Week 1 is in the books, but the college football season is just getting started. Early headlines include struggles for Florida State, who had an awful start to their season with losses against Georgia Tech and Boston College. With a busy Week 2 ahead, there is no shortage of betting opportunities. Dive into our college football betting strategy guide to help you uncover sharp bets on your own! Now let’s break down our college football expert picks for Week 2’s Saturday games.
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College Football Expert Picks Today for Week 2: Saturday, Sept. 7
Best Game: Texas-Michigan | College Football Expert Picks Today
This is a huge game featuring the defending national champions against a Texas team that also made the playoffs last year. While the teams may look different, their goal remains the same: another trip to the playoffs and staying in the national title hunt. Texas has a strong case, returning quarterback Quinn Ewers and a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball. They kicked off the season with a 52-0 rout of Colorado State, a team not expected to be weak, showcasing the Longhorns’ talent. However, facing Michigan at the Big House presents a whole new challenge.
It’s a new era for the Wolverines with both their head coach and starting quarterback departing, but there’s still plenty of talent. They began their season with a 30-10 home win over Fresno State, though they’ll need to be sharper against the Longhorns. Kalel Mullings led the rushing attack with 92 yards on 15 carries, but as a team, their 4.4 yards per carry wasn’t particularly impressive. Overall, there are questions to be answered when they take the field on Saturday.
Texas has been taking some money as this line has crossed -7 in several spots. Even with the movement, I’m inclined to lay the points with the Longhorns. I have fewer questions about their roster on both sides of the ball. They should be ready to go and, despite a hostile environment, should be able to put Michigan in uncomfortable situations they aren’t prepared to handle.
College Football Expert Pick for Week 2: Texas -7 (-120 at Caesars)
Live Dog: Florida International +180 vs. Central Michigan
There are great games, average games, bad games, and then there’s this one. While few have marked their calendars for the FIU-Central Michigan matchup, it’s worth considering for betting purposes. Simply put, Central Michigan should not be a touchdown favorite on the road against anyone.
There isn’t much to go on with these teams: Central Michigan easily defeated a weak FCS opponent, while Florida International was comfortably beaten by a quality Indiana squad. Neither result was surprising, but it adds to the uncertainty – making this game feel like a coin flip. FIU returns solid production and, despite being a bit banged up, they should find more success at home against a MAC opponent. Last week, they were held just to 1.8 yards per carry, which completely disrupted any chance for offensive success. With the drop in competition level and the unpredictability of Central Michigan, you could do a lot worse than backing a +180 FIU squad at home.
College Football Expert Pick for Week 2: Florida International (+180 at FanDuel)
Best College Football Expert Pick: Nebraska -6.5 vs. Colorado
Another marquee game on the Week 2 slate is in Lincoln, with Deion Sanders and his Colorado squad coming to town. The interest is sky-high, and the Huskers have a chance to rekindle some of the magic from the peak of Nebraska Football. While they’re not quite there yet, a win here would be a big step forward. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who showed no signs of inexperience in his first start against UTEP, will lead the Cornhuskers. Granted, that was against UTEP. However, this Colorado defense gave up 450 yards to FCS North Dakota St last week, including over 11 yards per pass.
Regarding Colorado, they did manage to survive a scare at home from NDSU, one of the top FCS teams in the country. While Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter’s talent is well-known, the defense still looks average at best and has already lost a key contributor in the secondary. I’m concerned about the Buffaloes’ ability to contain a team like Nebraska, and, offensively, they’ll be facing a Huskers’ defense with both talent and experience.
I’ve discussed this game in Discord, noting several ways to approach it. You could simply lay the points with Nebraska at -6.5. I also included Nebraska in some moneyline parlays, which is something I don’t do often. I love the idea of backing Nebraska to just win the game in the -260 range, and they make a great addition to parlays if you decide to go that route. Ultimately, I’m buying into Nebraska and selling on Colorado, so this game presents a perfect opportunity to take positions on both.
College Football Expert Pick for Nebraska-Colorado Week 2: Nebraska -6.5 (-110 at Caesars)
