It’s so nice to have college football back in our lives. And with that, it’s even better to have college football betting to take over our Saturday. We have a great Week 2 slate of games this weekend, with the being at Noon in Columbus with the Oregon Ducks taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes.
We learned a few things last weekend. One is that you never bet against Alabama. It really doesn’t seem to matter who Nick Saban and his Tide open up with, they always win by double-digit points. We also learned that defense may be making a comeback in college football. Over the past five years, offenses have gotten better year after year. Thus the need for elite defensive players. However, because of this, it may be a good idea to take a gamble on some unders. Finally, we learned that the top tier programs like Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Clemson are still a good amount better than the second tier.
So, without further ado, here are your best college football betting picks and players to watch in Week 2 of the season.
Best College Football Betting Picks for Week 2
Oregon vs Ohio State First Half Under 31.5 (-110)
I think it’s fair to say that these two teams did not overly impress anyone in Week 1. Oregon may have lost Kayvon Thibodeaux, a future top-three pick, in their game versus Fresno State last weekend. No decision has been made yet as to whether he will play or not. However, even if he does play, they will need a major contribution from him to beat the Buckeyes. However, I’m electing to take the first half under in this game.
Ohio State started incredibly slow last Thursday but picked up their play by the end of the day. With that in mind, Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal will try to slow things up at times just to keep the Ohio State offense off the field. Ohio State has become a very good second-half team over the past couple of years. If the Ducks want to be close near the end of the game, they will have to put forth a full effort to stop the Buckeye offense. This could lead to a lower-scoring half of football.
Western Kentucky (+7) vs Army
As I was scrolling through the sportsbook, I was shocked to see Army is favored in this game, and by a touchdown no less. Western Kentucky throttled UT-Martin in Week 1, 59-21. They are led by quarterback Bailey Zappe, who is one of the best non-power five signal-callers in the country. Last weekend, he was 28-35 for 424 yards and a whopping seven touchdowns. Wide receiver Jarreth Sterns is his favorite target on the outside, while tight end Joshua Simon is also a mismatch in coverage. The Western Kentucky offense will score points and a lot of them. On the other hand, Army would like to control 75% of the possession and rely on their run game and defense to beat opponents. The Black Knights run defense is no joke, but their secondary has holes. Zappe will have plenty of opportunities to pick apart the defensive backfield, and the Hilltoppers will pull the small upset versus Army.
Iowa (+4.5) vs Iowa State
The only thing Cyclones head coach hasn’t done during his tenure at Iowa State is control the state of Iowa. The Hawkeyes have won the last five meetings between the two teams. However, this may be Campbell’s best team yet in Ames. He returns Heisman contender Breece Hall and quarterback Brock Purdy. They struggled in their opener versus Northern Iowa. With that being said, it seems like Campbell’s Cyclone teams have started very slow during his tenure, and I expect the Hawkeyes to take advantage of that as well. Many thought Indiana was going to be even better this year than last. Well, Iowa put those rumors to rest, dominating them, 34-6.
On top of taking Iowa +4.5 for the college football betting pick, I would strongly recommend you put a little bit of money on the Under (46) as well.
Texas (-7) vs Arkansas
This is another game that should be played at a high intensity. There is some old hate between these two states and subsequent teams. However, I really like Texas here. Bijan Robinson is going to get over 20 touches per game, and he’s one of the best players in the country. Recently-named starting quarterback Hudson Card looks like a good fit to replace Sam Ehlinger. He was 14-21 for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He also looked very capable outside the pocket. On the other hand, Arkansas might be in for a rough night. The Razorbacks scored 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points to pull away from Rice, but that game was closer than the score showed. I’m not going to say Texas is back, but since Mack Brown was in charge, this is the best they’ve looked.
College Football Players to Watch
- Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State: Hall is one of the best, if not the best, running back in the nation. However, it did not look like that at all during Week 1. He carried the ball 23 times for only 69 yards and a score. He needs to play much better if this season is going to be one to remember in Ames. If he is shut down again by the Iowa defense, his NFL draft stock will probably take a big hit.
- Justin Flowe, LB, Oregon: Kayvon Thibodeaux may go number one in the upcoming draft, but his teammate Justin Flowe won’t be far behind him. Flowe was all over the field versus Fresno State, accounting for 14 tackles and a tackle for loss. If Thibodeaux does play, he and Flowe should be able to make Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud feel uncomfortable. If he doesn’t play, Flowe will have to pick up the slack, and have a sensational afternoon. It wouldn’t surprise me if he forces a turnover early against the Buckeyes.
- Malik Willis, QB, Liberty: It wouldn’t be all that shocking if Willis ends up in New York for the Heisman Ceremony later this year. He’s a real dual-threat quarterback, but also has elite arm talent. Last year he passed for 20 touchdowns to only six interceptions. So far this year, he’s picked up where he left off. Troy isn’t necessarily a good team, but Willis should put up video game numbers versus the Trojans.
