I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the college football season. I went 5-1 ATS in week 1, with a perfect 3-0 mark with my underdogs, without breaking much of a sweat (other than South Alabama causing me a minor heart attack.)
The most improvement in college football occurs from week 1 to 2, so we’ll see how well my underdogs can perform with a week under their belt.
Here’s my favorite week 2 college football underdogs to cover the spread.
Northwestern at Duke (+3)
I’m not counting last week’s game against the Wildcats. Northwestern isn’t a team that beats bad teams soundly. Every game is close with Northwestern, so being in a tight battle with Nevada in the fourth quarter isn’t swaying me in Duke’s direction.
Instead, I’m focusing on the Blue Devils and their offense as my factor for backing Duke. The Blue Devils returned several starters this year on offense, giving head coach David Cutcliffe plenty to work with on that side of the ball. The defense isn’t as far along, but with Cutcliffe, if I can depend on the offense, then the Blue Devils should stay close in this contest.
On paper, I’m putting these teams as fairly even, especially with Duke’s ability to move the ball on offense. I get the Blue Devils at home and points, so I’ll gladly take the points. — Go Against The Chalk with Duke
Nebraska (+13.5) at Oregon
A few years ago, this would have been certain death. Unlike others who enjoy handicapping college football games, I’m not disillusioned about the Ducks. This is not the same Oregon team of the early 2010s, despite running over Southern Utah in week 1.
Far too often we use week 1 as the full barometer for the entire season. Nebraska struggled against Arkansas State, while the Ducks rolled. Arkansas State is much better than Southern Utah, but that doesn’t matter to many of the Oregon apologists.
The Cornhuskers will be good offensively, putting pressure on Oregon’s defense, which didn’t stop anybody a year ago. I’m not buying that defense after a win against Southern Utah. Mike Riley knows Oregon well and I get two touchdowns with a Big 10 team that I expect will be a sleeper. Nebraska improves mightily from week 1 to 2, giving Oregon all it can handle in week 2. — Go Against The Chalk with Nebraska
Pittsburgh (+21.5) at Penn State
We spend way too much energy worrying about what happened in week 1 of the college football season (are you noticing a theme?). College kids don’t get a preseason like the pros. And even the pros struggle in week 1 with consistency. So when a team struggles against a lesser opponent, we automatically jump off the bandwagon.
Head coach Pat Narduzzi is going to be ready on the defensive side of the football. The Panthers won’t allow Penn State to march up and down the field, meaning this is a bit of stretch by going with three touchdowns.
The Panthers were breaking in some new pieces in week 1, so I’m not forging ahead with an opinion based on that opener. The Panthers competed at a high level against really good teams last year, so I’m banking on that experience to translate once again in week 2. — Go Against The Chalk with Pittsburgh
