This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
So my Week 1 picks were a bit of a disaster, going 3-6. It's obviously not my fault – I'm very good and if my picks don't hit, it's the fault of someone else in nearly any case – but I'll still try to do better this week. The following ones are listed in chronological order, not necessarily preference.
Maryland (-10.5) at Florida International
New Maryland coach D.J. Durkin has an impressive defensive track record with recent involvement at Michigan and Florida, and the Terrapins took care of business in Week 1, beating Howard 52-13. Florida International, meanwhile, has seemingly regressed from last year, as it lost at home 34-13 to Indiana. While the Maryland offense isn't as proven as Indiana's generally and almost certainly isn't as effective through the air, the Terrapins might have more size and speed than the Hoosiers, and they ran effortlessly in Week 1, totaling 315 yards and six touchdowns on 44 carries. The Maryland defense, meanwhile, is almost certainly better than Indiana's.
North Carolina State (-4.5) at East Carolina
East Carolina clobbered Western Carolina last week 55-7 in an impressive display by new coach Scottie Montgomery, but 4.5 points isn't a high hurdle for a North Carolina State team with an experienced defense and two future NFL players on offense in running back Matt Dayes and all-purpose nightmare Jaylen Samuels. As great as he was in Week 1, East Carolina quarterback Philip Nelson struggled against Power Five competition during his time at Minnesota,
So my Week 1 picks were a bit of a disaster, going 3-6. It's obviously not my fault – I'm very good and if my picks don't hit, it's the fault of someone else in nearly any case – but I'll still try to do better this week. The following ones are listed in chronological order, not necessarily preference.
Maryland (-10.5) at Florida International
New Maryland coach D.J. Durkin has an impressive defensive track record with recent involvement at Michigan and Florida, and the Terrapins took care of business in Week 1, beating Howard 52-13. Florida International, meanwhile, has seemingly regressed from last year, as it lost at home 34-13 to Indiana. While the Maryland offense isn't as proven as Indiana's generally and almost certainly isn't as effective through the air, the Terrapins might have more size and speed than the Hoosiers, and they ran effortlessly in Week 1, totaling 315 yards and six touchdowns on 44 carries. The Maryland defense, meanwhile, is almost certainly better than Indiana's.
North Carolina State (-4.5) at East Carolina
East Carolina clobbered Western Carolina last week 55-7 in an impressive display by new coach Scottie Montgomery, but 4.5 points isn't a high hurdle for a North Carolina State team with an experienced defense and two future NFL players on offense in running back Matt Dayes and all-purpose nightmare Jaylen Samuels. As great as he was in Week 1, East Carolina quarterback Philip Nelson struggled against Power Five competition during his time at Minnesota, and I'm not convinced he'll outplay North Carolina State's Ryan Finley, who completed 17 of 21 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1.
Wyoming (+24.5) at Nebraska
The Cornhuskers should have no trouble winning this one, but 24.5 points is a lot to cover considering how good the Wyoming offense might be. The Cowboys have a promising dual-threat quarterback in Josh Allen, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns against Northern Illinois in Week 1, adding 10 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown. They also have one of the nation's most productive running backs in Brian Hill, and an experienced, effective wide receiver duo in Tanner Gentry and Jake Maulhardt. The Wyoming pass defense is bad, but they showed the ability to contain a Northern Illinois running game that probably isn't much worse than Nebraska's, limiting the Huskies to 133 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries (3.6 YPC), and just 58 yards on 19 carries to running backs.
Duke (-5) vs. Wake Forest
North Carolina Central wasn't much of a test for Duke in Week 1, but its 49-6 victory is a much more impressive showing than Wake Forest's 7-3 victory against Tulane at home. The Wake Forest offense has shown enduring, profound dysfunction, especially when it comes to run production, while Duke averaged 31.5 points per game last year and beat Wake 27-21 on the road, and
Ohio State (-28.5) vs. Tulsa
It's nothing new for Urban Meyer, but Ohio State showed a take-no-prisoners approach against Bowling Green in Week 1, winning 77-10 in a game that generally had a 28-point spread going into the game. Tulsa is doubtlessly a better team, but the basic issue for me here is I'm not convinced quarterback Dane Evans is built to stand in the pocket and thread the needle against a defense as big and fast as Ohio State's. As improved as Tulsa's defense looked against San Jose State in Week 1, holding the Spartans to 10 points, it's worth noting that San Jose State was without its starting running back and No. 1 WR.
Alabama (-29) vs. Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky is a great program, but its new quarterback, Mike White, really struggled at South Florida in 2013 and 2014, completing 215 of 417 passes (51.6 percent) for 2,722 yards (6.5 YPA), 11 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, and I just don't think he's of a skill level necessary to move the ball against Alabama, even in garbage time. Plus, if Alabama can beat USC 52-6, you would think it could handle this spread, knock on wood.
TCU (-7.5) vs. Arkansas
I think Arkansas was pretty clearly looking ahead one week when it barely won at home against Louisiana Tech, contributing to my lamentable Week 1 record with a 21-20 escape as 24-point favorites. Quarterback Austin Allen is pretty clearly not his brother Brandon, and the Arkansas defense might not be very good after squeaking by a Tech squad starting a backup, freshman quarterback while giving up 5.7 yards per carry to a running back (Jarred Craft) with a career rushing average below 4.0. TCU's defense was an even bigger mess in Week 1, giving up 41 points to South Dakota State, but coach Gary Patterson's history and the fact that this is a home game makes me confident TCU will tighten up its act. New TCU quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 439 yards and two touchdowns while running for 45 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1, and in 2014 he completed 21 of 41 passes for 386 yards, four touchdowns and one interception against Arkansas while at Texas A&M. The current Arkansas squad is likely weaker than that one.
