College Football season is here, guys!

We didn’t get an official kickoff to the college football season last year due to all the pandemic issues. It looked like the entire season was going to be cancelled and then slowly teams started to schedule games. It’s nice to see a full slate of games to start the year.

The changes to the NCAA transfer portal has made things pretty crazy. There are a ton of new faces in new places. Oregon-transfer QB Tyler Shough has found a new home at Texas Tech. Many think he could end up being one of the top players chosen in next year’s NFL Draft. They kick off their season against the Houston Cougars.

Will Clemson cover against Georgia?

We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 1 of the 2021-22 NCAA Football season (September 4th, 2021).

Indiana at Iowa (-3.5) – My pick is Indiana Hoosiers

Both teams finished the pandemic-shortened season 6-2 last year. Indiana was more impressive until QB Michael Penix Jr. went down with a season-ending knee injury. The Hoosiers were inches away from knocking off Ohio State last year. The Hoosiers come into this game with a lot of hype and Penix says he’s 100% healthy. Many expect them to take a big leap forward, but Iowa is not a pushover. The Hawkeyes were among the most efficient in the redzone last season. QB Spencer Petras and RB Tyler Goodson will make the Hoosiers work for stops. This could be a close game, but I think Penix is just a tad better than we all think. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hoosiers win this outright, but I’ll take the points in this one.

Alabama vs Miami (FL) (+18.5) – My pick is Miami (FL) Hurricanes

This game is being played at a neutral site of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Tide come into this game with just three starters returning on offense. Many of the exiting players were taken during the first two days of the NFL Draft. QB Bryce Young is tabbed to take over as the Tide’s starting quarterback. He is surrounded with a lot of new faces, so it will be interesting to see if they start the season a bit slow. Miami received some positive news this offseason when QB D’Eriq King appeared that he would be ready for Week 1. He injured his knee in their bowl game last year. The Canes need him to have the game of his life, and if that happens, this game could be close. Miami has some studs in their secondary, but their weakest position on defense could be the pass rush. This game could depend on if Miami can get a consistent pass rush on Alabama’s young quarterback. This line is a little bloated and I think Miami keeps it within two touchdowns, so I’m taking the points.

UL-Lafayette at Texas (-8) – My pick is Texas Longhorns

UL-Lafayette and Coastal Carolina were college football darlings last year. They had a spotlight on them early in the year when most of the power conference teams were thought to be sitting out the season. The Ragin’ Cajuns leaned heavily on the running game, but their two top backs are now in the NFL. They might be a little faster on defense, but their new linebackers are smaller. Texas lost longtime starting QB Sam Ehlinger to the NFL and recently named redshirt freshman Hudson Card as their starter. Many expected QB Casey Thompson to win the starting job, but Card was new head coach Steve Sarkisian’s pick. I expect Card to have a short leash since the competition was a close one. The reason I’m taking Texas to cover against Lafayette is due to the Longhorns running game. I expect a big game from Texas RB Bijan Robinson against a rather poor Lafayette run defense. Robinson could become a dark horse Heisman candidate this season with a big Week 1 outing. 

Georgia vs Clemson (-3) – My pick is Clemson Tigers

Clemson lost two players who were on the team during nearly their entire ascent towards to the top of college football. QB DJ Uiagalelei steps in as the starting quarterback now that Trevor Lawrence is in the NFL and Clemson will use a few guys to equal former RB Travis Etienne. Clemson’s recruiting classes have been ranked among the best in the country over the last few seasons. They have lost plenty of guys to the NFL and seamlessly replaced them the next year. Replacing Lawrence is a huge ask for Uiagalelei, but he did show a ton of potential when he stepped in last season when Lawrence caught COVID-19. Georgia hope to take their program to the next level this season. They will have QB JT Daniels for the entire year and some key players on defense have grown into NFL-level bodies, specifically at DT and LB. If Georgia had a healthy WR George Pickens (tore ACL in Spring practice), this game could be interesting. I don’t think Daniels has enough deep threats to stretch the field against Clemson. I’m taking the Tigers to cover on Saturday.

Texas Tech at Houston (+1.5) – My pick is Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech needs a quarterback with a top-level arm to succeed. They were able to score Oregon-transfer QB Tyler Shough this offseason. He could put his name among to the top quarterbacks in his draft class in this Matt Wells offense. The Red Raiders lost some veteran receivers to transfer this offseason, but they have some legit freak athletes at the position. Tech is also bringing back most of their starters on defense this season (thanks for the extra year of eligibility). They aren’t exactly loaded with NFL-level talent on that side of the ball, but they should be improved with another year under their belt. Houston needs their offense to light up the scoreboard to win games. They lost every game that they didn’t score at least 37 points last season. The Cougars offense takes a lot of gambles and I don’t know if QB Clayton Tune is the right quarterback for their system. He’s not accurate and turns the ball over at a high rate. I think Shough will come out big and cover in his first game with Texas Tech…also, the +/- of 65 points could be a solid OVER bet (if you bet over/unders).

North Carolina at Virginia Tech (+5.5) – My pick is North Carolina Tar Heels

We have a big ACC Coastal divisional match-up in Week 1. I was super bullish on Tar Heels QB Sam Howell last season. He had a very good season as a whole, but North Carolina wasn’t a great betting team. Also, Howell will need help from his backfield if he hopes to have as much success as he had in his first two seasons. Virginia Tech’s defense fell off a cliff last season. I honestly think this year’s squad isn’t as talented as their 2020 team. The Hokies will need their offense to take over a big role…and Virginia Tech tends to struggles when their defense is the below-average. I expect a big game from North Carolina RB Ty Chandler and Howell should lead the Tar Heels to a cover on the road.

Penn State at Wisconsin (-5.5) – My pick is Wisconsin Badgers

Penn State went on one hell of a losing streak last season, but did turn it around by winning their final four games. They will be going with QB Sean Clifford for another season in Happy Valley. I am not sold on his ability to win against the top-five teams in the Big Ten. I would put Wisconsin in that upper-echelon of teams in the conference. I’m actually excited to see what Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz will do in a full season and a healthy receiving corps. Also, I think the Badgers may have found their replacement for Jonathan Taylor in redshirt freshman Jalen Berger. I expect the Badgers offense to take a big leap this season. As far as Penn State goes, I don’t think they have the weapons on offense to hang with teams like Wisconsin. I’m taking the Badgers to cover at home.

Notre Dame at Florida State (+7.5) – My pick is Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame’s offense is going to look a lot different with new QB Jake Coan under center. He’s more of a traditional quarterback than former QB Ian Book and I expect a pro-style offense from them this year. The Irish offensive line should make it easy for Coan and the backfield to move the ball down the field…especially against a rather poor Florida State defense. The Seminoles are trying to reset their team under second-year head coach Mike Norvell. He’s still trying to build the talent-level of the team, as he took over a barren squad. He did manage to score UCF-transfer QB McKenzie Milton. He was once a Heisman candidate, but he suffered a freak leg injury and has been out ever since. If Milton is healthy enough to play, he isn’t expected to be the dual threat talent he was before the injury. He is also expected to share the QB duties with fast-footed QB Jordan Travis. Milton is a cool story, but I don’t see the Seminoles putting up much of a battle against the Irish. I’m taking Notre Dame to cover this weekend.

BYU vs Arizona (+11.5) – My pick is BYU Cougars

This game is being played at the neutral site of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. BYU won’t be as powerful on offense without former QB Zach Wilson, but new QB Jaren Hill is more elusive with his legs. Don’t expect BYU to put up 40+ points per game this season, but they aren’t pushovers either. Arizona is ‘transfer portal central’ this season. New head coach Jedd Fisch wanted to stock up on talent in a hurry, so he hit up the transfer portal HARD. He has a slew of new faces on both sides of the ball. Arizona’s defense was awful last season and this year will be duct tape job to get them through the season. You really don’t know what you’ll get from that side of the ball. Arizona is expected to be experimental on offense after hiring Brendan Carroll away from his dad in Seattle. A BYU cover isn’t a no-brainer, but BYU still has some studs on defense that could make Arizona struggle.

Marshall at Navy (+2.5) – My pick is Marshall Thundering Herd

Navy doesn’t have the right personnel to run their offense right now. Their running game was stagnant last year and it’s the run or nothing at Navy. Navy RB Jamale Carothers is probably their best option and he fell off from his 2019 production. Marshall head coach Charles Huff is taking over after coaching Alabama’s running backs the last few seasons. Marshall has talent and should be one of the better Conference USA teams. They return a strong defense and if Huff can get his running backs playing like some of the backs he coached in Alabama, Marshall will be just fine this year. I don’t like Navy’s ground game against Marshall’s front-seven. I’m taking the Thundering Herd to cover.   

QUICK HITS

Miami (OH) at Cincinnati (-23) – My pick is Cincinnati

East Carolina vs Appalachian State (-10.5) – My pick is East Carolina

West Virginia at Maryland  (+2.5) – My pick is Maryland

Oregon State at Purdue (-7) – My pick is Oregon State

Kent State at Texas A&M (-28.5) – My pick is Kent State

Southern Miss at South Alabama (-1) – My pick is Southern Miss 

Oregon at UCLA (+3.5) – My pick is UCLA

Nevada at California (-3.5) – My pick is California

Bowling Green at Tennessee (-35.5) – My pick is Tennessee

Baylor at Texas State  (+13.5) – My pick is Baylor

BONUS PICKS!

UL Monroe at Kentucky (-31) – My pick is Kentucky

Ohio State at Minnesota (+13.5) – My pick is Ohio State

Western Michigan at Michigan (-17) – My pick is Michigan

Army at Georgia State (-2.5) – My pick is Georgia State

Stanford vs Kansas State (-2.5) – My pick is Kansas State

Sweetbob’s college football picks against the spread record in previous seasons:

2013: 134-79-8
2014: 148-118-4
2015: 149-118-3
2016: 196-145-6
2017: 183-159-13
2018: 177-157-6
2019: 187-141-8
2020: 170-160-5
2021: 0-0-0

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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.