Every week, Rock M Nation will post the SEC betting lines for that week’s slate of games. DISCLAIMER: Rock M Nation is not an online gambling operator, nor a gambl, ing site of any kind. We are simply here to provide information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only. None of the staff will be using this information for gambling purposes and are not liable for any losses incurred due to the analysis contained within.
We’re back baby!!!! Not only is college football here as of Saturday,
but Best Bets returns to continue our march to monetary glory. This is year three of Best Bets from yours truly; year one was a resounding success, with a 35-26-1 (.574) record on our Best Bets. While year two was up and down all season, we flirted with .500 until a final playoff push got us in the black for good. 2025 finished 30-27 on Best Bets and 59-52 overall on our picks. I wasn’t a math major, but that brings the total Best Bets record to 65-53-1 or a .551 winning percentage. That means money in your pockets, folks. And this year the goal is going to be pushing up to .600 or better, so let’s get off to a strong start!
Best Bets
North Carolina vs. TCU (-7.5)
Fresh off a disastrous freshman season as a college coach, Bill Belichick takes his Tar Heels to Dublin for a rematch against TCU, who throttled UNC in Chapel Hill last year in Belichick’s first game as head coach. The Horned Frogs are picked to be one of the better teams in the Big 12 this season while there is little confidence the Tar Heels will be much better than their 4-8 record last season. I think TCU is only favored by 7.5 because of the trip across the pond, which can always level the playing field, but I think TCU is clearly the more talented and (dare I say) better coached squad. They’ll win by a couple scores.
NC State @ Virginia (-5.5)
As Mizzou fans unfortunately know, Tony Elliot has built this Virginia team into a competent football program. While they did lose a lot of experience off last year’s Gator Bowl-champion team, they should still have a very good defense and running game, bolstered by another name familiar to Mizzou: Beau Pribula. The ACC is the middest of them all, so I don’t expect Virginia to be GOOD good, but they will once again be competent while NC State has been trending down under Dave Doeren for a few years. Given this is in Charlottesville and it’s the first game of the year, I’m taking the Wahoos by a touchdown.
Memphis @ UNLV (-5.5)
Memphis has a new coach in Charles Huff, who has done exceptional things at Marshall and Southern Miss in consecutive years. I think he was a great hire who will win big at Memphis, but I don’t think that starts in week one. UNLV has been one of the best teams in the Mountain West for a few years now and coach Dan Mullen should keep them on the right track in 2026 as well. Give me the Rebels by a touchdown.
Worth a look
Hawaii (+3.5) @ Stanford
Timmy Chang and the Rainbow Warriors had a resurgent season last year, finishing 9-4 and making a bowl for the first time in several years. There is no reason to think they won’t have similar success in 2026, and that starts early in Palo Alto. Stanford is really really bad. So bad that they lost this game to Hawaii just a year ago and I see no reason why that same result won’t occur this year as well. Give me the Warriors to win outright.
Sacramento State @ Eastern Michigan (-9.5)
Sacramento State plays their first game as an FBS school and it’s on the road in Ypsilanti. While EMU isn’t the most dominant FBS program on Sac. State’s schedule, they are established under Chris Creighton while the Hornets are searching for a foothold on a new level of play. I’ll take EMU and the points, though I’m not convinced Sac State won’t be the better team by November.
Jacksonville State @ North Dakota State (-6.5)
North Dakota State is another former FCS program playing their first game as a newly minted FBS team. NDSU, however, is quite a bit more established and stable than their counterparts from California. Jacksonville State is a solid program who has had back-to-back bowl appearances, but since this game is in the fearsome Fargo Dome, I’m taking the Bison to cover, even if 6.5 points feels a little high.
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See sportsbook.fanduel.com for details.
