College Football Betting: Under-The-Radar Plays (Week 2)

There were just a handful of Football Bowl Subdivision games last weekend, and we'll get a few more this weekend as college football slowly builds up its volume of games before the Southeastern Conference starts on September 26. Saturday's card isn't a huge schedule, so in a sense, no games are really under the radar. However, some matchups always get more attention than others. These are a few of the less-noticeable games on the slate that still might not get front-page headlines.

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Arkansas State Red Wolves at Kansas State Wildcats

Odds: Kansas State -10.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook

Arkansas State is a contender in the Sun Belt Conference, so one might question why the spread is this large. The real reason is that Kansas State has a knack for overachieving. The Wildcats were in a very uncertain position last year under first-year head coach Chris Klieman, but they knocked off the eventual Big 12 champion Oklahoma Sooners and were a very tough team to play.

Kansas State making itself a competitive and feisty opponent in year one under Klieman bodes well for the program. If Klieman could do that well in his first season, his team should play at least that well, if not better in his second season. If Kansas State plays up to its 2019 standard in this game, it should be able to not only win this game outright, but cover the spread.

Pick: Kansas State -10.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook

Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at Army Black Knights

Odds: Army -19 at BetMGM

The Army Black Knights could not have played any better in Week 1 against Middle Tennessee. The Knights put together a 19-play, 99-yard touchdown drive which took nearly 12-and-a-half minutes of scoreboard time off the clock. Not one of those plays was a pass; Army simply ran the ball down Middle Tennessee's throat. The defense got multiple turnovers, which in turn allowed Army to play its typical possession-based game. That bruising style consequently wore out MTSU's absolutely exhausted defense as the game progressed. Army was efficient, sometimes potent, and always physical on defense. The team was able to take the ball away and give many different players meaningful playing time in its opener.

The Black Knights are set up perfectly for Week 2, against a Louisiana-Monroe team which isn't much (if any) better than Middle Tennessee. Army beat Middle Tennessee 42-0, so merely beating ULM by half as many points still enables the Black Knights to cover the spread. They will do just that.

Pick: Army -19 at BetMGM

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Louisville Cardinals

Odds: Louisville -11.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook

The dynamic in this game is similar to the Arkansas State-Kansas State matchup mentioned above. Louisville entered the 2019 season unsure of how good it was, or how productive the future could be. First-year head coach Scott Satterfield inherited a terrible 2018 team that imploded under previous coach Bobby Petrino. No one knew how good Satterfield would be. While many people had a hunch he would do a great job, he needed to prove it. Merely making a bowl game would have been a sensational accomplishment.

Satterfield exceeded that level of expectation. He not only made a bowl, but he won it. He has Louisville in the right direction, and the Cardinals' fast offense — highlighted by speedy receiver Tutu Atwell — should overwhelm Western Kentucky's defense. Take Louisville here.

Pick: Louisville -11.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook

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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.