College Football Week 2 Predictions

Last Week: 1-6 (3-9 overall) On Upset Alert: NC State beats ECU 21-20

Let's start with the obvious, I had a bad week but I think I can make the argument it was bad beats more than bad predictions. I missed on Pitt by half a point, I missed on Purdue by half a point and missed on Houston by 2 points, that is the difference between 1-6 and 4-3, that sucks. I was bang on with the upset alert this week however and although NC State pulled it out, ECU continues to be a team that they struggle with and show continued improvement from where they were last season, I look forward to seeing how they shape up in the AAC. But we move forward, putting 1-6 in the rearview mirror and moving onto an interesting week 2

Iowa State vs Iowa (-3.5): Why are Iowa the favorites here? Yes they have won 6 of these games in a row, I get that but did we not see them vs South Dakota State last week. They scored 7 points against an FCS team, through a field goal and 2 safeties. No offense to Mark Gronowski but he is not the next great QB through the Jack rabbits factory and although Iowa's defense played well this is a much stiffer test. Iowa State, on the other hand, did look impressive in their tune-up game, to the tune of a 42-10 victory. Hunter Dekkers threw for 4 TDs, Jirehl Brock ran for 104 yards and a TD. Iowa State looks like much the better team and should be able to turn the tide in this rivalry and leave with the CyHawk trophy. PICK: Iowa State (+3.5)

Houston vs Texas Tech (-3): This is a tough game to call but this will go a long way to determining whether or not Houston can make a serious run at the CFB playoff. Texas Tech coming off of pounding Murray State 63-10, ho hum, we know that Texas Tech can score points and Murray State was never going to test the Red Raiders defense like we needed to see to determine where the Red Raiders ceiling is. That is what they will get however out of Clayton Tune and Cougars offense. Tune carried the Houston offense last week, throwing for 206 and 3 TDs as well as running for 51 and a TD. Tune will have to push this team forward in order to beat the Red Raiders this week on the road. Texas Tech is still a little bit of a mystery and will be one of the toughest tests on the Houston schedule but I still have questions about the Red Raiders and their defense where as I put a lot of stock into a win over a very strong UTSA squad. Taking a team I have seen is good over a team that I think is good PICK: Houston (+3)

Tennessee (-6.5) vs Pitt: Two top 25 teams face off in Pittsburgh here as Tennessee makes a long trip north but come in 6.5 point favorites. This is going to be big points on the board (take the over on the 66.5 btw) with 2 high powered offenses led by veteran QBs. Hendon Hooker had a solid first game against Ball State before taking a rest in a 59-10 massacre of the MAC bottom feeders. Kedon Slovis had a strong game in the back yard brawl against West Virginia and Pitt needed every bit of it in the 38-31 victory. Rodney Hammond Jr had a good game running the ball for the Panthers but the running advantage clearly goes to the Vols who had both Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright running the ball very strongly last week. Ultimately what concerns me in this matchup is how much the Pitt defense gave up to the West Virginia offense who to me is far from a solidified group. Tennessee is a very good offense, filled with veteran influences who can move the ball against the strongest defense and Pitt has shown vulnerability defensively. Tennessee seems a little too strong for my liking in this situation, 6.5 points does give me a little reservations but ultimately I'm going to side with who I think is the stronger team here PICK: Tennessee (-6.5)

Alabama (-20) vs Texas: I fell into the trap last week of seeing Alabama against inferior opposition and taking the points, not this week. Texas is a better name than Utah State but they aren't that much better as a team. Alabama pummeled the Aggies pillar to post and look for them to do the same to the Longhorns. Roll Tide PICK: Alabama (-20)

Kentucky vs Florida (-5.5): Florida brought Utah into the Swamp and made a statement. While I don't think Florida will challenge for the SEC title they certainly have proven themselves to be an upper echelon team in the nation. On the other hand you have Kentucky, who managed to win decisively against Miami (OH) and still look decidedly unimpressive. Brett Gabbert was able to move the ball on the Wildcat defense but they did not break and only allowed 13 points. Offensively they moved the ball through the air well, with Will Levis throwing for 303 and 3 TDs but they could not move the ball on the ground at all, running for just 50 yards combined on 25 attempts. A one dimensional offense will not get it done against the Gators who have dual threat QB Anthony Richardson who threw for 168 while running for 106 and 3 TDs. Florida has too many ways to win this game for me to really look at Kentucky seriously in this matchup. That's the scary thing about the SEC, even the good teams can be outclasses by the teams near the top and last week Florida proved they are one of the threats in the SEC. PICK: Florida (-5.5)

Baylor vs BYU (-3.5): This is probably the game of the week on the west coast between 2 top 25 teams who have some asperations of New Years 6 games this season. BYU begins a tough stretch of their schedule at home against a Baylor team who last year beat them 38-24. This is a different test for Baylor however as travelling to the west means a lot of time change and a very late start for them. BYU looks like a stronger squad this year as well, after pummeling USF last week. Blake Shapen and the Baylor offense are strong and did exactly what you would expect them to do in their warm up against Albany last week, convincingly winning 69-10 but much like with Texas Tech, this is just expectation with a low level of opposition and doesn't really tell us much on the strength of Baylor this season. BYU also had a one sided victory against USF, beating the Bulls 50-21. The Bulls were a 2-10 team last season though and aren't expected to improve much. What we have here is 2 teams that we believe are quite strong but have yet to be tested in any way. The question is have BYU improved by 14 points over last seasons BYU team and how much will home field play a factor? I like BYU but I think Shapen and the Baylor offense will have just a little too much for the Cougars in this one PICK: Baylor (+3.5)

On Upset Alert: Picking a team that had historically struggled against their opponent nearly paid off on the upset alert last week, so we will try that again. #10 USC travel to Stanford to take on the Cardinal in a PAC-12 matchup. Stanford beat USC 42-28 last season and although USC are much improved they have also lost their last 2 trips to Stanford (in 2016 and 2018). Both teams looked good week 1 but this is the first big test for either side. USC is probably the PAC-12's last playoff hope after losses last week from Utah and Oregon but the Trojans need to prove they can win on the road at Stanford before even thinking about the playoff.