College football's first week is upon us, and bettors have taken notice (duh). Since lines came out in May, bets have been steadily pouring in on the opening games of the 2018 season, and over the past week, ticket counts have really started to climb.
Three games in particular have drawn an exceptionally high number of bettors that all seem to be in agreement.
Without further ado, the three most popular bets of the first real week of college football:
>> All odds as of Thursday at 11 a.m. ET. Download The Action Network App to get real-time NCAAF odds and track your bets.
Texas at Maryland
Saturday, Sept. 1
12 p.m. ET
What the public is betting: Texas -13.5
Texas is the most popular team in Week 1. This game is on pace to be the third most heavily bet game of the weekend, and the Longhorns have received 81% of those bets.
They've also landed 91% of dollars, which explains the line move from -9 to -13.5 — one of the biggest moves on the board.
Why the public loves Texas: It's late August, which means the annual tradition of Texas being "back" is in full swing. This year there's even going to be a little number written next to the Longhorns' name to begin the season, and the public loves little numbers (I'm referring to rankings here if you're not picking up on that).
This is also a revenge game for Texas. Last season opened with this same matchup in Austin, and Maryland pulled off the surprise 51-41 victory, so you can bet that the public is expecting a motivated Texas squad on Saturday.
Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma
Saturday, Sept. 1
12 p.m. ET
What the public is betting: Over 72
Just behind Texas-Maryland, this game is on pace to have the fourth-biggest handle of the weekend. It's also drawn 77% of bettors to the over, accounting for 79% of dollars wagered. With that support, the total has risen from 65.5 to 72.
Why the public loves the over: Lane Kiffin's name is synonymous with offense. As long as he's calling the shots, bettors will flock to the over.
In fact, in his 65 games as head coach in our database, only seven times has the over received fewer than 50% of bets (for what it's worth, his over record is 32-33).
Throw in the fact that he's playing against last year's NCAA leader in total offense, and this bet from the public should come as no surprise.
Michigan at Notre Dame
Saturday, Sept. 1
7:30 p.m. ET
What the public is betting: Under 46.5
As you might've expected, this game is on pace to be the most heavily bet of the weekend. While bettors aren't totally in agreement on a side, they've certainly come to a consensus on the over/under.
The under has attracted 82% of bets and 81% of dollars, dropping the total a point from 47.5.
Why the public loves the under:Jim Harbaugh has had the Wolverines in the top 10 total defenses in each of his four years at Michigan. They've been in the top five in three straight years, and were even number one in 2016.
Playing an inexperienced Notre Dame offense, and with the Wolverines having plenty of questions of their own on offense, bettors are expecting points to come at a premium Saturday night.
