I started the season with a rather uneventful 12-13 record. A few of my risks clearly didn’t pay off in Week 1.
It was a fun week of football, even if I had a rough week against the spread. There were some nice upsets (Montana def. Washington) and there were a few quarterback prospects who fell on their face (I’m looking at you, Sam Howell).
There were a ton of transfers this offseason and a few really came up big with their new teams. Notre Dame QB Jack Coan was a real treat to watch.
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 2 of the 2021-22 NCAA Football season (September 11th, 2021).
Pittsburgh at Tennessee (+3.5) – My pick is Tennessee Volunteers
Pittsburgh is coming off a 51-7 win against UMass. The game was out of control early and there wasn’t much to glean from the blowout win. I haven’t been a fan of Pitt QB Kenny Pickett in the past and nothing has changed. Tennessee saw Michigan-transfer QB Joe Milton III lead the Vols to a 38-6 win over Bowling Green. Milton has a big frame and is a dual threat quarterback. He never put it together at Michigan, but I liked what I saw last week. The Vols played a below average team, so again, it’s hard to take much from that victory. I think Tennessee has more overall talent on both sides of the ball, so I’ll take the points.
Oregon at Ohio State (-14.5) – My pick is Ohio State Buckeyes
Oregon squeaked out a 31-24 win over Fresno State to start the season. The Ducks pass defense wasn’t up to snuff and Fresno State moved the ball well through the air. This could be a problem against the Buckeyes. Ohio State were winners in their opener with their 45-31 win at Minnesota. The Buckeyes were trailing at halftime, but new starting QB C.J. Stroud had four passing touchdowns in the second-half. I expect Ohio State will exploit Oregon’s weakness and throw at them. I’m taking OSU to cover at home.
Toledo at Notre Dame (-16.5) – My pick is Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Toledo beat up on Norfolk State in their opener. They have a run-first offense and it was clear that they outclassed the small school in that area. Notre Dame had an all-time classic to start the season. It looked like they had the win in the bag against Florida State, but the Seminoles came back to tie the game and force overtime. The Irish were able to kick a field goal and stop Florida State for the 41-38 win. New Irish QB Jack Coan looked great in his first start for the team. The offense different with Coan under center than the offense was with QB Ian Book as the starter. The Irish run defense didn’t play well in the second-half. I expect them to make some adjustments and dominate Toledo and cover at home.
Texas A&M vs Colorado (+17) – My pick is Colorado Buffaloes
Texas A&M walloped Kent State 41-10 to start the year. Aggies QB Haynes King didn’t play well, as he threw three interceptions. They were able to overcome those mistakes by running by killing it running the ball. Colorado beat in-state foe Northern Colorado 35-7 to open their season. It was clearly a warm-up game for the Buffaloes. Colorado is coming off a solid year and I think they will build on that this season. They have enough playmakers in the secondary that could make Aggies QB King make a few more mistakes this week. I’m taking the points in this one.
Iowa at Iowa State (-4.5) – My pick is Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa embarrassed then-ranked Indiana in their opener 34-6. The Hawkeyes defense is legit and could be the best in the Big Ten. Iowa State underperformed against Northern Iowa, but still edged out the 16-10. ISU QB Brock Purdy was efficient, but their traditional running game could get going. Purdy was able to make a couple big gains with his legs to help bail out RB Breece Hall. Iowa has won five-straight against the Cyclones. I’m just a big fan of their defense and think they keep this close (or even win outright), so I’m taking the points.
Texas at Arkansas (+6.5) – My pick is Texas Longhorns
Texas opened the year with a 38-18 win over Lafayette. The Longhorns chose QB Hudson Card to start and he was solid. The game was bit out of hand by the 4th quarter, so I’m interested to see how he will perform against some Power Conference teams. Arkansas victorious in their opener with their 38-17 win at home against Rice. The game was much closer than the final score shows as they were tied at the start of the fourth quarter. The Razorbacks scored 21 unanswered points to finish the game. If Texas is able to stymy the Arkansas running game, they should cover this game. I just think the Longhorns are an underrated team.
Georgia State at North Carolina (-25.5) – My pick is North Carolina Tar Heels
Georgia State were favored by 2.5 points against Army last week, but lost the game 43-10. Army didn’t bust any notable big gains on the ground, but they just nickel and dimed Georgia State to death. They wore down their front-seven by gaining 258 yards on a whopping 67 attempts. North Carolina are also coming off a disappointment. They were defeated by Virginia Tech 17-10. Honestly, they were lucky that they kept it that close. UNC QB Sam Howell threw three interceptions and was sacked six times. The Hokies defense played great. The Tar Heels need a bounce-back game to get on track. I just have so much respect for the Hokies defense that UNC should play much better against Georgia State. The Tar Heels need a more balanced offensive attack. If they do that, they should cover this big spread.
Washington at Michigan (-7) – My pick is Michigan Wolverines
Washington is coming off an embarrassing loss at home against Montana. I know the Huskies aren’t exactly expected to compete for a Pac-12 title this season, but it was a surprising upset. The Huskies just weren’t able to do much on offense as QB Drew Morris threw three interceptions. You can’t win game with that many picks. Michigan dominated Western Michigan 47-14 to start the year. The Wolverines are using a two-quarterback offense this year. They also realize that they are much stronger running the ball, so expect a lot of carries from them this season. The Wolverines are an improved team and could get back to some sort of relevance soon. I’m taking Michigan to cover at home.
Utah at BYU (+7) – My pick is BYU Cougars
Last week, Utah got the best of Weber State 40-17. Baylor-transfer QB Charlie Brewer looked like at home in this offense. You will get efficiency from him and he doesn’t throw too many interceptions. The Utes will also lean on RB Tavion Thomas this season. He had some success (on limited touches) in Cincinnati before he transferred. BYU were victorious against Arizona 24-16. I wouldn’t expect the same video games numbers BYU put up last season. They don’t have a quarterback at the same level as QB Zach Wilson. Their offense is still good and QB Jaren Hill is no slouch. I think BYU will pressure Brewer in this game and keep this one close, so I’m taking the points.
Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin (-26) – My pick is Eastern Michigan Eagles
I used to make a joke that this last pick section was to pick against Eastern Michigan. Back when I first started to write this column, they were arguably the worst team in the country and was a near-automatic loss against the spread. They have improved greatly over the last three seasons. They aren’t on Wisconsin’s level, but I think they keep this one closer than the spread. Wisconsin is coming off a 16-10 loss to Penn State. Badgers QB Graham Mertz threw two picks and couldn’t get on the board with a touchdown. Also, Wisconsin’s running game isn’t up to their normal standards. I’m sure they will most likely win this game, but this point spread is bloated, so I’m taking the points.
QUICK HITS
Boston College at UMass (+37) – My pick is Boston College
South Alabama at Bowling Green (+14.5) – My pick is Bowling Green
Appalachian State at Miami (FL) (-9) – My pick is Miami (FL)
Illinois at Virginia (-10) – My pick is Virginia
Wyoming at Northern Illinois (+7) – My pick is Northern Illinois
Florida at South Florida (+28.5) – My pick is Florida
Rutgers at Syracuse (+2.5) – My pick is Rutgers
Georgia Southern at Florida Atlantic (-7.5) – My pick is Georgia Southern
Buffalo at Nebraska (-13.5) – My pick is Buffalo
California at TCU (-11.5) – My pick is TCU
BONUS PICKS!
Western Kentucky at Army (-7) – My pick is Western Kentucky
Air Force at Navy (+5.5) – My pick is Air Force
NC State at Mississippi State (+2.5) – My pick is Mississippi State
North Texas at SMU (-22.5) – My pick is SMU
Liberty at Troy (+4) – My pick is Liberty
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: 12-13-0
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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.