If I Were A Betting Man: Week 2 picks

Week 1 of the college football season saw Florida State, Georgia and Texas A&M lose quarterbacks, a team blow a 34-point lead, a 45-point underdog win and a trash can overshadow a double-overtime thriller. Yep, college football is back.

Week 2 should be even better. Two Pac-12 studs are duking it out in L.A., an SEC team is visiting South Bend for the first time in 12 years and mighty Oklahoma will be in the Horseshoe for a delicious battle with the Buckeyes. Factor in Auburn-Clemson, Nebraska-Oregon and Pitt-Penn State, and there should be wall-to-wall entertainment on Saturday.

Here’s a quick look back at my opening week results, and then we’ll move to Week 2 picks.

The lines listed are from Covers.com.

Week one: 2-2
Week one net payout: -$35
Season record: 2-2
Season net payout: -$35

Think Stanford coach David Shaw likes his team this year? When asked after his team destroyed Rice 62-7 if he expected to start off so well in a season-opener, he said, "Yes. We expect to start off well." Shaw knows he has a deep, talented team and this game will go a long way toward establishing the Pac-12 favorite. Stanford is 5-0 ATS the last five times it was an underdog against USC, pulling off the upset four times. USC looked a little shaky in a win over Western Michigan last week. Like Shaw, I like the Cardinal and I’m going to take the money line for a straight-up win.

The Bet: $100 on Stanford to win (+250)

I’m throwing down the gauntlet right now to ESPNU announcers Mike Couzens and John Congemi NOT to use the term ‘Brain Bowl’ during Saturday’s telecast. Two rising star quarterbacks will be on display in Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson and Duke’s Daniel Jones. The Wildcats have won (and covered) against Duke two years in a row and are expected to contend in the Big Ten West. Duke getting only three points is an overreaction to the Devils scoring 60 points against North Carolina Central.

The Bet: $100 on Northwestern to cover

Iowa’s green defensive backs shut down NFL QB prospect Josh Allen last week (killing my Wyoming/Georgia teaser) and they will have another challenge this week against former four-star WR Allen Lazard. The Hawkeyes are just 9-9 vs. Iowa State during the Kirk Ferentz era, but have won three of four, including last year’s 42-3 blowout. Thanks to another strong effort by the defense, the Cy-Hawk Trophy stays in Iowa City another year.

The Bet: $50 on Iowa to cover

True story - Georgia and Notre Dame’s only meeting was the 1981 Sugar Bowl when Georgia topped the Irish 17-10 with the help of just ONE completed pass. QB Buck Belue was 1-for-12 that day, but some guy named Herschel Walker ran for 150 yards and Georgia won the national title. Georgia’s offense had its moments in the season-opener with backup QB Jake Fromm (who is expected to complete more than one pass this Saturday). The Georgia running attack is going to test the Irish. Notre Dame’s offense showed some pop in running up 49 points against Temple. I can see this one being a high-scoring affair.

The Bet: $50 on the over

Central Michigan needed six interceptions and three overtimes to win at home against Rhode Island, an FCS team that went 2-9 last year. Surely Kansas can win this one at home. The other half of this teaser features a Penn State team ready to take the hammer to its neighbor to the west after the Panthers stunned the Lions 42-39 last year. Coach James Franklin is not going to take his foot off the gas and he has the weapons to pour it on at home.

The Bet: $150 teasing Kansas (even) and Penn State (-14)