After a successful Week One, we are back with more College Football picks for Week Two action! We have hand-picked the five best games of the week, previewed them and found our best bets for this weekend’s action.
Look below to find our College Football Picks for the five best games of this week’s schedule!
Saturday, September 11th
#12 Oregon @ #3 Ohio State – 12pm EDT
The big question heading into this clash is whether Kayvon Thibodeaux will be able to suit up for the Ducks. If he can then he will put a heap of pressure on C.J. Stroud that could be the difference, however if he is unable to get out there then we may see the version of Stroud that came out in the second half and won the game for the Buckeyes.
After scoring just 10 points in the first half, Ohio State put up 35 in the second half to beat Minnesota by 14 points and cover the spread. Stroud ended up going 13/22 for 294 yards with four touchdowns along with one turnover. He was helped out by Miyan Williams, who had a big day on the ground with 125 rushing yards on 13.9 yards per carry along with one touchdown. This win was massive for Ohio State considering they were smashed in time of possession and looked like they were in a pre-season game during the first half.
Here’s a look at the AP Top 25 heading into Week 2 👀
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— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 7, 2021
Given how well Williams was able to move the ball and helped the Buckeyes rush for over 200 yards, the Ducks may have a hard time stopping them and that could be the deciding factor. Last week Oregon allowed Fresno State’s Jordan Mims to average 11.8 yards per carry and he is nowhere near on the same level as Williams or the rest of the Ohio State backfield group.
Given Ohio State is a clear top three team in the country, returns home for this clash and should be able to physically dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, Ohio State should win this. Given the spread is 14.5, that hook is scary but if Thibodeaux isn’t out there then the spread could balloon out closer to kick-off.
College Football Pick: Ohio State -14.5 (-110)
Toledo @ #8 Notre Dame – 2.30pm EDT
Everybody was very quick to jump off the Notre Dame bandwagon last week, even though they came out with the win. Many expected them to comfortably beat Florida State but the Seminoles are a good, strong football team and may have been underestimated heading into that clash, especially considering the Fighting Irish were on the road. They now return home to host Toledo and should look to get more comfortable on offense in this clash.
Jack Coan looked great in his Notre Dame debut, picking right up where Ian Book left off. Coan finished going 26/35 for 366 yards, four touchdowns and one pick, showing he has the ability to handle a high-volume throwing offense and was incredibly efficient whilst doing it. Notre Dame only managed to get 73 yards out of their two running backs but they should be able to get more involved given Toledo gave up 147 rushing yards to Norfolk State last week, including allowing Kevin Johhnson to average 14 yards per carry.
Where Toledo could surprise is the fact that Notre Dame allowed Florida State to pick up a massive 264 yards on the ground and the Rockets managed to pick up 205 of their own last week. DeQuan Finn, along with some surprisingly good passing plays, managed to rack up 82 yards on 9.1 yards per carry while Bryant Koback had 52 yards and two touchdowns.
However, the Fighting Irish are back home and Jack Coan looked very impressive first up. The over (55.5 points) is enticing given how well both offenses played last week but Notre Dame should bounce back and cover the spread in this game.
College Football Pick: Notre Dame -16.5 (-115)
#5 Texas A&M @ Colorado – 3.30pm EDT
While neither team really played much of an opposition last week, both Colorado and Texas A&M come into this off the back of massive Week One victories. The Aggies are currently 16.5 point favorites for this clash and it will be interesting to see how they respond from last week’s performance.
While they managed to pick up a massive 597 total yards, they also had five turnovers and it almost cost them the opportunity to cover the spread. They now face a much better defense and are on the road against the Buffaloes. Texas A&M showed that they are a balanced attack, picking up 292 yards in the air and 303 on the ground, which is something that could hurt Colorado, considering they gave up 236 passing yards to Northern Colorado last week.
Good things happen when @_alexfontenot is on the field 😎
Welcome back, 8. pic.twitter.com/DFEdQUdM2O
— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) September 4, 2021
Where the Buffaloes could make a game of this is their own rushing game. The Aggies allowed Kent State to pick up 226 of their 336 yards on the ground and now have to face an extremely good backfield, led by Jarek Broussard. The Buffaloes had four different players with at least eight carries and all four of them averaged at least five yards per carry and Broussard was the main driving force of that, finishing with 94 yards and a touchdown.
If Colorado can control the ball and dominate the running game, that will take the sting out of Texas A&M’s free-flowing attack and make this an interesting ball game. Playing on the road is tough in college football and the Buffaloes should head into this thinking they can win, while we think they should be able to cover.
College Football Pick: Colorado +16.5 (-106)
#10 Iowa @ #9 Iowa State – 4.30pm EDT
The matchup of the weekend sees the Hawkeyes take on the Hurricanes in a legendary rivalry game. Iowa have claimed the last five against Iowa State and the last two have been defensive tussles. We are expecting more of the same here and the totals should be kept low on both sides.
Following last week’s 34-6 win over Indiana, the Hawkeyes have now played 23 consecutive games where they have kept opponents to 24 points or fewer. Those are some incredible defensive numbers and given Iowa State is coming off a game where they only managed 16 points and only barely won the time of possession against Northern Iowa, the Hawkeyes should be looking to put the clamps on again.
The Hurricanes were impressive as well, keeping Northern Iowa to just 45 yards on the ground and 8/17 on third down efficiency, but that may be more of a reflection on the Panthers than it is on Iowa State’s defense. Where the Hurricanes can win this game is efficiency, given they had no turnovers and forced two interceptions last week while Iowa had two turnovers. If they manage to keep control of the ball while creating opportunities on the defensive side it may help them out massively.
However, dating back to last season Iowa has seven straight wins, all against Big10 opponents, by an average of 22.5 points. They had the much more impressive victory in Week One and are now underdogs for this clash. This one will be close, given both sides want to win it on the defensive side, but the Hawkeyes with the points looks like the play of the day.
College Football Pick: Iowa +4.5 (-115)
Bonus College Football Picks: Under 46.5 (-108)
#21 Utah @ BYU – 10.15pm EDT
We round out the night with #21 ranked Utah getting on the road to take on BYU. The Utas have won this matchup nine straight times and will look to add a tenth when going in as 7.5 point favorites. Week One saw Utah dominate Weber State, racking up 450 total yards to 270 on route to a 40-17 thumping. Meanwhile, BYU actually had fewer yards than Arizona, 368 to 426, but still managed to come out with the 24-16 win.
The Cougars allowed Arizona to throw for 345 yards last week but kept Gunner Cruz and the Wildcats offense to just one touchdown. Offensively, Jaren Hall went 18/28 for 198 yards, two touchdowns and no picks while the BYU backfield combined for 161 yards, led by Tyler Allgeier’s 94 yards and one touchdown. Given Utah limited Weber State to just 57 yards on the ground, forced a fumble and picked up an interception, the pressure will be on Hall and the Cougars offense in this clash.
ATTACK MODE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mJqJt8l60j
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 10, 2021
Offensively for the Utes, they pretty much got whatever they wanted. Charlie Brewer went 19/27 for 233 yards and two touchdowns but also had a pick. The star of the show and key for this matchup is Tavion Thomas, who ran for 107 yards on 8.9 yards per carry and picked up two touchdowns. Given that BYU did a better job defending the running game than the passing game last week, will Thomas be able to find the same gaps and help the Utah offense get the looks that it wants?
While he may not be able to get everything he wants, we still think that Brewer is the superior quarterback compared to Hall and the Utah defense should be able to put the clamps on BYU better than Arizona did. The Utes are a physically dominant team and should impose their will on the Cougars.
College Football Pick: Utah -7.5 (+100)
*Odds correct at the time of publishing.
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