You know this is going to be an enthralling season of college football after what we saw in Week 1. Can Texas and Alabama pull themselves up off the mat after early-season knockdowns?
But they are not the only ones. Are Mike Gundy and Trent Dilfer one foot out the door at Oklahoma State and UAB? My college football best bets are fading those two, plus the legend of my Heisman pick, John Mateer, grows with a big performance at the Big House.
For even more picks check out my man Douglas Farmer’s college football predictions for Week 2.
College football best bets Week 2
Oklahoma State TT u13.5 (-112)
Navy -20.5 (-115)
Mateer o241.5 passing yards (-114)
Oklahoma State team total Under 13.5
Many great westerns end with the cowboys walking off into the sunset. I think we may be witnessing that with Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Yes, the end may be near for Gundy in Stillwater, but for now, they must travel to Eugene to take on Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks.
The Pokes are coming off a disastrous 3-9 campaign and Gundy tried to fix things by bringing in new coordinators and completely reshaping his team through the transfer portal, including starting quarterback Hauss Hejny.
Unfortunately for Gundy, Hejny broke his foot in OK State’s opener against FCS Tennessee-Martin. That means 18-year-old freshman quarterback Zane Flores will have to make his first career start at the always rowdy Autzen Zoo.
That is not a place one would pick to make one's first career start. Particularly against an Oregon team this talented. The Ducks should have a great defensive line and are expected to create a lot of pressure off the edge.
An 18-year-old. Making his first career start. In the insane atmosphere that is the Autzen Zoo. Against a Ducks team that should be excellent at pressuring opposing QBs. That is a situation no one wants to be in.
It’s hard to envision Oklahoma State going over it’s team total in this one.
Navy -20.5
The Navy Midshipmen aren’t just one half of a service academy Under this season. Led by QB Blake Horvath, this is a really good football team. In fact, my bold prediction was that Navy made the College Football Playoff this season.
Last season, Navy brought in new offensive coordinator Drew Cronic, who implemented the Millennial Wing-T offense. It combines the traditional triple option with more RPO and pro-style schemes, and it looks like Horvath is the perfect guy to run it.
Navy scored 31.3 points per game last season and picked up right where they left off by beating up on FCS VMI 52-7 in its season opener.
The Midshipmen should also be better on the defensive side of the ball this season. Four of their other five top rushers and should be able to pressure opposing QBs pretty well.
Meanwhile, things are not all sunshine and roses for Trent Dilfer and the UAB Blazers. It sounds like Dilfer is on borrowed time at this point, and that is showing up on the field.
UAB had to survive a battle with FCS Alabama State in Week 1. They were down 28-17 at one point and had to fight tooth and nail to earn a 52-42 win. The Blazers gave up over 500 yards of offense in that game, including over 200 on the ground. They didn’t want to tackle. They didn’t want to be there.
So, I’m not sure how interested the Blazers are going to be to get run all over by the Midshipmen here. I love getting Navy by less than three touchdowns here.
John Mateer Over 241.5 passing yards
John Mateer’s debut with the Oklahoma Sooners went off pretty much without a hitch. The Washington State transfer threw for a whopping 392 yards on 30-for-37 passing with three touchdowns (and one pick) while adding another score on the ground for a sweat-free 35-3 win in Week 1.
Sure, it was against FCS Illinois State. But better a performance like that than the alternatives.
The competition steps up a bunch of notches in Week 2 as the Sooners head to the Big House to take on the Michigan Wolverines in a Top 25 matchup.
The Wolverines are also coming off a win, but theirs was a little more interesting. Michigan and true freshman starting QB Bryce Underwood defeated New Mexico 34-17 but didn’t come close to covering the 34.5-point spread.
Underwood definitely looks like an upgrade for the Wolverines' passing game this season, but that wasn’t the most notable takeaway from this game. To me, it was the fact that Michigan allowed New Mexico to throw for 217 yards.
Yes, it was on 50 attempts. But it doesn’t change the fact that the Wolverines allowed the Lobos to chip away at them all game long.
And I’ll tell you, Oklahoma has a little bit better of a roster than New Mexico. And John Mateer is a much better QB than whatever the Lobos were throwing out there.
Mateer’s passing yards prop is sitting at 241.5. He’s gone Over that number in eight of his last 12 games. I think his legend grows with a big win in the Big House, but I love him to go Over this number.
Triple Option Parlay for Week 2
Oklahoma State team total Under 13.5
Navy -20.5
John Mateer Over 241.5 passing yards
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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