Week 2 of this college football season is looking to be a very entertaining week, especially for the Big Ten. You have three marquee teams facing national powerhouses. Ohio State is at home against University of Miami of Florida, Michigan plays Notre Dame, and Penn State travels to Alabama. Here are my college football picks for week 2 of the 2010 college football season.
Auburn (-2.0) at Mississippi State (+2.0) – My pick is Auburn
Auburn should be able to travel to Mississippi State and handle them. This betting line is trending towards Auburn, so this line may get pushed farther in Auburn’s favor.
West Virginia (-13.5) at Marshall (+13.5) – My pick is West Virginia
The Thundering Herd didn’t have much to cheer about last week when they opened their season in Columbus, Ohio against Ohio State. If it wasn’t for scoring on a blocked field goal, they could have ended up not scoring at all in that game. West Virginia is another well-coached team and blanked Coastal Carolina in their opener. I see the Mountaineers running up this score and 13.5 points should be the spread at the half.
Georgia (+3) at South Carolina (-3) – My pick is South Carolina
South Carolina seems to have trouble with Georgia, but this season, the tables have turned. The Gamecocks are the favorites and have a better squad. Steve Spurrier doesn’t have to worry facing a more talented team, if South Carolina keeps to their gameplan, they should win and cover.
South Florida (+15.5) at Florida (-15.5) – My pick is Florida
Matt Grothe and George Selvie are no longer on South Florida, so the Gators shouldn’t have much trouble covering the 15.5 points. This is a transition year for Florida, but they haven’t slipped that much.
Florida State (+8) at Oklahoma (-8) – My pick is Florida State
Bobby Bowden is no longer strolling the sidelines for Florida State and Jimbo Fisher has them looking pretty good. Bob Stoops is trying to replace some key pieces from their team a year ago. I look for Florida State to score early and keep Oklahoma from controlling the game. If this happens, not only could FSU keep the Sooners from covering, but they could squeak out an upset win.
Michigan (+3.5) at Notre Dame (-3.5) – My pick is Michigan
I tried to stay away from Notre Dame last season, but I feel a little better about them after they beat Purdue last week. I’m not saying that I feel better about them as in they are going to win, but I feel like I got an idea of who they are. They have lack an identity the last few seasons. Michigan looked really good against Connecticut last week and I see them going into South Bend and winning this game.
Iowa State (+13.5) at Iowa (-13.5) – My pick is Iowa
This is a big rivalry game for both of these teams. You usually get the underdogs’ best effort, but the Hawkeyes should roll all over Iowa State in this game, Iowa is a much better team.
BYU (pick) at Air Force (pick) – My pick is BYU
This game rests on only one thing….can BYU stop Air Force’s running attack. I think BYU should be able to do that, since they handled Washington last week and won by a touchdown. This will be Air Force’s first test of the year and BYU will win this game.
Wyoming (+29.5) at Texas (-29.5) – My pick is Wyoming
Let me say first, Wyoming will not win this game. I rode them last season and they were great against the spread last season. I think that they will go down to Texas and not let the Longhorns cover this huge spread. Wyoming is sneaky and this line may even get larger since Texas is a “public” team and people will bet on them with this large of a spread.
Penn State (+11.5) at Alabama (+11.5) – My pick is Alabama
Alabama is one hell of a team, but we all know that they have trouble putting points on the board at times. Penn State lost a few weapons last season, but they still have Evan Royster. Paterno seems concerned about his recent weight gain and his stamina, he will have to have a great game if the Nittany Lions wish to keep this one close. I see the Crimson Tide controlling the tempo of this game with their defense and winning this game 24-6.
Texas Tech (-24.5) at New Mexico (+24.5) – My pick is Texas Tech
The Oregon Ducks blanked New Mexico last week with the score of 72-0. The Texas Tech Red Raiders could probably dress an average intramural squad in Lubbock and cover this 24.5 point spread. They win this game and cover big.
Miami (+9.5) at Ohio State (-9.5) – My pick is Ohio State
This is the first time these two teams have met since Ohio State upset the Hurricanes to win the 2002 BCS Championship. The kids playing in this game were in elementary school when that happened, but revenge is on Miami’s mind. Ohio State has a talented team and they have the advantage this year with the game being played in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State has a reputation for not showing up for big games, well that should change with a big win over a ranked team on National television. The Buckeyes should win this game 34-17.
These picks are for entertainment purposes.