I went 14-10-1 against the spread in Week 1 of the 2024-25 College Football season.
It was a ‘somewhat’ successful opening week of the college football season. I was able to hit a parlay, which was needed to profit.
I usually stay away from large point spreads, but I sucked it up last week, and hit on most of those. There is just too many factors that need to happen for a team to cover a spread larger than 35 points.
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 2 of the 2024-25 NCAA Football season (September 7th, 2024).
Texas at Michigan (+7.5) – My pick is Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns (1-0 ATS) started off the year with a 52-0 win at home against Colorado State. QB Quinn Ewers played so well that he was pulled and mega-prospect QB Arch Manning was able to see his first play of his career. Head coach Steve Sarkisian has the Longhorns humming on offense. I thought CSU had a shot of keeping it closer than the 35-point spread, but the stout Texas defense wasn’t allowed anything.
The Michigan Wolverines (0-1 ATS) beat Fresno State 30-10 to open the season. Michigan lost a lot of talent to the draft, and RB Donovan Edwards didn’t even play well. It wasn’t an overly exciting start to the year, but the Wolverines defense stepped up to miss the spread by just a half-point.
Texas is one of the top-three teams in the country, and Michigan has lost a step. The Wolverines need to restock their talent and they’ll be back among the top-five in no time. Texas QB Quinn Ewers will need to play a mistake-free game to cover this spread with room to spare. I’m taking the Longhorns to cover in Michigan.
Iowa State at Iowa (-2.5) – My pick is Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa State Cyclones (0-1 ATS) started the year with a 21-3 win over North Dakota. They didn’t play as well as expected as they missed the point spread by 12 points. ISU QB Rocco Becht had a solid outing, but they couldn’t run the ball against the FCS team. On defense, Iowa State allowed North Dakota to rack up too many yards on the ground. There wasn’t enough game left to score enough to cover.
The Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0 ATS) opened the season with a 40-0 win over Illinois State. Iowa’s improved offense easily covered the 21-point spread. QB Cade McNamara threw three touchdown passes and RB Kaleb Johnson rushed for two other scores. Seeing Iowa cracked more than single-digit points is a huge improvement from last season.
Iowa State vs Iowa games are historically close. four of their last six games have been without one score. I don’t have a lot of confidence in Iowa State after last week’s lackluster performance. Iowa still has a stout defense and their offense is improved, but need to be tested to see by how much. I’m taking Iowa to cover at home.
Kansas at Illinois (+6) – My pick is Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks (0-1 ATS) beat Lindenwood 48-3 in their season opener. You may have cashed out on Kansas if you put in the bet earlier enough (I got in at -44.5 last week). Kansas has their best offensive unit in a long time with returning stars like QB Jalon Daniels and RB Devin Neal. Their defense isn’t quit on the same level, but they are not a huge liability either.
The Illinois Fighting Illini (1-0 ATS) started the year with a 45-0 win over Eastern Illinois. QB Luke Altmyer made quick work of the Panthers with four passing touchdowns in the first-half of the game. They rode the backfield for the rest of the game. I’ll be interested to see if they can consistently move the ball on the ground against better competition.
This should be a fun game to watch. I could see both teams making big leaps up their conference standings this season. Illinois could make a solid bowl game this year, but I like Kansas much better. If Daniels can stay healthy, they could battle the best teams in the Big 12 this season. I’m taking the Jayhawks to cover on the road.
Colorado at Nebraska (-6.5) – My pick is Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Colorado Buffaloes (0-1 ATS) had to come from behind to beat FCS giant North Dakota State to open the year. A late touchdown from the Bison ruined Colorado’s cover. The Buffaloes needed an unreal effort from WR/CB Travis Hunter. Also, QB Shedeur Sanders threw for 445 yards, which he will need to do more of, thanks to his own team’s low overall defensive talent.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0 ATS) opened the season with a 40-7 win over UTEP. They were able to easily cover the 27.5-point spread. Young QB Dylan Raiola had a fantastic debut, and a huge second quarter led to a short day’s work. He has a talented backfield behind him, so the Cornhuskers might be underrated going into the season.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders spoke a lot of trash when these teams met last year. Coach Prime is coming in with a different tone. I think he knows he is outmatched all over the field, and it could be a long day. I expect a physical game, but Colorado doesn’t have the talent to keep Nebraska out of the end zone. I’m taking Nebraska to cover at home.
Tennessee at NC State (+5) – My pick is Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers (1-0) opened the year with a 69-3 win over Chattanooga, easily covering the 38.5-point spread. The Vols needed to restock its offense and QB Nick Iamleava threw for 314 yards and three touchdowns. They were up 45-0 at halftime in the blowout win.
The North Carolina Wolfpack (0-1 ATS) was able to beat Western Carolina 38-21 to start the season. They were unable to cover the 32.5-point spread. NC State needed a 21-point fourth quarter to just get the outright win. Transfer-QB Grayson McCall didn’t get off to a great start, and his defense failed him through the first three quarters. The Wolfpack can’t play this inconsistent and hope to compete in the ACC.
The Vols are a tick underrated going into this season, and it appears that NC State may be overrated due to landing McCall in the transfer portal. It may just take McCall some time to get comfortable, but there is no excuse for his defensive unit. Tennessee will travel and cover on the road.
Michigan State at Maryland (-8.5) – My pick is Maryland Terrapins
The Michigan State Spartans (0-1 ATS) did not impress in their 16-10 win over Florida Atlantic. They were favored by twelve points and didn’t score a single point in the second-half. QB Aidan Chiles was awful in the win. I knew the Spartans were expected to have a down year, but this was worse than I expected.
The Maryland Terrapins (1-0) opened the year with a 50-7 win at home against UConn. The Huskies are a FBS cupcake opponent and Maryland’s passing attack did a fantastic job moving the ball. Maryland QB Billy Edwards Jr. looks well-suited for this offense, and should beat up on mid-to-low level Big Ten teams.
Michigan State was so unimpressive that I can’t put a single penny on them this week. Maryland is usually good in these early season, in-conference games. I would love if this point spread was under a touchdown, but I still feel confident in a Maryland cover at home.
South Carolina at Kentucky (-10) – My pick is Kentucky Wildcats
The South Carolina Gamecocks (0-1 ATS) opened the season with a 23-19 win versus Old Dominion. They fell short of the 20.5-point spread, which seemed a bit bloated when that line debuted. The Monarchs should be an okay low-level FBS team, but South Carolina could be in trouble as they needed a late touchdown to pull ahead for the win.
The Kentucky Wildcats (1-0 ATS) had an easy start to the year with a 31-0 win over Southern Miss. New transfer-QB Brock Vandagriff threw three touchdown passes, and the running game averaged nearly seven yards per carry. The stout Kentucky defense took over and didn’t allow a single point.
If I were to rank SEC teams in tiers, South Carolina would be in the bottom tier with Vanderbilt. Kentucky isn’t among Texas/Georgia, but they are right below. The Wildcats defense makes them a dangerous team. They may not even need to score many points to cover this game against the Gamecocks. I’m taking Kentucky to cover at home.
Appalachian State at Clemson (-17) – My pick is Appalachian State Mountaineers
The Appalachian State Mountaineers (1-0 ATS) opened the year with a 38-10 win over East Tennessee State. App State started the game off with a huge passing play, but after that, QB Joey Aguilar was mediocre until the fourth quarter. They are a probably bowl team, but I don’t know if you’ll see them among the ranked teams this year.
The Clemson Tigers (0-1 ATS) suffered a major blow to start the season by losing 34-3 to Georgia. It’s clear that the Tigers are no longer on the same level as the elite programs in the country. Their offense has been like pulling teeth since QB Trevor Lawrence entered the NFL Draft. I’m not sure if QB Cade Klubnik is the long-term answer at quarterback for Clemson.
Clemson will most likely win this game, but I don’t see them extending, and holding, a lead big enough to cover. It would be nice to see Clemson bounce-back big and blowout App State, but I don’t see that happening, so I’m taking the points.
Boise State at Oregon (-19.5) – My pick is Oregon Ducks
The Boise State Broncos (0-1 ATS) started the year with a 56-45 road win over Georgia Southern. They were unable to cover the 13-point spread. Boise State needed to score 20 points in the fourth quarter to keep pace with the Eagles. I’m beyond worried about BSU’s pass defense this season.
The Oregon Ducks (0-1 ATS) opened their season with a 24-14 win over Idaho. The winning margin was far from the 49 points needed for the spread. QB Dillon Gabriel inched down the field and ate up 2/3rds of the time of possession. They weren’t in any hurry to score. I think they were just trying to escape this game without any injuries. The offensive gameplan wasn’t conducive to winning any bets.
I’m literally betting on the fact that Oregon will have a little more fire under their feet this week. Boise State’s pass defense appears to be in rough shape, so it works in Oregon’s favor. I’m taking the Ducks to cover at home.
*Texas-San Antonio at Texas State (-1) – My pick is UTSA Roadrunners
This is the section where we pick a smaller conference game.
The UTSA Roadrunners (0-1 ATS) opened the year with a 28-16 win over Kennesaw State. They failed to cover the 23.5-point spread. UTSA QB Owen McCown put up some good numbers, but it’s clear the Roadrunners doesn’t have much of a ground game. UTSA would have been in trouble had they not stopped Kennesaw State multiple times in their red zone.
The Texas State Bobcats (0-1 ATS) started the year at home, and beat Lamar 34-27. It was a far cry from the 33.5-point spread. They came into this season with a lot of hype after finishing the season with a win over Rice in a bowl appearance. Too many drives ended without points, and their defense struggled in the second-half.
I’ve went back-and-forth with this pick, as I do believe these teams are evenly-matched. I don’t like what I saw from Texas State in the second-half last week. UTSA has a very good passing game, and could move the ball in a hurry late in the game. I’m taking the points in this one.
QUICK HITS
Jacksonville State at Louisville (-28) – My pick is Louisville
Buffalo at Missouri (-34) – My pick is Missouri
Texas Tech at Washington State (-2) – My pick is Washington State
Liberty at New Mexico State (+22) – My pick is Liberty
Duke at Northwestern (-2.5) – My pick is Duke
Kansas State at Tulane (+10) – My pick is Kansas State
Akron at Rutgers (-22.5) – My pick is Rutgers
Georgia Tech at Syracuse (+3) – My pick is Georgia Tech
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (-2) – My pick is Pitt
Northern Illinois at Notre Dame (-28) – My pick is Notre Dame
BONUS PICKS!
Georgia Southern at Nevada (+1) – My pick is Nevada
Army at Florida Atlantic (-3.5) – My pick is Army
UMass at Toledo (-20) – My pick is Massachusetts
East Carolina at Old Dominion (+2.5) – My pick is Old Dominion
San Jose State at Air Force (-6.5) – My pick is San Jose 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: 185-150-5
2023: 155-144-10
2024: 14-10-1
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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 X at @Sweetbob