The Cincinnati Bearcats were not even in the same league as the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday. Cincinnati got palindromed in terms of first downs, only tallying 13 first downs compared to Ohio State’s 31. The Bearcats were nearly doubled up in terms of total yardage too in a 42-0 rout in favor of the Buckeyes. That performance caused me to tear up my Cincinnati +17 ticket early, but fortunately that was my only loser of Week 2 in college football betting.
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South Florida lost its eighth straight game against Georgia Tech, but the Bulls showed signs of life on defense and covered the number. The weekend was a guaranteed success after North Texas and SMU played the shootout I suspected they would, combining for 76 points.
Week 1: 2-2 ATS
Week 2: 2-1 ATS
YTD Record 4-3 ATS
College Football Best Bets (Saturday, September 14)
The pick: Kansas State +8.5 at Mississippi State
The reason: The Bulldogs dominated the Jayhawks when these teams met in Manhattan last season, but this Mississippi State team is completely new. Mississippi State had the best defense in the country per SP+ in 2018, but this year’s edition has a lot of new faces and hasn’t looked great thus far.
Mississippi State has not been particularly great on offense either and the Bulldogs might be without starting quarterback Tommy Stevens for this game. Stevens left in the first half of last week’s game with an upper-body injury, and indications are that he will miss this game.
Meanwhile, Kansas State has looked sharp under new coach Chris Klieman. The Jayhawks have slammed their first two opponents, and they have been solid on both sides of the ball under the former North Dakota State head coach. I think they’ll be able to keep it within the number here.
The pick: Memphis at South Alabama Over 61
The reason: Few offenses are as explosive as Memphis. The Tigers can score in a hurry, and they put a slow start to the season behind them against FCS Southern last week. Memphis put up 55 points with Brady White looking exceptional through the air, and he should have a lot of success against an undermanned South Alabama side that is going through a rebuild.
Memphis’ defense is going to give up some chances too. South Alabama scored 21 points on Nebraska in its season opener, so the Jaguars can move the ball. The Tigers have won many of their games by shootouts under Mike Norvell, and this one feels like it will be high scoring.
?#CollegeFootball Betting – Top 25 Odds and Matchups
?We’ll keep a close eye on a couple of new teams as we enter Week 3 of the 2019 college football season after the top-25 had a mild shakeup at the bottom.
Read more here⬇️https://t.co/20Gh57iQUG pic.twitter.com/4AoZ2utwpW
— Official Bookmaker (@bookmaker_eu) September 10, 2019
The pick: Duke (-6) at Middle Tennessee State
The reason: Most people aren’t sure what to make of Duke football just yet, but I have far more faith in David Cutcliffe than others. Cutcliffe got his team to be competitive with Alabama for one quarter in the opener, and the Blue Devils beat a solid FCS team handily last weekend. Quentin Harris had a great outing, so I expect him to have a solid performance against a MTSU defense that allowed Tennessee State to have a lot of success through the air. The Tigers aren’t known for their passing prowess, so Harris should have a big day.
I am a little concerned about Middle Tennessee State’s offense, but I believe Duke now has enough tape on Asher O’Hara to come up with an effective plan to stop the passing game. O’Hara is throwing underneath a lot, and Duke should dare him to throw deep.
The pick: Washington -21 vs Hawaii
The reason: The Huskies were stunned by Cal last week, but the circumstances in that game were not great. There was a three-hour weather delay, and the game didn’t end until almost 5 AM Eastern.
Washington is a much better team than what we saw in that game. The Huskies have one of the best defenses in the country, and Jacob Eason seems to be the real deal at quarterback
They should dismantle a Hawaii team that typically struggles mightily when they play on the mainland. The Rainbow Warriors are 2-0 with two wins over Pac 12 teams, but Cole McDonald takes a lot of chances with the ball and Washington’s secondary will make him pay.
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