College Football Lookahead Lines: 5 Best Bets to Lock in

Lookahead lines used to not be a thing in college football. But they have become an actionable reality in the last few years, and even now, their availability varies wildly and their limits are usually low. That's why I have my best college football lookahead lines to lock in.

When you see a number that you trust will be stale by the time that week actually rolls around, it is worth acting now. These are moments to recognize that you may beat the market because the line will move in your direction before a particular week of the college football season.

🏈 Kansas +7 vs. Missouri on Sept. 11 (-112 at DraftKings)

Expecting this line to move is the boldest take in this article. Neither team will play a competitive game beforehand, each favored by more than five touchdowns against FCS-level opponents in Week 1.

First, recognize the current market: Kansas is a 6.5-point underdog at FanDuel; that half-point alone is worth snagging now. Second, recognize the stakes: this is a rare college football rivalry rooted in true hatred.

This is not a slowly developed big brother/little brother problem that flares up every few years (Michigan vs. Michigan State). This isn't a rivalry that matters when both teams are in the spotlight (Michigan vs. Ohio State). This is not a matchup marked by its chaotic years more than anything else (the Iron Bowl).

This is hatred dating back to Civil War bloodshed. It is openly and often discussed in Lawrence to this day. You cannot walk around the town without learning things about John Brown, “Bleeding Kansas” or the Lawrence Massacre. There is actual hatred for Missouri. Jayhawks will quickly point out that Missouri football wears rebel gray for a reason.

And this is the first game between these two bitter rivals in Lawrence since 2005.

That homefield advantage will shorten this line once Week 2 comes around. Holding a full touchdown before then will be a welcomed edge.

🏈 LSU +2.5 at Mississippi on Sept. 19 (-110 at FanDuel)

Current SP+ ratings from ESPN.com suggest this game should be closer to a pick 'em than favoring Mississippi by nearly a field goal, and yes, that is when factoring in homefield advantage.

Admittedly, the Grove is going to be more rabid than usual for Lane Kiffin’s return, but history says Kiffin will relish playing the villain, as will his locker room.

But more than anything else, a Week 1, primetime, nationally televised win against Clemson will boost LSU’s ratings in algorithms and in narratives, while Mississippi beating Louisville should have less of an impact. That will further move this spread toward the Tigers, perhaps closing at merely a pick’em.

🏈 Notre Dame -23.5 at North Carolina on Oct. 3 (-110 at DraftKings)

Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has made a habit of walloping overmatched ACC opponents. Doing so against North Carolina will have nothing to do with Bill Belichick and more to do with the talent disparity in all three phases of the game.

So the question should not be, will Notre Dame win by 24 or more? The question should be, will this line move before the calendar turns to October?

The Tar Heels likely will be 1-2 then, the win coming against FCS-level East Tennessee State. The first loss will come in the season’s very first game for anyone, against TCU in Dublin. The Horned Frogs are 7.5-point favorites; North Carolina’s best hope may be a tongue-in-cheek shtick from yours truly that the nerdier team always wins in Dublin. While that is historically accurate, it is hardly worthwhile gambling.

And then the Tar Heels also head to Clemson in mid-September. By the time it's 1-2, this spread should veer far from North Carolina.

🏈 Notre Dame -5.5 vs. Miami on Nov. 7 (-115 at FanDuel)

This falling below six is comical. Current power ratings suggest Notre Dame should be a 4.5-point favorite on a neutral field. Imagine someone saying this should be at only -6.5 right now.

The Irish will have every version of revenge on their minds after an ACC media campaign last season helped Miami reach the College Football Playoff rather than Notre Dame. That storyline may help steam this line by a point in the 48 hours before kickoff.

But before then, can you really trust Mario Cristobal not to coach the Hurricanes into an unexpectedly tight game amid their first eight? They head to Wake Forest in Week 3, and the Demon Deacons showed last season that they are going to be an oddly frustrating opponent under Jake Dickert. Then Miami goes to Clemson in late September, certainly a chance for Dabo Swinney to stall his slide out of Death Valley. Perhaps Pat Narduzzi coaches up Pitt into an upset bid on Oct. 20.

Just one such bad moment could sway the Miami power rating enough to bump this spread past a touchdown. Then anyone who invested their money for four months at +7.5 on the Hurricanes will have simply given the sportsbook a short-term, interest-free loan.

🏈 Navy -2.5 vs. Army on Dec. 12 (-108 at DraftKings)

The Midshipmen may have a special season.

This is a long look ahead. In fact, it is the longest. This will probably only move one point, and while that point of value does not seem like much, it does cross a key number.

Navy should already be a 3.5-point favorite, and threatening to win the American Conference title will only further that argument between now and then.