What a Week 1 in CFB! Michigan, Miami and Florida State look like JUCO teams, while West Virginia, LSU, Virginia Tech, Auburn and Stanford all made statements in their openers.
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On the $$$ side, we crushed it in Week 1 going 10-4! An excellent way to get the money flowing and profitable from the jump. Here is a quick recap:
Week 1 Picks
UCF -22.5 @ UConn (Win, UCF wins 56-17)
Northwestern +2 @ Purdue (Win, Northwestern wins outright as predicted, 31-27)
Syracuse -6 @ Western Michigan (Win, Syracuse wins 55-42)
Stanford -15.5 vs. San Diego State (Win, Stanford wins 31-10)
Houston -25 @ Rice (Loss, as Houston does not cover, but wins, 45-27)
Boston College -18 vs. UMass (Win, BC covers 55-21)
West Virginia -10 vs. Tennessee (Win, West Virginia covers 40-14)
Marshall -1.5 @ Miami Ohio (Win, Marshall covers 35-28)
North Texas -4.5 vs. SMU (Win, North Texas covers 46-23)
Hawaii +11.5 vs. Navy (Win, Hawaii covers and wins outright (59-41)
Michigan +1 @ Notre Dame, Saturday September 1 (Loss, 24-17 Notre Dame wins)
Washington +1.5 vs. Auburn (in Atlanta), Saturday, September 1 (Loss 21-16 Auburn wins)
Miami -3.5 vs. LSU (game in Dallas), Sunday, September 2 (Loss, LSU wins outright 33-17)
Virginia Tech +7.5 @ Florida State, Monday, September 3 (Win, Virginia Tech wins outright 24-3)
Overall Record: 10-4
Now lets dive into Week 2:
Army -9.5 vs. Liberty
One may look at this spread and ask, “Just how is Army, a team that just lost by 20 to Duke, favored by almost 10 points against a Liberty team that just put up 52 against Old Dominion?” The answer is simple. Army is not ODU. ODU is a fledgling football program, while Army and their unique offensive philosophy, is very hard to prepare for. Liberty will need to match the discipline of Army, not to mention the physicality. Give me Army and the points, 34-23.
Purdue -16 vs. Eastern Michigan
Despite their home loss to Northwestern, I was impressed with the Boilermakers. They certainly need to settle on and play just one quarterback, however the explosiveness of Rondale Moore was electrifying. 79 yards rushing, 11 catches, 109 yards receiving, 125 kick return yards and two touchdowns. If EMU gave up 17 points to Monmouth, I like Purdue to triple that number. Purdue wins 54-20.
Northwestern -3 vs. Duke
Both teams coming off week one wins, with the Wildcats notching an impressive road win at Purdue. The return of Clayton Thorson was huge for the Wildcats, but the emergence of Jeremy Larkin into the lead role at running back makes this pick one of my favorite of the week. Duke beat Army by 20 at home. I like that this is a field goal game, so give me the Wildcats 27-17.
Mississippi State -9 vs. Kansas State
Head scratcher number one of the week. Yes, Mississippi State played and crushed Stephen F. Austin 63-6 last week. Yes, star quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was held out of the game and may be rusty. And yes, they are going on the road to Manhattan, Kansas. But why is the spread only 9.5? It is the type of line that makes you wonder what is going on, especially considering Kansas State needed 15 fourth quarter points to sneak by Southern Illinois by 3. To me, the Bulldogs offense is too talented and with Nick Fitzgerald out to prove a point, I do not expect this game to be close. Give me Miss State 34-17.
Arizona/Houston over 65.5
While Arizona dropped a surprising home opener to BYU, Houston struggled for much of the first three quarters with Rice. So why do we think this game will go over the 63.5 number. Two reasons, both quarterbacks. Khalil Tate and D’Eriq King. While Tate, who many believed was a Heisman trophy candidate, struggled in Week one, King was sensational, throwing for 320 yards, rushing for another 33 and accounting for 4 total scores. Tate will find plenty of holes in the Houston defense that gave up 27 points, close to 300 yards passing and well over 100 yards rushing to Rice. Houston wins a shootout 44-37.
Memphis -6.5 @ Navy
Navy is a very tough team to prepare for. Memphis knows this full well and will not be caught off guard. They defeated Navy last season and with Navy returning from their trip to Hawaii last weekend, will they be well rested for the up-tempo offense of the Tigers? Navy looked sluggish in their opener and despite putting up 41 points, allowed 428 yards passing and over 100 yards rushing in that contest. I like Memphis by double digits here, so give me the 6.5 points. Memphis wins 37-25.
Buffalo +5 @ Temple
Head scratcher number 2. Temple just lost at home to Villanova. No, not in basketball, football. And they scored 17 points in doing so. Buffalo opened with a 48 point performance that saw their dynamic duo of Tyree Jackson and Anthony Johnson display why they may be the best QB-WR pairing in non BCS-conference football. Jackson himself threw 6 touchdown passes. And they are getting 5? Sure. Give me Buffalo to win outright, 34-27.
Iowa State +3.5 @ Iowa
Iowa State saw their opener postpoined because of weather. Iowa played a lackluster first half that ended 3-0 against Northern Illinois, before they scored 30 second half points and romped. Getting more than a field goal is nice, as I will take the skill position players of the Cyclones over those of the Hawkeyes. David Montgomery is a future NFL running back and he will go over 100 yards and find the end zone in a Cyclones upset win. Iowa State wins outright, 24-20.
Michigan State -6 @ Arizona State
The first game of the Herman Edwards era was solid as the Sun Devils crushed UTSA by 42. Eno Benjamin and N’Keal Harry, the teams two best playmakers, accounted for close to 300 yards and four total touchdowns. But that was not against one of the best defensive teams in the country, who is coming off a less than stellar performance against Utah State. The Spartans will be motivated to stop the run, corral the pass and make a statement. Tough game on the road, but Sparty covers 31-21.
Hawaii vs. Rice over 68
So lets see. In their first two games, Hawaii has scored 43 and 59 points. That was against two teams that are probably more talented than Rice (Colorado State and Navy). Now, Rice travels across the ocean to face Hawaii and is expected to slow down this juggernaut? I do not think so. Hawaii goes over 50 and given that Rice scored 27 against Ed Oliver and Houston, they can get us over the hump. Hawaii wins easily 56-20.
Oklahoma State -18 vs. South Alabama
One of my favorite picks of the weekend. The Cowboys debuted Taylor Cornelius against Missouri State and he delivered. 300 yards, 5 touchdowns and it sure appears that Mike Gundy has found his Mason Rudolph replacement. With so much talent at his disposal (Justice Hill who went over 100 yards and Jalen McCleskey who scored twice), the Cowboys should easily cover this number against a defense that is going to be overmatched. OSU wins big 54-24.
Clemson -12 @ Texas A&M
Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies are not ready for this. Yes, Trayveon Williams ran for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns but he did so against Northwestern State. Clemson allowed just over 150 yards of TOTAL offense against Furman. While the Aggies surely have more talent than Furman, they will be hard pressed to match the success they had in their opener. Expect Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond to be on the run the entire afternoon, as the Tigers defense will have little problem disrupting things. Clemson wins 34-14.
Stanford -4.5 vs. USC
As much as I want to pick USC in this game, what Stanford did to San Diego State in the second half was impressive. To beat them by 21 points, with Bryce Love rushing for only 29 yards, is making a statement. JJ Arcega-Whiteside was the difference, as the wide receiver caught 3 touchdowns and went for 226 yards. Not too bad. Given their balance on offense and the inexperience under center for the Trojans, the Cardinal should run their record to 2-0. Especially at home, give me Stanford 28-20.
As a reminder, all lines are taken from BetDSI, where they will match any deposit, as part of their Welcome Package, up to $2,500 each using the code: FANTOM. Get in the game and take advantage of that amazing offer!
Read more at WatchFantom: https://www.watchfantom.com
