Last week, I went 12-12-1 against the spread during Week 1 of the college football season.
I felt good about my picks, but got unlucky when a few 50/50 balls didn’t go my way and it affected a couple scores. I feel that my personal preseason rankings was fairly accurate, but they had to be adjusted after Week 1.
Texas better hope that my photo streak ends, because the last few college football players I featured in the cover photo have failed to cover against the spread. I feel pretty good that Quinn Ewers can keep it relatively close against Alabama.
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 2 of the 2022-23 NCAA Football season (September 10th, 2022).
Alabama at Texas (+20.5) – My pick is Texas Longhorns
Alabama is 1-0 (1-0 ATS) on the year after beating Utah State 55-0. Crimson Tide QB Bryce Young threw for 195 yards, ran for 100 yards and had six total touchdowns. Alabama took their foot off the gas soon after halftime or Young would have had an all-time stat line. Texas is 1-0 (1-0 ATS) to start the year after beating UL-Monroe 52-10. Ohio State-transfer QB Quinn Ewers played most of this game for Texas. He threw for 225 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. I expected a better game from the former top quarterback prospect, but he was better in the third quarter when he focused on getting the ball to RB Bijan Robinson. Alabama is the better team, but this line is a tad inflated. Texas is a few recruiting classes from being a playoff team, but they have some talent right now. I’m taking the points.
UAB at Liberty (+6.5) – My pick is UAB Blazers
UAB started the year 1-0 (1-0 ATS) after defeating Alabama A&M 59-0. The Blazers jumped out to a 28-0 lead by scoring just about every way possible (punt return, interception, run & pass touchdowns). It was a warm-up game before you start against teams at their level. Liberty is 1-0 (0-1 ATS) after beating Southern Miss 29-27 in overtime. They lost QB Charlie Brewer (hand) for six-to-eight weeks early in this game. Liberty put in backup QB Jonathan Bennett, but he struggled, so they turned to third-string QB Kaidon Salter to lead the comeback. Salter will have to play just as well against UAB to keep this game close. I doubt think Liberty’s run defense is up to par to stop UAB’s running game. They struggled against Southern Miss RB Frank Gore Jr. and UAB has a deep backfield. I’m taking UAB to cover on the road.
Boston College at Virginia Tech (-2.5) – My pick is Virginia Tech Hokies
Boston College is 0-1 (0-1 ATS) after losing to Rutgers 22-21 in their opener. The Eagles couldn’t get their running game going as RB Pat Garwo III only had 25 yards on 14 attempts against Rutgers. Also, QB Phil Jurkovec threw two costly interceptions and collapsed in the second-half. Rutgers scored ten unanswered points to close out the game. Virginia Tech (1-0 ATS) was upset at Old Dominion 20-17. Hokies QB Grant Wells threw four interceptions in the loss. It’s clear that Virginia Tech’s offense will need to be on the ground this season. If Wells can’t make it out of a game against ODU, he will struggle against most ACC teams this year. That being said, Virginia Tech’s running game should run through Boston College’s front-seven. I’m taking the Hokies to cover at home.
Baylor at BYU (-3) – My pick is BYU Cougars
Baylor (1-0 ATS) won their opener defeating Albany 69-10. The Bears clicked on all levels and the offense didn’t even miss a beat when they replaced the first team offense in the second-half of the game. BYU (1-0 ATS) had a more competitive game in their opener, but still came out with the win by defeating South Florida 50-21. The Cougars had a 38-0 lead right before halftime, but a last second score at the end of the first-half and a kick return touchdown to start the second-half, made the game a little more competitive. I like BYU’s backfield better than last year’s squad. They are a great complement to QB Jaren Hall, who may get some NFL eyes on him by the end of the season. I’m taking BYU to cover at home.
Tennessee at Pittsburgh (+6.5) – My pick is Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee (1-0 ATS) won their opener against Ball State 59-10. The Volunteers had this game won by the end of the first quarter. Ball State’s defense just doesn’t have the talent to stop a team like Tennessee. QB Hendon Hooker was accurate and looks like he’s set to have another good season. Pittsburgh (0-1 ATS) needed some late-fourth quarter magic to come out with the win. USC-transfer QB Kedon Slovis has a big arm and made the throws he needed to make. I’d like to see them open up the passing game even more in the coming games. I don’t think Pitt’s offense is up to the level of Tennessee right now, so I’m taking the Vols to cover on the road.
Washington State at Wisconsin (-16.5) – My pick is Wisconsin Badgers
Washington State (0-1 ATS) had a close call at home against Idaho. They won the game 24-17, but Idaho had a shot to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. The Cougars may have packed it in a little too early. The players lost motivation and it nearly cost them. Cougars QB Cameron Ward is a transfer from Incarnate Word. He won the Jerry Rice Award while at that school. He’s a solid quarterback, but Washington State’s defense could struggle this week. Wisconsin (1-0 ATS) started the year with a 38-0 blowout 38-0 win over Illinois State. Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen appears to be a stud. I still worry about QB Graham Mertz a bit, as he regressed last year. I think he should still fare well against Washington State’s defense. I’m taking the Badgers to cover at home.
Memphis at Navy (+5.5) – My pick is Memphis Tigers
Memphis (0-1 ATS) were smoked 49-23 in their opening game at Mississippi State. Memphis just couldn’t deal with MSU’s passing game. They shouldn’t have to worry much about the pass against Navy though. Navy (0-1 ATS) was a little embarrassed 14-7 to FCS Delaware. Both offenses were in slow motion and we may not see much from the Midshipmen this season. Memphis has a lot of experience against Navy’s running formations. They’ve had success against good Navy squads, so I have to take Memphis to cover against what could be one of the weaker Navy’s squads in recent memory.
Iowa State at Iowa (-4.5) – My pick is Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State (0-1 ATS) got out to a big start with a 42-10 win over SE Missouri State. The Cyclones have a lot of new talent taking over after a few of their longtime offensive stars were drafted. ISU QB Hunter Dekkers made a statement early by hitting WR Xavier Hutchinson for three-straight touchdowns to start the game. That combo could be dangerous for the Cyclones. Iowa (0-1 ATS) had a stinker of a game against South Dakota State. They squeaked out a 7-3 win as they could barely move the ball on offense, but had two second-half safeties to pull ahead. Yes, they only score seven points and four of those points were from safeties. I lost faith in Iowa QB Spencer Petras in the early in 2021 and this rough start doesn’t surprise me. I’m taking the points in this rivalry game.
Kentucky at Florida (-6) – My pick is Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky (1-0 ATS) took care of business against Miami (OH) with a 37-13 win. Kentucky QB Will Levis eclipsed the 300-yard mark and threw three touchdowns. They didn’t have much success running the ball, which is alarming. I hope they can make adjustments this week and get that going. Florida (1-0 ATS) pulled off a slight upset by defeating Utah 29-26. Florida QB Anthony Richardson scored a touchdown with 1:25 left in the game to take the lead. Richardson has his moments looking like a future star, but he usually follows those games with a stinker. Kentucky’s defense is legit and should keep this one close. I’m taking the points in this game.
Western Michigan at Ball State (+6.5) – My pick is Western Michigan Broncos
This is the section where we pick a smaller conference game. Western Michigan (0-1 ATS) opened the year against a good Michigan State squad. They lost 35-13 in a game that saw Michigan State move the ball easily against the Broncos. Western Michigan couldn’t get patch together many drives to the first-half. They played better in the third quarter by pulling within eight points, but the Spartans pulled away in the fourth. Ball State (0-1 ATS) took on a tough task by taking on Tennessee. The Cardinals defense isn’t very good and Tennessee just ran through them. Ball State’s defense just doesn’t have a lot of talent, specifically in the secondary, so Western Michigan should be able to move the ball on Saturday and cover.
QUICK HITS
Old Dominion at East Carolina (-12.5) – My pick is Old Dominion
South Carolina at Arkansas (-8.5) – My pick is Arkansas
Wake Forest at Vanderbilt (+12.5) – My pick is Wake Forest
Missouri at Kansas State (-7.5) – My pick is Missouri
Duke at Northwestern (-10.5) – My pick is Duke
Southern Miss at Miami (FL) (-24.5) – My pick is Miami (FL)
North Carolina at Georgia State (+7) – My pick is North Carolina
Texas-San Antonio at Army (+2) – My pick is UTSA
Colorado at Air Force (-17.5) – My pick is Air Force
Houston at Texas Tech (-3.5) – My pick is Houston
BONUS PICKS!
South Alabama at Central Michigan (-4.5) – My pick is South Alabama
Middle Tennessee at Colorado State (-11.5) – My pick is Colorado State
Virginia at Illinois (-4.5) – My pick is Illinois
Hawaii at Michigan (-51.5) – My pick is Michigan
Oregon State at Fresno State (+1) – My pick is Fresno 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: 167-151-8
2022: 12-12-1
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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.