College Capper: Free College Football Picks This Week
Chris' Picks
Well, last week was (not) fun, though I think if you read my intro, the poor results were almost expected. I'd especially like to thank West Virginia for going up 24-0 and putting up, what, 50 yards in the second half? We sort of know what we're getting with all these 35+ point spreads: opportunity, but no chance we can recommend it. I wish the matchups were better in Week 2, but they're not. The big boys playing cupcakes is one thing. This week, for instance, we have Marshall against Middle Tennessee State. The Herd lost 45-0 at Penn State; MTSU won 38-14 against Murray State. What did we learn? Absolutely nothing! More is in store this week, unfortunately.
Small consolation: I stayed away from the Georgia Tech trap against Colorado. The Jackets looked pathetic. I'm staying away again this week...Tennessee (-13.5) looks like a lock off GT's performance.
Texas A&M (-14.5) vs. Arizona State
Cutter Boley has SEC experience; that experience includes a 5:7 TD:INT ratio in road games, and let's add in 0:2 at Louisville to conclude last season before transferring. He's played in big environments, and he's labored in them. I expect the Aggie defense to beat him up plenty while stuffing the run pretty easily as well. So long as Marcel Reed doesn't implode, A&M can stretch this out with some big plays on both sides of the ball.
Virginia Tech (-18.5) vs. Old Dominion
These two in-state foes have plenty of history, including the Monarchs' win in Lane Stadium last season. Don't think that's lost on the Hokies' holdovers or new HC James Franklin, who seems to have a knack for covering against inferior opponents. ODU didn't light the world on fire against Norfolk State, and this is a big step up. Ethan Grunkemeyer gives VT a massive QB advantage, and the Monarchs don't appear to trust their signal caller, Quinn Henicle, who threw only 12 times last week. VT can sell out against the run and stretch this. I'm comfortable up to 21 points, with the caveat that I can't put my money on this one, as I live in Virginia and state school betting is restricted.
Wake Forest (-3) at Purdue
Over the last two seasons, Purdue has beaten one FBS school, Ball State. QB Ryan Browne looked the part last week in that game, as he did last week, before things fell completely off the rails. Make no mistake, I'm no fan of Wake QB Gio Lopez, but I'm a huge fan of HC Jake Dickert, who consistently gets more out of less. Purdue allowed 181.8 ypg on the ground last season; Wake went for 6.2 ypc last week. Concern is that this is a middling at-best ACC team against an arguably better conference's doormat, and the ACC looked pretty bad last week. But until Purdue beats a P4 school, I'll take the low number, assuming they won't.
Over 56.5 
Pittsburgh vs. 
UCF (Central Florida)
Safe to say Mason Heintschel will be topping the 16 TDs he threw in 10 games from last season, having already put up seven to open his campaign. UCF ran through Bethune-Cookman, which they always do, and it's fair to question their personnel against stepped-up competition. But the Knights will keep their foot on the gas. Similar to Lopez, I have major concerns in QB Alonza Barnett as a capable passer, but Scott Frost will scheme up enough big runs to get them on the board. Their defense allowed 40+ twice and 30+ three additional times. Pitt's offense will continue to hum after eight games a season ago, topping 30.
Washington (-26.5) vs. Utah State
Washington was very lackluster in their opener against Washington State, and the head coach hasn't been bashful in letting everyone know of his displeasure. You have to expect they'll have a spirited week of practice, bring more physicality up front on both sides, and fine-tune the offense. Utah State lost to Idaho State last week, throwing four picks in the process. The Huskies are thin in the backfield, but that just means Demond Williams can let it rip and give us big plays with his arm. Husky Stadium likely isn't its normal raucous self, but it's still a difficult spot to play. I've seen this as high as (-27.5), so look around, but 42-14 works just fine.
Last week: 1-4; Season: 1-4
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Greg's Picks
I can't say I'm excited to start the season 2-3, but honestly, getting out of week one with only three losses isn't that bad. Week one is always difficult for me because you have no idea how these teams will look out of the gate. Take, for example, Miami, who I thought might start slowly with a new QB, but the Hurricanes did just the opposite. Which leads into my recap…
I took the loss on Stanford, of course, which managed to score some points, but simply couldn't stop the Hurricanes' offense. My other two losses came against big favorites that just didn't step up on defense. Both Indiana and Purdue scored enough to cover their large spreads, but neither did a good job stopping poor offenses. The wins were on Oklahoma, which shut down the opposition, and the over in the UCLA game, which gave me a bit of a scare but ultimately went well over.
Onto week two, where things should start to get easier as we've seen most of these teams in action now.
Rutgers (+3.5) at Boston College
Week two is the first time we get to take advantage of Week 1 overreactions. Rutgers took a terrible loss to UMass last week, which means the Scarlet Knights will be one of the most motivated teams this week. It also means oddsmakers and the public may be overreacting to that bad loss. Rutgers wasn't supposed to be terrible this season, which makes last week's loss even harder to explain, but it also shows they have talent; they just need to get it together. A loss like last week's should galvanize the team, and I would expect a much better effort this week. Boston College also suffered a loss last week, but they weren't embarrassed like Rutgers was, so I'm not sure the urgency will be there this week.
Oregon (-23.5) at Oklahoma State
Just how bad is OSU going to be this year? If you recall, the Cowboys fell to new depths last season, but after a two-touchdown loss to Tulsa this past week, they may fall even further this season. This week should be a good indicator, as they're facing a potentially frustrated Oregon team. Oregon got the win this past week against Boise State, but it wasn't the type of win the Ducks were expecting. Boise State put up a real fight, a fight that I can't imagine the Cowboys putting up this week. This looks like a game where Oregon will find things much easier on offense than it did this past week, and we'll see the results on the scoreboard. Look for the Ducks to really open things up and put up a big number this week.
Oklahoma (-5.5) at Michigan
This one makes me a little queasy because I know I'm on the public side and I know I'm on the overreaction side. This line opened at Michigan -2.5 and quickly moved to Oklahoma -5.5. This move was no doubt a reaction to the fiasco at the Big House this past week, and while I don't normally move with the herd, I just can't side with Michigan this week. I say that knowing full well that I might be falling into a trap, but Oklahoma did everything right this past week, while Michigan did everything wrong. Normally I'd side with the team that can make adjustments, but does Michigan even have enough talent to make the necessary adjustments? Another factor in favor of Oklahoma this week is the distraction the Michigan program has faced, having to defend the refs' decision to add an extra second to the clock. The Wolverines might use an "us against the world" tactic this week, but I think that team could spiral out of control if things start poorly.
Indiana (-56.5) vs. Howard
I mentioned last week that I faded Indiana week one of the 2025 season and it worked, but after that the Hoosiers went nuts and started blowing out everyone on their schedule. After a sluggish start to the season this past week, I think we might see a similar scenario play out over the next few weeks. The Hoosiers won easily last week, but as I mentioned earlier, the defense wasn't very sharp. I'm sure the coaching staff will use that as motivation this week, and the result should be a complete effort on both sides of the ball. North Texas is miles ahead of Howard, so I would be shocked if Howard reaches double digits this week. We just need the Hoosiers to start fast and stay focused on defense.
Minnesota (-1) vs. Mississippi State
Both teams looked impressive this past week, but it's hard to glean much from those games, as MSU played UL Monroe and Minnesota played Eastern Illinois. I like the Gophers in this spot because of how much the coaching staff will emphasize this game. The Gophers have made a habit of beating these mid-range teams under P.J. Fleck, and I'm sure they're getting pumped up for an opportunity to play an SEC team. When you can't beat the top teams in your conference, you have to hang your hat on games like this. On the other side of the ball, I can't imagine MSU is getting up for this game. It's not that they don't want to win, but I think it means more to the Gophers. When you have two apparently evenly matched teams, it's things like motivation that separate the winner from the loser. Home field advantage doesn't hurt either.
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Last Week 2-3-0
This Season 2-3-0
Jeff's Picks
Although my most confident bet (Liberty/James Madison) came through, I took it in the teeth in Week 1, although many of my bets ALMOST covered. The old saying, something about horseshoes and hand grenades, comes to mind, and as we all know, almost doesn't cut it. As we enter Week 2, it's important to not overreact to the sloppy play and slow starts we saw from some powerhouse teams. I'll do my best to avoid some of the obvious pitfalls on this slate and right the ship.
Oklahoma (-5.5) @ Michigan
I'm starting with what could be a trap game. The Sooners have to go to the Big House against a Michigan squad that needed a miracle Hail Mary to get past Western Michigan. I don't doubt Kyle Whittingham's coaching ability, but no one can fix what ails the Wolverines in a week. Sure, it could have just been an off night for Bryce Underwood, but his performance was another level of abysmal. You can say what you want about John Mateer - he's not the same player after the hand injury. What you get from Oklahoma's offense might vary quite a bit this season. What I don't doubt? Brent Venables, who is one of the best defensive minds in football. He'll look at what Western Michigan did, add his own special sauce, and get the job done.
Minnesota (-1) vs. Mississippi State
The Gophers don't lose at home. They were 8-0 at home last season and couldn't pull off a victory on the road, and it's the main reason I'm betting against the Bulldogs. Drake Lindsey is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country, and Darius Taylor is a monster back who also falls under the radar. Let's not get it twisted - Kamario Taylor is an excellent dual-threat quarterback, and both Jaeden Hill and Anthony Evans are blue-chip weapons. I think the Gophers are more consistent, while the Bulldogs will rely on lightning in a bottle and dynamic breakaway plays to win games this season.
Virginia Tech (-18.5) vs. Old Dominion
Nobody seems to be talking about the new-look Hokies under James Franklin as an ACC dark-horse pick. Sure, the blowout against VMI doesn't tell us much, but it did showcase a deep running back room, an adept quarterback with good pass-catchers, and most importantly, a well-coached defense. I'd be surprised if Virginia Tech doesn't take this by three touchdowns. Old Dominion beat Norfolk State by 21 in Week 1, but they're clearly outmatched in this game.
Under 55.5 
Clemson vs. 
Georgia Southern
I think the Tigers will bounce back and win this game, and their defense will be solid enough to keep Georgia Southern in check, but I have serious doubts about Clemson's ability to hang a big number. While I have doubts that a Trevor Lawrence-led championship team could have beaten LSU last week, it doesn't give Christopher Vizzina a free pass. He has to improve, and if he can't, they have to move on. Give the ball to Reynolds. Reconsider Chris Denson. We'll likely see some improvement this week, but I still don't think it'll be pretty.
Under 49.5 
Ohio State @ 
Texas
If not now, when? That's the question Texas fans must be asking themselves. Potential doesn't always equal performance, and that's been a case study for the Longhorns lately. They lost this game last year when neither offense did much of anything. I won't call the eventual winner, but I will bank on the two defenses canceling each other out. This game totaled only 21 points last season. With Will Muschamp running the defense in Austin and Matt Patricia rolling out another excellent unit, one could argue that both defenses are better in 2026.
Last Week: 1-4-0
