2 College Football Best Bets and Predictions for Sunday, August 31

Labor Day Weekend means one thing: loads of college football action! Get our CFB expert’s 2 best bets for Sunday, August 31 in this preview piece. Enjoy the games, and best of luck with your wagers.

Best Bet: South Carolina -7 over Virginia Tech

The Hokies underachieved last season, but much of that was due to injuries. Kyron Drones was one of those injured but is back healthy to play QB for coach Brent Pry. They went out and got a whole new stable of running backs and wide receivers through the transfer portal.

While they believe they are all impact players, Drones is playing behind a completely new offensive line. All 5 starters are lacking experience and could be an issue early in the season. The defense was subpar last year, but the portal was kind here as well with the additions of Ben Bell from Texas St to be on the DLine and Tyson Flowers from Rice to sure up their secondary.

Coach Beamer had his Gamecocks playing great ball at the end of last year. They won 6 straight to finish the season, and LaNorris Sellers was a big part of that win streak. He is back under center and will have Mike Shula calling plays as the new OC.

Rocket Sanders is gone, and it will remain to be seen if anyone can fill his shoes this season in the backfield. The defense was a big part of their strong play last season. After holding opponents under 19ppg last year, we will see if it was the scheme or the talent alone that lifted them, as they lost some big names.

We think Coach Beamer will have the boys ready to go and like the way Sellers finished last season. He should be able to get things going early against this visiting Hokies squad. While they could be better as the season goes on, we think this new offensive line is going to take a couple of games to get right for VT.

Key Trends for Virginia Tech vs South Carolina

• VT is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
• VT is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games against an opponent in the SEC.
• VT is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games played in August.
• South Carolina is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games.

Best Bet: Notre Dame -2.5 over Miami

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be led by CJ Carr at QB this season. The grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr is getting the chance to lead the Irish to the promised land this season. He will have arguably the best running back in the country, Jeremiyah Love, and his running mate, Jadarian Price, to hand the ball to.

He will have Jaden Greathouse to throw to when needed, and Eli Raridon could be leaned on at tight end. On defense, Al Golden is gone, and Chris Ash is now in as the new defensive coordinator. Lucky for Ash, he has a loaded group and will possibly be even stronger than last year’s group.

The Canes will look different this year from the group that featured the #1 offense last season. Cam Ward is in the NFL, and Carson Beck transferred in from Georgia to be the new QB. They also lost most of their wideouts and leading rusher. The line brings back 3 starters, and the former rotation backfield members will be relied on to run the ball consistently.

On defense, they were weak once again last season. Head coach Cristobal brought in some new faces through the portal, but time will tell if they can be the change that is needed for the Canes to take the next steps.

Give us the veteran backfield of the Irish in this one. With the Canes’ defense always being the issue, and an offense that is likely to rely on ball control more than the prolific passing of last season, things could get bleak once the Irish take a lead. While Ash is a bit unproven as a DC for ND, we love the talent that he has on his unit.

Key Trends for Notre Dame at Miami

• ND is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 games when playing as the favorite.
• ND is 16-5 ATS in its last 21 games on the road.
• Miami is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games against an opponent in the Independents
• Miami is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing as the underdog.