College Football Picks Week 2

One week of picks in the book and if you rolled with me last week then you're already a winner. Sure, I only went 8-7 but it was a solid 8-7. With the exception of whiffing big on Auburn/Wazzu, Boise/Washington and Miss State/Okie State I looked almost knowlegable. And as Bo Pelini would say this is easily improvable. We shall see.

Here's this week's games. My picks are in bold.

South Florida at Michigan State -24 Nobody circles the wagons like the South Florida Bulls. Well, until the wheels come off. Willie Taggart may have done great things at Western Kentucky but losing to McNeese State 53-21 shows he has a lot of work to do or that he's not as good as his bio. Even Andrew Maxwell is licking his chops to play the Bulls. MSU romps in this one.

Western Kentucky at Tennessee -14 Speaking of Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers have lost no ground after Taggart's departure with a solid win against Kentucky last week. Bobby Petrino is staying off the motorbikes and the females for now. Can he keep it within two touchdowns against the Vols? Why not? I'll take the points.

San Diego State at Ohio State -29.5 Unless Eastern Illinois is the Ohio Valley's version of a BCS buster then the Aztecs have taken a huge step back since Brady Hoke left. Expect Urban Meyer to give Hoke's old school a festive shot to the chops. A 30 point win should be no problem.

Oregon -24 at Virginia A 19-16 win against BYU is a nice start to the season for Virginia but its not much of a warm up for what's heading to town. Oregon wasn't lavished with much love for whopping Nicholls State last week. The Ducks will want something to brag about. I'll give the 24.

South Carolina at Georgia -3 I picked against the team from the Palmetto state last week when it played Georgia. I won't make the same mistake again. Expect Connor Shaw to do just enough to complement what should be another decent night for Mike Davis and the Gamecock defense will present a stiffer challenge than the Dawgs faced kast week. I'll take the 3 points.

Southern Mississippi at Nebraska -29.5 Nebraska pretty much ruined what should have been a great college football Saturday for me last week. The Huskers won't do the same this week and it won't be due to improved defensive play. I just refuse to be fooled again. Southern Miss may have dropped a home game to Texas State last week but until I see any different the Blackshirts give me enough reason to take the opponent, especially when given almost 30 points.

Louisiana Lafayette at Kansas State -10.5 I can't say I was upset to see the Wildcats get beat by a FCS team led by a former Husker but don't expect that to continue. This week's opponent Louisiana Lafayette gave up a big day to another quarterback trying to find his way in Arkansas' Brandon Allen. Expect KSU passer Jake Waters to find his football and cut down on the picks. I'll give the points.

Texas -7.5 at BYU Some home dogs made me look foolish last week but my old pals the Longhorns will win back some of my credability this week. I'll take Texas even though Mack was too stupid to take Jameis Winston.

UAB at LSU -36 LSU looked pretty damn impressive against the Horned Frogs in Dallas last week. Now its time for the letdown game. Relax Tigers, that just means not hanging half a hundred on a UAB squad that fough hard against Troy last week on the road. I'll take the big spread and the Blazers.

West Virginia at Oklahoma -21 Oklahoma started off the Trevor Knight era with a solid win against a Louisiana Monroe squad that snuck up on some teams last season. West Virginia outlasted William & Mary at home with a TD with three minutes to play. One of these things is not like the other. The Mountaineers will struggle to stop Oklahoma and without Geno Smith, I'm not sure if West Virginia can keep up on offense.

 Arkansas State at Auburn -13 I had Auburn pegged for a better squad than the one that edged out Mike Leach's Wazzu squad. The Tigers were saved by some timely interceptions but the story was when Leach had the Cougs run the ball. Washington State running backs Teondray Caldwell and Marcus Mason averaged 7.6 and 7.2 yards per rush, respectively. Arkansas State is currently the top running offense in the nation after blistering Arkansas Pine Bluff for 509 yards rushing. I'll take the Red Wolves and the points. 

Washington State at USC -16.5 Washington State played well against Auburn but USC's top line talent and a defense that looked improved against Hawaii should tell the real story. Phil Steele believes the Trojans are still one of the top teams in college football. I'll buy what he's selling for now and I'll give the points.

Notre Dame at Michigan -4.5 Both teams enter this game with legitimate reasons for optimism with promising opening game wins. Michigan sports a new look pro-style offense that got good games out of its skill position talent a week ago. Notre Dame has one of the formidable defensive lines in college football. This one will be close but Michigan's defense has progressed well enough to be able to shut down Tommy Rees and force a weakened Irish ground game to pace the team. I'll take Michigan and give the points.

Florida -3.5 at Miami Florida's defense once again looked like one of the best in the country last week, holding Toledo to 205 total yards. This week will be a tougher challenge as my Heisman dark horse Duke Johnson announced himself against FAU with 186 yards on 19 carries. Miami's defense was a liability at times last season and Florida running back Mack Brown has stepped up as a nice addition to take some pressure off QB Jeff Driskel. I'd love to take the home dog here but I think Florida is the safer play.

Syracuse at Northwestern -12 Syracuse showed some fight in a tough road loss to a B1G team last week. Expect that trend to continue. I've got to go with the Fighting Fitzys.

College Football TV Schedule

Thursday, September 5
7:00 p.m. Florida Atlantic at East Carolina - FXS1
Friday, September 6
7:00 p.m. Wake Forest at Boston College - ESPN2
7:00 p.m. Central Florida at Florida International - CBSSN
Saturday, September 7
11:00 a.m. Florida at Miami - ESPN
11:00 a.m. South Florida at Michigan State - ESPN2
11:00 a.m. Eastern Michigan at Penn State - BTN
11:00 a.m. Oklahoma State at UTSA - FXS1
11:00 a.m. South Carolina State at Clemson - NESN
11:00 a.m. Western Kentucky at Tennessee - MSG/MYTV16
11:00 a.m. Houston at Temple - SNY
11:00 a.m. Miami (Ohio) at Kentucky - FSOH
11:00 a.m. Southeastern Louisiana at TCU - FSSW

2:30 p.m. San Diego State at Ohio State - ABC/ESPN2
2:30 p.m. Oregon at Virginia - ABC/ESPN2
2:30 p.m. Toledo at Missouri - ESPNU
2:30 p.m. Buffalo at Baylor - FSSW/MSG+
2:30 p.m. Utah State at Air Force - CBSSN
2:30 p.m. Alcorn State at Mississippi - CSN
3:00 p.m. Old Dominion at Maryland - ESPNEWS
3:00 p.m. Idaho at Wyoming - RTRM
3:30 p.m. South Carolina at Georgia - ESPN
 5:00 p.m. Syracuse at Northwestern - BTN
5:00 p.m. Southern Mississippi at Nebraska - BTNa
5:30 p.m. Louisiana Lafayette at Kansas State - FXS1
6:00 p.m. Texas at BYU - ESPN2
6:00 p.m. UAB at LSU - ESPNU
6:00 p.m. West Virginia at Oklahoma - FOX
6:00 p.m. Colorado State at Tulsa - CBSSN
6:00 p.m. Stephen F Austin at Texas Tech - MSG+
6:30 p.m. Austin Peay at Vanderbilt - CSN
6:30 p.m. Arkansas State at Auburn - FSOH
7:00 p.m. Notre Dame at Michigan - ESPN
9:30 p.m. Washington State at USC - FXS1
9:30 p.m. Arizona at UNLV - CBSSN