The first week of College Football saw most of the popular choices at the top of the Rankings all come through their matches unscathed, although the Georgia Bulldogs did slide down the Rankings after losing their big game at Clemson.
It isn't the end to Georgia's National Championship ambitions, although a second defeat in a row to the South Carolina Gamecocks this week will almost certainly end those ambitions. Other teams like the Alabama Crimson Tide were solid enough in Week 1, but now have a week off to prepare for what could be the one game that stands between them and a threepeat as National Champions when they visit College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies on September 14.
There were some good performances in Week 1 from teams like Louisville, but it is too early to get excited as there were a few mismatches as there are early in the season and we continue on to Week 2.
Picks from Week 2 will be on this post and you can check in for those up until Saturday or follow my Twitter page @DavAulak where I will post an updated thread whenever I have new picks up for the play this week.
Miami (Ohio) Redhawks @ Kentucky Wildcats Pick: The Kentucky Wildcats have a tough schedule to begin this season, but this is the one game in their opening two months of the new season which they should be able to win.
Maxwell Smith will be given the starting spot at Quarter Back for Kentucky and he should be able to have some success if the Wildcats establish the running game and the Miami (Ohio) Defense is a lot more inexperienced than they were a season ago.
It will also be tough for the Redhawks Offense to get things going this week if they fail to spark a running game. That puts a lot more undue pressure on Austin Bouchar who is making his sixth start at Quarter Back and it is a big ask for him to carry the load, particularly if Kentucky get ahead in the game.
Add in the strong record Kentucky have as a home favourite, going 7-3 against the spread, while the Redhawks were 1-5 against the spread as the road underdog last season and I do think the Wildcats can cover the spread.
Eastern Michigan Eagles @ Penn State Nittany Lions Pick: Christian Hackenberg put up some decent numbers against a good Syracuse Defense last week and I expect he will have more chances to add to those in this one.
I am not a big fan of some of these big spreads in the opening weeks of the new season as teams certainly can take their foot off the gas when they have a big lead and there are plenty of backdoor covers that kill the picks.
However, I think the Eastern Michigan Eagles are going to struggle to put a lot of points on the board in this one, while Penn State Nittany Lions should find it a lot easier as long as they don't make too many mistakes.
If the running game gets going, Penn State will be able to give Christian Hackenberg more chances to dissect the Secondary and I like Penn State to win this one by 24 points or more. In recent seasons, Penn State have been a poor home favourite to back, but they were 5-1 against the spread last season and should be too good in all aspects of the game for Eastern Michigan.
Oklahoma State Cowboys @ USTA Roadrunners Pick: As I said above, I am not a great fan of the big spreads, although I am backing a couple of them this week including the Oklahoma State Cowboys winning this game against the USTA Roadrunners.
Last season, the Cowboys were a poor favourite to back on the road after regularly covering those spreads in seasons by prior to 2012. They didn't show a great spark on Offense last week in their win over Mississippi State, but the Cowboys will have been very excited about their Defensive performance as they held the Bulldogs to just 3 points.
A similar level of performance will make it tough for the UTSA Roadrunners who are facing their biggest challenge since joining the FBS schools. While UTSA shouldn't be underestimated, the Cowboys Offense should feel a little better with one week under their belt and I expect they will use the next two weeks to get that side of the ball ready for their Big 12 schedule opening up.
If the Cowboys Defense comes out with the intensity of last week, Oklahoma State should win this by four touchdowns.
Army Black Knights @ Ball State Cardinals Pick: Both teams should be able to run the ball effectively in this one, but Ball State have a little more talent on both sides of the ball and should be able to move away from the Army Black Knights in this one.
The Cardinals may just be able to make a few more stops in this one and Army's Defense has to improve a lot from their poor showings last year. Ball State are also more consistent in passing the ball through the air and that could again prove to be the difference having been the case a year ago.
I expect Ball State to make a few more plays through the air, as they did last season when they beat Army on the road and won that game by 8 points. The Black Knights are also 1-6 against the spread over the last couple of seasons as a road underdog and I expect that to look a little worse after this game.
Toledo Rockets @ Missouri Tigers Pick: The Toledo Rockets covered the spread in their game at the Florida Gators last week and that means they are 10-3 against the spread in the last three seasons as a road underdog.
I am concerned that the Rockets have to play a back to back road game against another SEC school, but Toledo showed a lot of heart on the Defensive side of the ball to think they can give the Missouri Tigers a few problems to deal with this week.
Toledo have to show that they can bring more Offense than they did at Florida if they are to cover this spread, but they returned 9 starters on a unit that was in the top 50 of the major Offensive categories last season. I don't expect the Rockets to win the game, but they could take advantage of a transitioning Missouri team and at least keep this close for the second time against an SEC opponent.
Oregon Ducks @ Virginia Cavaliers Pick: There is no doubt that the Oregon football program will have been helped by the internal appointment of Mark Helfrich to replace Chip Kelly and while this is a big spread, I have a couple of reasons of liking Oregon to cover.
The Ducks can score plenty of points and I don't think Virginia will keep up with them- Oregon are also a team that plays quick football and don't need a lot of time to add points to the board with the way they approach the game so this could become a long day in the office for the home team.
Virginia showed heart in beating the BYU Cougars last week, but the Cavaliers struggled Offensively for much of that game and that kind of performance won't cut it this week. Oregon are one of the Offensive powerhouses in the nation and I expect them have enough in hand to cover the spread.
The Cavaliers are 2-6 against the spread as the home underdog in the last three years, while Oregon are 10-3 against the spread as the road favourite. As long as the trip across the country doesn't affect the Ducks, they should be too powerful for Virginia.
UAB Blazers @ LSU Tigers Pick: The backdoor cover has a real chance in this one as the UAB Blazers have an Offense that can certainly move the chains, although they won't come up against the speed and power this SEC Defense will bring to the table for the LSU Tigers.
The Blazers were blown out by the South Carolina Gamecocks last season, but put in a very strong performance against the Ohio State Buckeyes so this will come down to whether the LSU Offense can put up enough points to clear the spread.
I liked what the Tigers did last week against a good TCU Defense and there is no doubt that the Blazers don't have a unit that will be able to match up well against this Offense. Cam Cameron will give Zach Mettenberger confidence to make the throws and fulfil his potential and I do think the Tigers are going to prove a little too strong for this spread.
The Defense will likely force a couple of turnovers to help them out too and I think the Tigers may record a similar margin of victory as South Carolina did last season against UAB.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ Michigan Wolverines Pick: This could be the last time we see this old rivalry for some time as scheduling changes in the future for Notre Dame means they don't have room for Michigan.
There has been a back and forth through the media between the Head Coaches and it should be a fascinating game. Michigan haven't lost a home game under Brady Hoke, going 14-0 in that time, but they are only 7-5 against the spread when favoured in the Big House.
Both teams will also look to their Defense more than their Offense in this game and I don't foresee a lot of points in the game, although turnovers may prove to be a critical difference in the game. The Fighting Irish are 6-1 against the spread as the road underdog in the last four seasons and I do think they can make a game of this one.
Four points looks a fair edge to give to Notre Dame in the game and I will take those points here in a game that could easily be decided by a field goal either way.
MY PICKS: Kentucky Wildcats - 17 Points @ 1.92 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Penn State Nittany Lions - 23.5 Points @ 1.92 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Oklahoma State Cowboys - 26.5 Points @ 1.92 William Hill (1 Unit)
Ball State Cardinals - 8 Points @ 1.92 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Toledo Rockets + 17 Points @ 1.92 Bet Victor (1 Unit)
Oregon Ducks - 23 Points @ 1.92 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
LSU Tigers - 34.5 Points @ 1.95 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish + 4 Points @ 2.00 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Week 1: 4-3, + 0.74 Units (7 Units Staked, + 10.57% Yield)
Season 2012: 54-59-1 - 7.11 Units (114 Units Staked, - 6.24% Yield)
Season 2011: 63-36, + 23.25 Units (99 Units Staked, + 23.5% Yield)
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