In week 2 of the college football season, I went 13-11-1 against the spread.
We were spoiled by all the marquee games in Week 1, so the games since have left us a bit flat. We do have some solid SEC match-ups this week and Texas A&M vs Notre Dame is a nice litmus test for both programs.
We handicap a few sleeper teams this week. I think South Florida could string together some wins and make their ‘upset win’ over Florida not look so bad for the Gators.
Will Tennessee take care of business at home against Georgia?
We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick 25 college football games against the spread in Week 3 of the 2025-26 NCAA Football season (September 13th, 2025).
Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers (+3.5) – My pick is Tennessee +3.5
The Georgia Bulldogs (2-0, 0-2 ATS) are coming off a 28-6 win over Austin Peay, but failed to cover the -45.5 spread. They have now failed to cover large spreads against smaller conference teams. I haven’t been impressed by QB Gunner Stockton thus far, but as long as they can keep the running game going, they should be fine against most teams. I an anxious to see how Georgia’s defense will perform against a ranked team.
The Tennessee Volunteers (2-0, 2-0 ATS) are coming off a 72-17 home win over East Tennessee State, and covered the -40.5 spread. The Vols have overperformed so far by covering, and their cover against Syracuse was a nice one. QB Joey Aguilar has a fantastic running game to lean on this season.
I am looking forward to watching this game. I think the Vols could be a legit title contender this year. I know Georgia looks better on paper, but they’ve had to turnover a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball. I’m taking the points in this one, and I’ll be watching.
Florida Gators at LSU Tigers (-7.5) – My pick is Florida +7.5
The Florida Gators (1-1, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a rough upset loss to South Florida, which wasn’t close to the -18 betting line. I think South Florida is much better than everyone expected. The loss many not look as bad by the end of the year. QB DJ Lagway just had too many drives in with a field goal attempt. The Gators just couldn’t stop that final drive that saw USF kick the game-winning field goal as time expired.
The LSU Tigers (2-0, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 23-7 home win over Louisiana Tech, but failed to cover the -36.5 spread. The offense didn’t have a great game, as it looked like they were just going through the motions with no urgency. QB Garrett Nussmeier and the running game were far from efficient. Let’s hope that mindset doesn’t creep into this week’s contest.
LSU may win this game outright, but as I said above, I think the USF loss isn’t as bad as many think it was. Florida still is among the better teams in the second-tier in the SEC. I think they will have revenge on their mind and will try to bounce-back from that loss. I’m taking the points in this one.
Texas A&M Aggies at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-6.5) – My pick is Notre Dame -6.5
The Texas A&M Aggies (2-0, 0-2 ATS) are coming off a 44-22 home win over Utah State, but failed to cover the -33.5 spread. I’ve been able to cash on spread bets against A&M so far. They have just been a slow-starting program for years. I think they will end up being a solid SEC team, but they tend to not lay on the gas against teams like Utah State and Texas-San Antonio.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-1, 0-1 ATS) are coming off a bye week, and lost to Miami (FL) 27-24 in their opener. The Irish will be very good this year, but new QB CJ Carr started off pretty darn flat. He did finish strong, but they were already in a 21-7 hole in the third quarter. The Irish defense did make some plays in the second-half that were impressive. They slowed down the Canes enough for the Irish to make a push in the final minutes.
Notre Dame has had a week to go over film and right the issues they had early in their loss to Miami. I think it will end up being very close to the spread, and I like that extra half-point in the Irish’s favor. I’m taking Notre Dame to cover at home.
Vanderbilt Commodores at South Carolina Gamecocks (-4) – My pick is Vanderbilt +4
The Vanderbilt Commodores (2-0, 2-0 ATS) are coming off a 44-20 road win at Virginia Tech, and beat the +1.5 spread as the underdog. After being down 20-10 at the half, they made adjustments and scored 34 unanswered points in the final two periods. Vanderbilt has been such a doormat in the SEC, but QB Diego Pavia has made them a solid power conference team.
The South Carolina Gamecocks (2-0, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 38-10 home win over in-state foe SC State, but failed to cover the -42.5 spread. They got off to a slow start, but the Gamecocks were carried by some special teams plays in the second quarter. They scored touchdowns on a punt return and a blocked punt return. It wasn’t a great overall offensive day for South Carolina, but the other facets of the game stepped up.
Vandy still isn’t getting much love from the bookmakers, but it is working in the bettors favor who bet with stats and not from logos. Their blowout win at Va Tech impressed me so much that it wouldn’t even surprise me if the Commodores get the outright win again on the road.
Oregon Ducks at Northwestern Wildcats (+28) – My pick is Oregon -28
The Oregon Ducks (2-0, 2-0 ATS) are coming off an impressive 69-3 home win over Oklahoma State, which easily covered the -28.5 spread. Anytime a power conference team than beat another power conference team by 66 points, it’s crazy impressive. Oklahoma State are bound to have a down year, but Oregon just delivered as expected. QB Dante Moore is off to a fantastic start and will be a force in Big Ten play.
The Northwestern Wildcats (1-1, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 42-7 home win over Western Illinois, and covered the -31.5 spread. They took care of business against a gimme win on their schedule. QB Preston Stone bounced-back from a horrible outing in their opener, and threw three touchdowns with no interceptions.
I’m all-in on the Ducks this season. They will roll over the bottom-dwellers in the Big Ten, which I would place Northwestern. Oregon is right up there with Ohio State and Penn State in the conference. I’m taking Oregon to cover on the road.
Wisconsin Badgers at Alabama Crimson Tide (-21) – My pick is Wisconsin +21
The Wisconsin Badgers (2-0, 1-1 ATS) Are coming off a 42-10 win over Middle Tennessee, which covered the -28.5 point spread. Wisconsin’s backup QB Danny O’Neil had a technical outing by completing 23 of 27 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns. He may need another big game this coming week since QB Billy Edwards Jr. (knee) is unlikely to play. The Badgers will need their defense to step up and for RB Dilin Jones to get into the second-level.
The Alabama Crimson Tide (1-1, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 73-0 home win over Louisiana-Monroe, and covered the -34 spread. It was a nice bounce-back after their disappointing loss to Florida State in their opener. QB Ty Simpson was a perfect 17 for 17 on the day, and he took an early seat after the Crimson Tide built a sizable lead.
I believe Alabama will win this game outright, but O’Neil is a serviceable replacement at quarterback for Edwards. This year’s team in Tuscaloosa isn’t at the same level as past Nick Saban-led powerhouse squads. I’m taking the points in this game.
USC Trojans at Purdue Boilermakers (+20.5) – My pick is USC -20.5
The USC Trojans (2-0, 2-0 ATS) are coming off a 59-20 home win over Georgia Southern, and covered the -29 spread. The Trojans racked up two win against lower-talent programs, but they took care of business and covered in both contests. I do worry about their defense against some of the better power conference teams, especially the better teams in the Big Ten.
The Purdue Boilermakers (2-0, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 34-17 home win over Southern Illinois, but failed the -20 spread. The Boilermakers are in a program rebuild after a very disappointing 2024. Their offense will probably have to flow through RB Devin Mockobee, but QB Ryan Browne has shown flashes.
I whiffed on Purdue the last two weeks, but I still think they haven’t improved their roster much from last year’s squad. This will be Purdue’s first real test and I think they will show that they are far from competing with teams like USC. I’m taking the Trojans to cover on the road.
Arkansas Razorbacks at Mississippi Rebels (-7.5) – My pick is Arkansas +7.5
The Arkansas Razorbacks (2-0, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 58-14 win against in-state foe Arkansas State, and covered the -23.5 spread. QB Taylen Green is a fantastic talent, but he will make a few mistakes a game. He is dynamic, extends plays, and his athleticism helps him be a gamechanger…but he will need to be smarter once he hits SEC play.
The Ole Miss Rebels (2-0, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 30-23 road win over Kentucky, but failed to cover the -8.5 spread. It was a tight game from whistle-to-whistle. Kentucky’s defense stepped up and forced some costly turnovers. Ole Miss was able to spam the ball to RB Kewan Lacy, which set the table for a methodical offensive strategy. QB Austin Simmons made some plays in the fourth quarter to clinch the outright win.
As I said above, I really like Arkansas QB Taylen Green. He makes highlight reel plays and can make magic happen with his legs. I think he will make some plays to keep this game within a touchdown, so I’m taking the points.
Minnesota Golden Gophers at California Golden Bears (+2.5) – My pick is California +2.5
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 66-0 home win over Northwestern State, and covered the -43 spread. Minnesota got off to a hot 35-0 by the end of the first quarter. It was a short day for the starters and you can’t really glean much from the game. They took care of business, and that’s that.
The California Golden Bears (2-0, 1-1 ATS) are coming off a 35-3 home win over Texas Southern, but failed to cover the bloated -44.5 spread. Cal has expectations for QB Jaron Keawe-Sagaolutele, and he should have a great first season in Berkeley. The best version of JKS didn’t show up last week, but the talent level disparity was just too great, and they still got the blowout win.
I think these teams are pretty equal in talent level. I would suggest that this is what they call a ‘coin flip’ game. I like the home team in these games, and it helps that the home team is given points. I think there’s a chance Cal will win this game outright, so give me the points.
Connecticut Huskies at Delaware Blue Hens (+10) – My pick is UConn -10
This is the section where we pick a smaller conference game.
The UConn Huskies (1-1,1 0-1 ATS) are coming off a 27-20 road loss against Syracuse, which was a push against the spread. The Huskies have shown a bit of an up-and-down performance level the last few years. They are much, much better than some of those late-2010’s teams. They have a solid offense, which they didn’t have when they were getting beat by 30+ points every week. Their running game will be better than expected this year.
The Delaware Blue Hens (1-1, 0-1-1 ATS) are coming off a 31-7 road loss to Colorado, which was a push against the spread. It’s going to be a long season for the Blue Hens, since not everyone can jump in and compete at a high level right away in the FBS. They have some FBS-talent level on offense, but their defense could be an issue when facing better talent.
UConn doesn’t get much respect from betting line, and it’s clear as just a ten-point favorite against Delaware. I think the Huskies will surprise a lot of people and easily cover this game on the road.
QUICK HITS
Colorado at Houston (-4) – My pick is Houston -4
Clemson at Georgia Tech (-6.5) – My pick is Clemson -3
Central Michigan at Michigan (-28) – My pick is Central Michigan +28
Louisiana at Missouri (-27.5) – My pick is Louisiana +27.5
Oregon State at Texas Tech (-23.5) – My pick is Texas Tech -23.5
South Florida at Miami (FL) (-17.5) – My pick is South Florida +17.5
UTEP at Texas (-41.5) – My pick is UTEP +41.5
Ohio at Ohio State (-31) – My pick is Ohio +31
Navy at Tulsa (+14) – My pick is Navy -14
Air Force at Utah State (+5) – My pick is Utah State +5
BONUS PICKS!
Texas State at Arizona State (-16.5) – My pick is Texas State +16.5
Akron at UAB (-11) – My pick is UAB -11
New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech (-10) – My pick is La Tech -10
Appalachian State at Southern Miss (+3) – My pick is App State -3
Florida Atlantic at Florida International (-2.5) – My pick is FIU -2.5
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: 183-164-11
2025: 26-23-1
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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