If you were wondering why I didn’t write a post picking college football games against the spread last week, here’s the reason why…I never bet Week 1 in college football. I find it almost pointless. You don’t know much about the teams because you just hear what amounts to propaganda. I find no joy in betting a 50-point spread.

I start my college football betting in Week 2. You still have some horrible lines and many teams in the power conferences don’t even have betting lines. You at least have a better idea of how a team may perform this season. I just hate going into the season blind. You at least have the preseason in the NFL to look at what you’re ‘buying’.

We were 134-79-8 against the spread betting on college football games last season. We hope to keep it going and help you guys out again this season.

We pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday, plus a few smaller conference games as always…and a Thursday night game. Enjoy!

USC at Stanford (-3) – My pick is Stanford

Going into the first game, I did not like USC’s offense. I thought in able for them to do well in the Pac-12, their defense would need to carry the team. The offense actually carried the team in their game against Fresno State, but the Bulldogs might end up having one of the worst defenses in their conference. I do like Cody Kessler, but I’m not sure the pieces around him are up to the task against Stanford. I’ve had a football crush on Kevin Hogan since 2012 and think the Cardinal will further damage Steve Sarkisian’s record against them.

Michigan State at Oregon (-12) – My pick is Michigan State

Michigan State rarely lands a recruiting class in the top 10 and still hold their own against the best teams in college football. Last year, by the Big Ten Championship game, Mark Dantonio had the Spartans playing like the best team in the nation. Oregon is a difficult place to play. It’s really hard to pick against the Ducks at home when the spread is less than two touchdowns. I just think the Big Ten is always undervalued when they travel out West. Michigan State will make it extremely difficult for Oregon to cover.

Michigan at Notre Dame (-3.5) – My pick is Notre Dame

This pick is strictly based on the the quarterback. I love me some Everett Golson and have no confidence in Devin Gardner. I know he looked great against Appalachian State, but don’t get carried away with that win. This is the last game these two teams will play against each other in the foreseeable future. The crowd will be crazy. It’s not a popular pick, but Notre Dame will cover.

BYU at Texas (+1) – My pick is BYU

Texas got steamrolled in last year’s game at BYU (40-21). This year’s game is in Austin, but I don’t see the outcome being much different. Texas QB David Ash will not play due to injury and will start Tyrone Swoopes (who has 105 total yards in college). Texas’ defense looked great last week, but any potential bowl team should look like that against North Texas. The reason BYU will cover is strictly due to their offense. BYU QB Taysom Hill is a dual-threat quarterback and will make Texas earn every defensive stop. Texas does have some excellent players on defense, but they are not deep. BYU could very easily wear them out and pull away at the end of the game.

Virginia Tech at Ohio State (-11) – My pick is Ohio State

Ohio State was one of the few top teams to actually cover the spread in Week 1…but they looked bad in doing so. Listen, Navy runs an offense that is hard to duplicate in practice. It can be hard to defend at first. They were not prepared enough to face the Midshipmen. OSU’s new starting quarterback J.T. Barrett did enough to win the game. That’s all I needed to see in Week 1. I’m confident the Buckeyes will cover at home against the Hokies on Saturday.

Oregon State at Hawaii (+10.5) – My pick is Oregon State

Oregon State did not look good against Portland State last week…at all. They were expected to dominate and only ended up winning by 15. They were actually trailing by a point at halftime. They just looked rusty. I’m still a fan of OSU quarterback Sean Mannion and expect them to look like themselves late Saturday night.

Western Kentucky at Illinois (-5.5) – My pick is Western Kentucky

The Hilltoppers quarterback Brandon Doughty threw for 569 yards last week against Bowling Green. I don’t expect the same crazy number this week against Illinois, but I do think they have a real shot at beating them. I doubt WKU has ever beaten a Big Ten team, let alone in a Big Ten stadium, but I think a moneyline play could be a smart bet.

Pittsburgh at Boston College (+4.5) – My pick is Boston College

These two former Big East foes face each other for the first time in a decade. Pittsburgh is perceived to be a better team, but they have fell on their face on the road in the recent years. Boston College gets pumped up when they have a night game and the crowd will be nuts. Give me the points and Boston College could even win outright.

Duke at Troy (+19.5) – My pick is Duke

This one just comes down to offense. Duke coach David Cutcliffe has a knack for getting above average production from average quarterbacks. Anthony Boone will be a nice day against Troy. Jamison Crowder has a future in the NFL and the speedy receiver should be open all day for Boone.

Ball State at Iowa (-17) – My pick is Iowa

I had a hell of a run betting Ball State last season. I caught them at the right time during the week and would squeak out wins against the spread. Unfortunately for BSU, they face Iowa on Saturday. The Cardinals have only faced the Hawkeyes twice in their history. They were outscored 101 to 0 combined in those two games. Yes, Ball State failed to score a single point. I don’t see them getting that embarrassed, but since most of their playmakers graduated last season, I don’t see them stopping an Iowa cover.

QUICK HITS

Navy at Temple (+3.5) – My pick is Navy

Georgia Tech at Tulane (+10.5) – My pick is Georgia Tech

Memphis at UCLA (-23) – My pick is UCLA

Arizona at UTSA(+7.5) – My pick is Arizona

Florida Atlantic at Alabama (+40.5) – My pick is Alabama

Kansas State at Iowa State (+12.5) – My pick is Kansas State

Air Force at Wyoming (+2.5) – My pick is Wyoming

Colorado State at Boise State (-10) – My pick is Boise State

*These picks are for entertainment purposes

 

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.