College Football Picks Week 2: Vegas Odds, Spread Predictions for Top 25 Games
A stacked slate of games in Week 2 of the college football season will ensure another crop of exciting and memorable moments.
Among the Top 25 teams in the nation, there is history being made as 10 teams from the SEC are a part of that group, the first time that's ever happened.
Here is a look at the Top 25 teams entering Week 2.
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| 1 | Ohio State | 1-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Alabama | 1-0 | 3 |
| 3 | TCU | 1-0 | 2 |
| 4 | Baylor | 1-0 | 4 |
| 5 | Michigan State | 1-0 | 5 |
| 6 | Auburn | 1-0 | 6 |
| 7 | Oregon | 1-0 | 7 |
| 8 | USC | 1-0 | 8 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 1-0 | 11 |
| 10 | Georgia | 1-0 | 9 |
| 11 | Florida State | 1-0 | 10 |
| 12 | Clemson | 1-0 | 12 |
| 13 | UCLA | 1-0 | 13 |
| 14 | LSU | 0-0 | 14 |
| 15 | Georgia Tech | 1-0 | 16 |
| 16 | Texas A&M | 1-0 | Unranked |
| 17 | Ole Miss | 1-0 | 17 |
| 18 | Arkansas | 1-0 | 18 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 1-0 | 19 |
| 20 | Boise State | 1-0 | 23 |
| 21 | Missouri | 1-0 | 24 |
| 22 | Arizona | 1-0 | 22 |
| 23 | Tennessee | 1-0 | 25 |
| 24 | Utah | 1-0 | Unranked |
| 25 | Mississippi State | 1-0 | Unranked |
There are some big matchups pitting two ranked teams against each other. There are none larger than No. 7 Oregon visiting No. 5 Michigan State in East Lansing, as the Ducks look to make it two years in a row that they've defeated the Spartans.
Let's take a look at the Top 25 teams' upcoming schedule for this week, along with their odds and my spread predictions. Odds are courtesy of OddsShark.com.
| Friday, September 11 | |||
| Utah State at No. 24 Utah | 9 p.m. | Utah -11 | Utah |
| Saturday, September 12 | |||
| South Florida at No. 11 Florida State | 11:30 a.m. | FSU -29 | South Florida |
| Jacksonville State at No. 6 Auburn | 12 p.m. | N/A | N/A |
| Appalachian State at No. 12 Clemson | 12:30 p.m. | Clemson -21 | Clemson |
| Hawaii at No. 1 Ohio State | 3:30 p.m. | OSU -38 | Ohio State |
| Stephen F. Austin at No. 3 TCU | 3:30 p.m. | N/A | N/A |
| Tulane at No. 15 Georgia Tech | 3:30 p.m. | GT -26 | Georgia Tech |
| No. 9 Notre Dame at Virginia | 3:30 p.m. | ND -11.5 | Virginia |
| No. 10 Georgia at Vanderbilt | 3:30 p.m. | UGA -17 | Vanderbilt |
| Fresno State at No. 17 Ole Miss | 3:30 p.m. | Ole Miss -23 | Ole Miss |
| Middle Tennessee at No. 2 Alabama | 4 p.m. | Alabama -34 | Alabama |
| Toledo at No. 18 Arkansas | 4 p.m. | Arkansas -21 | Arkansas |
| No. 19 Oklahoma at No. 23 Tennessee | 6 p.m. | OU -3 | Tennessee |
| No. 22 Arizona at Nevada | 7 p.m. | Arizona -10.5 | Arizona |
| Ball State at No. 16 Texas A&M | 7 p.m. | A&M -26 | Texas A&M |
| No. 21 Missouri at Arkansas State | 7 p.m. | Mizzou -13 | Missouri |
| Lamar at No. 4 Baylor | 7:30 p.m. | N/A | N/A |
| Idaho at No. 8 USC | 8 p.m. | USC -43.5 | Idaho |
| No. 7 Oregon at No. 5 Michigan St. | 8 p.m. | Even | Michigan State |
| No. 14 LSU at No. 25 Mississippi St. | 9:15 p.m. | LSU -3 | Mississippi State |
| No. 20 Boise State at BYU | 10:15 p.m. | Boise St. -1.5 | BYU |
| No. 13 UCLA at UNLV | 10:30 p.m. | UCLA -28 | UCLA |
Favorites That Might Not Cover the Spread
South Florida at No. 11 Florida State (-29)
South Florida tends to be a pretty good road team when it comes to covering the spread. According to Bleacher Report's Brian Leigh, the Bulls have covered six of their last eight road games in which they were underdogs, dating back to 2013.
The Bulls' new uptempo offense that put up 556 yards of total offense in Week 1 against Florida A&M probably won't see that kind of success against Florida State.
But they will put up points, which might require Florida State to put up another 59 points like it did last week against Texas State. I just don't see that happening against a team from the American Athletic Conference.
No. 9 Notre Dame (-11.5) at Virginia
I made the incorrect pick of choosing Virginia to upset UCLA, and I'm not necessarily saying that it'll beat Notre Dame either. But I think Virginia will keep it close.
The Irish don't exactly have an easy out-of-conference schedule. After disposing of Texas in rather dominant fashion, Notre Dame will have a meeting with No. 15 Georgia Tech in Week 3. But first, the Irish will have to get past Virginia, who they need to be sure they don't overlook.
Virginia covered last week's spread on the road at the Rose Bowl against the Bruins and should feed off the home-field advantage against Notre Dame enough to keep it close. Look for Virginia to give Notre Dame quite a fight on Saturday night.
No. 19 Oklahoma (-3) at No. 23 Tennessee
With the spread and rankings being so close, it would be difficult to call this game an upset, but I can see Tennessee winning this one.
The Volunteers could even do so without their starting tackle Danny O'Brien, who was suspended on Wednesday, according to Gabrielle McMillen of the Sporting News. That's because it won't be about the defense on Saturday.
Tennessee's offense, specifically its running game, is going to prove to be too much for Oklahoma. With a three-headed running attack of Alvin Kamara, Jalen Hurd and quarterback Joshua Dobbs, the Volunteers are capable of putting up over 250 yards of offense on any given day.
If it's able to break down Oklahoma's run defense and open up a passing game, the points should flow for Tennessee.
Idaho at No. 8 USC (-43.5)
There are only a few occasions where I actually pick a favorite to cover a 43.5-point spread. This is not one of them.
If Idaho manages to put up 21 points—that's three touchdowns—then USC would have to score 65 points to cover that spread.
This is an Idaho team that went 2-21 over the past two seasons and gave up 80 points to Florida State, 61 points against No. 23 Fresno State and allowed 59 twice, and that was just in 2013.
I still think this game is going to be a blowout, but it might come down to the Idaho offense to spoil the party for those who bet on USC. Look for wide receiver Dezmon Epps, who recorded 15 catches for 160 yards last week, to be Idaho's main offensive threat.
If he can have a big game, maybe Idaho can lose by 35 instead of 45.
Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com
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