Here are my four best bets for Week 2 in college football. Click each linked for a short writeup of the game that I did for Fansided:
Over 59.5 in Hawaii vs Ohio State
Under 52 in Georgia vs Vanderbilt
Over 61.5 in Oklahoma vs Tennessee
Click here for my other work on Fansided, including my daily fantasy preview.
Here are my four picks for Week 1 in college football. Click each linked for a short writeup of the game that I did for Fansided:
North Carolina (+2.5) over South Carolina
Western Kentucky (-2) over Vanderbilt
Louisville (+10.5) over Auburn
Ohio State (-12) over Virginia Tech
For all my Fansided articles that I wrote before the season, click here.
Florida State (+1) over North Carolina State: North Carolina State hits the road after back-to-back home games against rivals Duke and North Carolina. Big letdown spot here.
Notre Dame (-6.5) over Miami: Miami just beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and now have to go to unfamiliar territory at Notre Dame. This line is too low.
Ohio State (+1) over Iowa: Ohio State is looking for revenge after the Hawkeyes beat them at home in their conference opener.
Michigan State (+3) over Maryland: Michigan State will also be seeking revenge after dropping their conference opener to Maryland in double overtime back on December 30.
The first ever College Football Playoff National Championship sees Ohio State and Oregon play in Arlington, Texas. The talent level on both teams are about equal. The Buckeyes have the coaching edge with Urban Meyer, who thrives in the role as an underdog. The reason Oregon is a touchdown favorite over Ohio State is because of the quarterback edge. Marcus Mariota has been decorated with awards throughout this collegiate career and has the chance to win the most important prize tonight. Mariota is very consistent, doesn’t turn the ball over much and has great foot work. Ohio State is starting Cardale Jones who is only making his third start. He impressed in wins over Wisconsin and Alabama but it’s hard to say if his success will continue on Monday night. If Jones plays like he did in the Sugar Bowl, then Ohio State will stay close in this game throughout. I think Urban Meyer will come out with a game plan to control the clock early, which will lead to a lower scoring first half. The first half under 37.5 looks attractive. I think Jones will play well and there has been something with Oregon not playing well in big games in the past. I think Ohio State can win this game but will take the points just in case.
Pick: Ohio State (+7) over Oregon
After a horrible 0-5 weekend in college football, I am going to be more selective for the last week of the season. The good news is that bowl games are coming up, which is my favorite part of picking college football games. Here are my two picks for this week:
Oklahoma State (+21) over Oklahoma: If there’s one thing I learned about rivalry games last week is that big underdogs can cover spreads. Oklahoma State has struggled this season but this is always a big game and the Cowboys need to win to make a bowl game. Oklahoma State burned quarterback Mason Rudolph’s redshirt two weeks ago and he impressed against Baylor. It’s not confirmed that Rudolph will start but I think he will see some time if Daxx Garman struggles under center. I think this line is a bit higher than it should because of the rumors that Mike Gundy will leave Stillwater for another coaching opportunity this winter. I still think Oklahoma State shows up in Norman on Saturday, and don’t think Oklahoma is a good team.
Wisconsin (-4) over Ohio State: It’s a shame that J.T. Barrett won’t be playing in this game. Ohio State’s offense has been rolling in conference play with the freshman under center. Barrett sustained an injury late in the game against Michigan and now it’s Cardale Jones’ opportunity to start at quarterback. With no game preparation, I think the Ohio State offense will struggle. Wisconsin’s running game with Melvin Gordon will tire out the Buckeyes defense, and Joel Stave won’t be forced to make plays. I also think the distractions of the Playoff rankings will hurt Ohio State in this game, while Wisconsin knows they can play spoiler.
Pool Plays
Oregon (-14.5) over Arizona- Friday Night
Here are my Week 14 college football picks and the rest of the pool plays on Thursday, Friday and Saturday:
Texas (+7) over TCU: I think Texas gives TCU scare on Thanksgiving Night with tough defense.
Texas A&M (+3) over LSU: LSU is a young team and this is a tough situation on the road.
Ohio State (-21) over Michigan: Ohio State will be looking for style points and will show no mercy against their bitterest rival.
Penn State (+13) over Michigan State: This line is a bit too high and I think James Franklin will have his team prepared.
Tennessee (-17) over Vanderbilt: Tennessee will be bowl eligible with a win and the Volunteers should rout the Commodores in Knoxville West. Speaking of James Franklin, Vanderbilt beat Tennessee the last two seasons so Butch Jones’ team has revenge on their mind.
Pool Plays Continue reading
Here are my Week 11 college football picks and the rest of the pool plays:
Kansas State (+6) over TCU: A Bill Snyder team getting points is usually a safe pick. Kansas State’s only loss was against Auburn so both these teams are in contention for the College Football Playoff. I think Kansas State will try to control the ball to keep TCU’s explosive offense off the field. That’s why I also like the under in this game.
Under 58 in TCU vs Kansas State: See above
Under 45 in LSU vs Alabama: I can see LSU winning this game and because of that I like the under. It might be similar to the game two weeks ago when the Tigers upset Ole Miss 10-7. I don’t think Alabama’s offense will be as efficient on the road in Baton Rogue. Remember that these teams played a 9-6 game three years ago before meeting again in the National Championship.
Michigan State (-4) over Ohio State: Michigan State is the better team and are coming off a bye. The Spartans are playing at home in primetime, so I give the advantage to quarterback Connor Cook over Ohio State freshman J.T. Barrett.
Pool Plays
Kentucky (+10) over Georgia: The next two games are only pool plays but I was very close to making them official picks. I make most of my college football picks based on scheduling situations. Georgia is in a terrible scheduling spot this week. They just played Florida and play Auburn next week. So this Kentucky game is sandwiched between two big games for the Bulldogs. The matchup next week against Auburn is even more important because of how the Tigers beat the Bulldogs last season. Georgia also had their College Football Playoff dreams crushed last week when they lost to Florida. With no shot a winning the title and I think Georgia comes out flat in Lexington. That being said, the line has probably adjusted taking those factors into consideration. So I would lean towards Kentucky but would like this game a lot more if the spread was a few points higher.
Purdue (+17) over Wisconsin: The Badgers are one of four teams in the Big Ten West with one loss. The other three are Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. Those are Wisconsin’s three opponents after this game in West Lafayette. So this is a lookahead scenario against Purdue with bigger games on deck. Purdue has improved in conference play and even out gained Nebraska last week in a 21-point loss. The home team is getting a lot of points here but there’s going to be cold and rainy weather for an early kickoff on Saturday. That climate favors Wisconsin’s game plan of running of the ball and playing strong defense. That’s why I would only lean Purdue in this game.
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