We can’t wait for Week 2’s college football games to arrive.
The Iowa-Iowa State rivalry will be intense. Michigan and Oklahoma get to face a real test. Finally, we get to learn more about BYU, which follows its Week 1 blowout win by facing Stanford.
You’ll want to invest in all of these exciting college football picks for week 2.
Targeting Trustworthy Quarterbacks
I am interested in Iowa-Iowa State, Michigan-Oklahoma, and Stanford-BYU because of the quarterbacks. In each game, the quarterback will make the biggest difference.
After his showing against Hawaii last week, Stanford’s quarterback has proven to be atrocious and worth fading. Compare him to BYU’s quarterback, who facilitated his team’s 69-point victory last week.
Michigan’s quarterback is young, but the poise he showed last week as well as the hype that he has merited recommend him against an Oklahoma defense that wasn’t tested at all by Illinois State last week.
Finally, Iowa State’s quarterback is a well-reputed FBS veteran whose performances thus far indicate that he is primed to outshine his Iowa counterpart.
Iowa annually struggles at the quarterback position and doesn’t look promising on offense with its current quarterback.
Mark Gronowski does not get the benefits that Iowa’s quarterback had last year when his team lost at home to these Cyclones. In that game, the Hawkeyes had an elite veteran running back in Kaleb Johnson, who is now with the Steelers. Iowa’s key wide receiver, Reece Vander Zee, is currently injured.
For Iowa State, Rocco Becht is playing superbly. He has 461 passing yards and five touchdowns to zero interceptions on the season.
With the Cyclones already having beaten ranked Kansas State and with Iowa’s defense not looking nearly as good as it needs to after it conceded a touchdown to Albany, Iowa State is the right play in this game.
Expert Pick: Iowa State -3 (-110) at Caesars
The underdog is a must-get in this matchup that promises not to have too many points scored in it.
Last year, the Wolverines ranked 17th nationally in scoring defense. They will rank at least as highly this year because key starters are returning throughout the defense.
Don’t be fooled by last week, when Michigan gave up 17 points to New Mexico. Michigan’s coaching staff deliberately refused to show its cards.
What I am impressed by is Bryce Underwood.
The five-star quarterback, who was also ranked the top player in his recruiting class, has shown efficiency and productivity. He’ll lead Michigan past an Oklahoma team that really struggled last year, getting blown out at home by 26 points against South Carolina, for example.
The Sooners still aren’t good enough to hang with Michigan.
Expert Pick: Michigan +5.5 (-110) at Caesars
The spread might look large, but consider that BYU won last week by 69 points.
The Cougars dominated offensively, running for 468 yards. While their opponent was poor, their yardage total was superb. Moreover, their quarterback room was efficient and composed.
Competence at quarterback distinguishes BYU from Stanford, whose quarterback, Ben Gulbranson, looked atrocious last week. He barely completed half his passes, mustered 109 yards, and threw zero touchdowns to one interception against Hawaii.
Stanford will want to rely on its run game again, but BYU allowed -3 rushing yards last week after ranking 31st in run defense last year. The Cougars’ defense remains solid with its personnel continuing to benefit from improved familiarity with their defensive coordinator’s scheme.
Expert Pick: BYU -18.5 (-110) at Caesars
Place Your Bets
For this week, I like BYU to crush Stanford, Michigan to upset Oklahoma, and Iowa State to cruise past Iowa. You’ll want to profit from these college football picks for week 2 by registering at a reputable sportsbook.
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