for putting together top-notch offenses, so I expect a bounce-back season after an up-and-down 2017 when he fell short of expectations at Texas A&M.



Some of us (not naming names) may have gotten carried away and placed a 500-1 national title future on Arizona in February, but a more realistic bet would be taking Arizona to win the Pac-12 South Division (+405).

Expect Sumlin to be invigorated with his Heisman candidate. And if you still aren't sold, keep Tate's highlights on a loop.

What else you need to know about Arizona

Arizona is 1-6 against the spread in bowl games since 2009, while Sumlin covered a bowl game at Houston just once. Look to fade the Wildcats in the postseason.

More College Football Betting Previews

Click here for team previews on all 130 FBS schools.

About the Author
Collin is a Senior Writer for The Action Network, covering all things college football, college basketball and MLB. Wilson also contributes content on WWE, Game of Thrones, and various other topics.

Follow Collin Wilson @_Collin1 on Twitter/X.

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