Last week ATS: 13-14 (2-7 National, 11-7 B1G)
Week 1 certainly spoiled us with three matchups between top-10 teams. This week leaves a lot to be desired, with just one game between ranked teams. Then again, the schedule could have been made a little lighter when it comes to intrigue since the NFL will be kicking off their season on Thursday night.
It’s hard to be too upset with just about breaking even on the first full weekend of the college football season. With so many unknowns, as well as some games with monster point spreads, things could
have been a lot worse.
As long as we can stay around .500 for the first few weeks, we’ll set ourselves up in a good position to take some big swings in October and November.
National Games
Baylor v. No. 17 SMU (-2.5) – 12:00 p.m. ET – The CW Network
I had high expectations for Baylor last week, as I thought they could beat Auburn. The Bears put some points on the board, but their defense was awful against a Tigers offense that didn’t exactly strike fear in me entering the season with Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold at quarterback.
If Auburn can do that to Baylor in Waco, just imagine what Kevin Jennings and SMU can do to the Bears in Dallas.
While I think the over is a better bet in this game, I’ll side with SMU. The Mustangs have lost 13 straight to Baylor, but Rhett Lashlee’s team is flying high with confidence after making the College Football Playoff last season.
Give me the home team that wants to prove something to their in-state foe.
SMU 35, Baylor 27
West Virginia (-3.5) v. Ohio – 4:00 p.m. ET – ESPNU
This game is interesting for a number of reasons. Along with the Bobcats making the trip to Columbus next Saturday night, Ohio will be hosting former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez in the second game of his second stint with the Mountaineers.
The Bobcats actually hung with Rutgers last week in New Jersey, as quarterback Parker Navarro totaled 330 yards of offense and four touchdowns.
If Neal Brown was coaching this team, I definitely would be taking Ohio to pull the upset. Perhaps I’m a dummy for falling into a trap here, but I like the Mountaineers to cover the spread and send the Bobcats into Columbus next week with an 0-2 record.
West Virginia 38, Ohio 27
South Florida v. No. 13 Florida (-17.5) – 4:15 p.m. ET – SEC Network
How surprising was South Florida last week? The Bulls dismantled Boise State in Tampa. Imagine if South Florida can beat Florida this week and Miami next week.
If that happens, then schedules should be shifted so the Bulls and Florida State can meet in a battle for the crown of Florida. Although UCF will probably want to be the special guest referee.
Luckily we likely won’t have to go through all that since even though the Bulls will keep this game competitive, they don’t have enough to beat the Gators.
Florida 34, South Florida 20
B1G Games
Grambling State v. No. 1 Ohio State (No line) – 3:30 p.m. ET – BTN
Since there isn’t a posted point spread for this game as of the publication of this article, we’ll still make a score prediction, but obviously it won’t count towards the season record. You’ll likely be able to find a point spread for this game on Saturday, but expect to be laying at least 50 points if you are siding with Ohio State.
Now that the Texas game is behind them, Ohio State can relax a little bit over the next few weeks. Following this week’s game against Grambling State, the Buckeyes will host Ohio next week before a bye week will give them a week off prior to their Big Ten opener at Washington later this month.
The main goal for Ryan Day’s team should be to stay healthy and get as many players into the game as possible.
Expect this to look a lot like the 2013 game against Florida A&M, where Ohio State beat up on their FCS opponent 76-0. This is a good spot for groups that struggled in the opener to regain some confidence moving forward.
Smart money is on Julian Sayin to have more on his plate this week in his second start, while there will be a focus on establishing the running game.
Since the second and third stringers for the Buckeyes could start for Grambling State, Ohio State could pretty much name their score on Saturday afternoon. As long as all goes well, Ryan Day’s team should have this game wrapped up before halftime.
Ohio State 72, Grambling State 3
No. 11 Illinois (-2.5) v. Duke – 12:00 p.m. ET – ESPN
If the Fighting Illini have any designs on making the College Football Playoff this season, this is a game they desperately need. Aside from a home game against Ohio State next month, the schedule for Illinois is pretty light this season, so winning a non-conference game against a Power 4 opponent is a must.
This game features a sneaky good quarterback matchup between Luke Altmyer of the Fighting Illini and Tulane transfer Darian Mensah.
Illinois 33, Duke 21
Iowa v. No. 16 Iowa State (-2.5) – 12:00 p.m. ET – FOX
Week 2 is coming out firing early with El Assico! on Big Noon Saturday.
It feels like the annual Cy-Hawk battle always results in the team with lower expectations for the season ruining the season for the other. Iowa State has to feel like they are already flying high after beating Kansas State a couple weeks ago in Ireland.
The Wildcats might not be as good as advertised though, as last week they barely beat North Dakota.
Last week was probably the perfect start to the season for Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. Transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski got some work in, the Hawkeyes were able to keep things on offense even more vanilla than they already were, and the defense only gave up a touchdown.
A perfect recipe to lull Matt Campbell and the Cyclones to sleep!
Iowa 21, Iowa State 17
No. 16 Michigan v. No. 18 Oklahoma (-5.5) – 7:30 p.m. ET – ABC
Last week was a bit of a weird start to the season for Michigan. The Wolverines were in control of the game against New Mexico and looked like they added to their lead when Jaishawn Barham returned a fumble for a touchdown when he sacked the quarterback of the Lobos.
Instead, Barham was flagged for targeting and the touchdown was taken off the board. Michigan still won comfortably, that just seemed to take some of the wind out of their sails since it meant Barham would be suspended for the first half of this game.
Even though Oklahoma brought in Washington State quarterback John Mateer and Cal running back Jaydn Ott, the Sooners still have Brent Venables as their head coach. I don’t think Venables is the man for the job in Norman, and his seat is about to get hotter with a loss to Michigan on Saturday night.
Bryce Underwood continues the strong start to his college career with a big road win.
Michigan 27, Oklahoma 23
Rapid Fire Picks
National
No. 20 Ole Miss (-10.5) v. Kentucky – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC
Ole Miss 31, Kentucky 14
Kansas v. Missouri (-6.5) – 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Missouri 24, Kansas 20
No. 12 Arizona State (-6.5) v. Mississippi State – 7:30 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Arizona State 28, Mississippi State 24
B1G
Northern Illinois v Maryland (-17.5) – Friday 7:30 p.m. ET – BTN
Maryland 28, Northern Illinois 17
Florida International v. No. 2 Penn State (-41.5) – 12:00 p.m. ET – BTN
Penn State 45, Florida International 7
Kennesaw State v. No. 23 Indiana (-35.5) – 12:00 p.m. ET – FS1
Indiana 38, Kennesaw State 10
Oklahoma State v. No. 6 Oregon (-28.5) – 3:30 p.m. ET – CBS
Oregon 45, Oklahoma State 24
Miami (OH) v. Rutgers (-14.5) – 3:30 p.m. ET – Peacock
Rutgers 30, Miami (OH) 10
Middle Tennessee v. Wisconsin (-28.5) – 4:00 p.m. ET – FS1
Wisconsin 31, Middle Tennessee 6
Akron v. Nebraska (-34.5) – 7:30 p.m. ET – BTN
Nebraska 51, Akron 7
Georgia Southern v. USC (-28.5) – 7:30 p.m. ET – FS1
USC 55, Georgia Southern 13
Boston College v. Michigan State (-3.5) – 7:30 p.m. ET – NBC
Boston College 24, Michigan State 20
UCLA (-2.5) v. UNLV – 8:00 p.m. ET – CBSSN
UNLV 31, UCLA 27
