2011 College Football: Week 1 Betting Stats You Can't Afford to Miss

The 2011 college football season is underway, and I've spent the entire week looking for the best statistics that may give you confidence in placing a wager.

Sports bettors come in all shapes and sizes in terms of determining which side to wager on, but in my opinion, information is king.

Let's take a look at 15 powerful statistics that may help you line your pockets over the Labor Day Weekend.

Utah State at No. 23 Auburn Tigers (-23)

The Auburn Tigers are 15-0-1 straight-up when playing current members of the WAC, which fits nicely with the team's 4-1 against-the-spread mark in such contests.

Northwestern at Boston College (-4.5)

The 2011 Northwestern Wildcats have 31 players on their current roster that have a combined 378 career starts. 

Bettors will be interested in the Wildcats being 7-2 ATS as road underdogs the past three years.

Miami (OH) at No. 21 Missouri (-20.5)

The Missouri Tigers have won nine straight season openers by a 362-167 margin, with the last three coming against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Bettors will take comfort knowing that Miami OH is 0-3 ATS in its last three chances against Big 12 competition.

Kent State at No. 2 Alabama (-38)

The Alabama Crimson Tide are expected to be one of the more dominant teams in the history of the Southeastern Conference due to playing 16 players on the Preseason All-Conference team.

It also helps to know that the boys from Tuscaloosa are also 18-1-1 in season-opening contests at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Bettors will be comfortable in the Crimson Tide's 8-1 ATS record versus non-conference opponents, which fits nicely with the Golden Flashes dropping 32 of 33 games against lined competition.

Louisiana-Monroe at No. 6 Florida State (-28.5)

The Florida State Seminoles have tallied a 48-16 all-time record when opening a season, which includes a 28-6 mark when playing in front of the home faithful.

Experience is found in the backfield with a group of four rushers combining to gain 3,914 career rushing yards and finding pay dirt 45 times.

Bettors will find that Louisiana-Monroe is a dismal 9-23 ATS as a road underdog of 21.5 or more points.

South Florida at No. 16 Notre Dame (-11)

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will welcome in their 69th different opponent inside the walls of Notre Dame Stadium, and the program has posted a 56-11-1 record in those contests.

South Florida will find this fact difficult to overcome in failing to cover the number in three of its last four September contests.

Minnesota at No. 25 USC (-24)

The USC Trojans have won their last 11 games against opponents hailing from the Big Ten Conference, and bettors will take comfort in the school's 13-5 ATS mark in their last 18 chances against such opponents.

One more reason to play the Trojans—Minnesota first-year coach Jerry Kill failed to cover his last five games while at Northern Illinois against winning opponents as an underdog.

Western Michigan at Michigan (-14)

The Michigan Wolverines have been one of the most dominating programs in the nation when opening a season, posting a 108-20-3 record, which includes an incredible 92-15-2 mark at home.

Facing an opponent from the Mid-American Conference is likely to improve that record, as the squad is 27-1 in such contests.

Western Michigan's 0-4 ATS record against Big 10 opponents seals the deal.

Troy at Clemson (-16)

The Clemson Tigers have won all five previous contests against Sun Belt Conference opponents—outscoring those foes by a significant 212-70.

Troy is up against it with a 3-7 ATS mark versus non-conference competition.

East Carolina vs No. 12 South Carolina (-20.5)

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier simply doesn't lose against over-matched opponents, represented in his perfect 41-0 record against teams outside of the BCS automatic bid conferences.

He also has lost just one of 21 season openers in his career on the collegiate sidelines.

The Gamecocks are 5-3 ATS when facing Conference USA opponents.

Florida Atlantic at No. 22 Florida (-35)

The Florida Gators have dominated their last five opponents when opening a season, outscoring their opponents by a combined 235-35 margin and going over the 50-point barrier twice in that period.

Florida Atlantic is likely to offer little resistance, posting an 0-4 ATS mark versus SEC teams in the school's brief collegiate football history.

Tulsa at No. 1 Oklahoma (-24.5)

The Oklahoma Sooners have won 36 consecutive games in Norman, outscoring opponents by an average margin of 44.6 to 14.5 points a contest. 

Many of those games have come against quality opponents—including 14 wins over ranked teams when the ball was kicked off.

Oklahoma is 5-2 ATS when hosting Conference USA foes.

No. 3 Oregon (-4) vs. No. 4 LSU

The LSU Tigers are a perfect 23-0 under current head coach Les Miles when playing non-conference games during regular-season play.  It also helps that the team has never lost when opening a season during his time in the Bayou.

Bettors will also appreciate the Tigers 4-0 ATS record on a neutral field as an underdog of 3.5 to seven points.

No. 5 Boise State (-3) vs. No. 19 Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs have tallied a 9-1 season-opening mark under Mark Richt's direction, and that's one of many that signal a play on this Southeastern Conference underdog.

Richt has also won 41 of 47 games against teams outside of the nation's best conference.

Bettors will love the Bulldogs being 14-5 ATS when playing on artificial turf, and the fans that make the trek from Athens to the Georgia Dome will love it as well.

Colorado at Hawaii (-6.5)

The Hawai'i Warriors have recorded an impressive 61-28-5 all-time record in home openers and will be facing a Pac-12 Conference opponent Saturday.

Colorado would likely opt to start the season in Boulder—especially with its current streak of 17 consecutive losses on the road .

The Buffaloes 1-7 ATS record in road openers is the final nail in the coffin.