Week 2 Picks

Friday

Colorado at Toledo (Colorado by 4)

Steve: Surely Colorado will not start 0-2 will they? I don’t think the Buffs will be very good and there are already players complaining about playing time, but they will win this game. Colorado 24 – Toledo 14

Beav: After last week, it's tough to lay any points with the Buffs. I'm going with an upset special here. Toledo 36 - Colorado 34

Saturday

Iowa at Iowa State (Iowa by 6.5)

Steve: Before the season started I was thinking Iowa would be able to control the ground game in this one. Iowa’s offensive line is supposed to be their strong suit, and ISU’s defensive line is their weak spot. ISU’s d-line does suck, but Iowa’s o-line didn’t look very good against Northern Iowa. Plus, their best player, LT Bryan Bulaga, is rumored to be out for this game. ISU won’t just cover, they will win in Ames. ISU 34 – Iowa 28

Beav: Neither of these teams looked good against their FCS opponents last week. I like the Cyclones enough to win outright. Iowa 16 - Iowa State 20

Arkansas State at Nebraska (Nebraska by 23)

Steve: Arkansas State really took it to Mississippi Valley State last week, but Nebraska isn’t impressed. Nebraska could win big, but look for them to pull Helu and Zac Lee early to keep them fresh for Virginia Tech. Nebraska 35 – Arkansas State 14

Beav: Huskers continue playing host to the Sun Belt conference.NU looked good last week, but must avoid looking ahead to the big game in Blacksburg. I like NU big again. Nebraska 46 - Ark St. 13

Houston at Oklahoma State (Oklahoma State by 15)

Steve: Will this be a let down game for Okie State after their huge win against Georgia? Not likely. Look for Zac Robinson to have a big game after he struggled (for his standards anyway) last week. Oklahoma State 42 – Houston 21

Beav: Malcolm Kelly's favorite coach to 'Holla at' has the Cougars looking pretty solid this year, but Okie State just has too much firepower. 15 points doesn't seem like nearly enough. Oklahoma State - 48 Houston 24

Texas at Wyoming (Texas by 33.5)

Steve: Does Mack Brown have a vacation home in Jackson Hole? Why else would Texas go to Wyoming? There is a little altitude in Laramie, but not enough to slow down Colt McCoy and Co. Texas 52 – Wyoming 10

Beav: Why is Texas going to Laramie? I understand traveling to a non BCS school to play against a good team, and I understand traveling to a major conference school to play against a bad team (like USC going to OSU). But I don't see what you gain by traveling to a bad non BCS school. Horns will win, but I'll take the points here. UT 38 - Wyoming 20

Bowling Green at Missouri (Missouri by 20)

Steve: Either Illinois really sucks or Mizzou isn’t going to miss all their studs from last year as much as I thought. My bet is thatIllinois really sucks, but Mizzou is still good enough to cover against Bowling Green. Missouri 42 – Bowling Green 21

Beav: The biggest stories in the Big XII North last week were how bad Colorado looked and how good Mizzou looked. I like the Tigers big in this one. Missouri 46 - BGSU 21

Idaho State at Oklahoma (No Line)

Steve: No Bradford + No Gresham + Poor Offensive Line Play = bad offensive output of the Sooners. At least the coaches at Oklahoma have had an entire week to prepare Landry Jones, and their defense is still pretty stout. OU’s offense will struggle but they should still win easily. Oklahoma 35 – Idaho State 0

Beav: The Sooners look to bounce back without two first team All-Americans. I see the Sooners' offense struggling a bit. Oklahoma 24 - Idaho State 3

Kansas State at La-Lafayette (Kansas State by 7)

Steve: Kansas State barely beats UMass at home. That is not a good sign of things to come for the Wildcats. I’m thinking upset here, and I’m not talking about the stomachs of the KSU players from eating too much butter. Louisiana-Lafayette 21 – Kansas State 14
Beav: The old Bill Snyder road trip. Sounds like a good time. Kansas State 24 – Louisiana-Lafayette 10

Rice at Texas Tech (Texas Tech by 28)

Steve: Rice lost by 20 to Alabama-Birmingham last week. Texas Tech is slightly better than UAB, and by slightly I mean a lot better. Texas Tech 63 – Rice 21

Beav: Texas Tech's offense didn't quite put up the numbers we normally expect from them. I like them to bounce back this week and get things straightened out. Texas Tech 55 Rice 17

Kansas at UTEP (Kansas by 12.5)

Steve: Mangino has gotten a free pass for his Bill Snyderesq non-conference scheduling. I’m calling you out Mangino! Oh yeah, the pick. Kansas 35 – UTEP 21

Beav: KU travels to El Paso - hopefully for the Jayhawk players, Mangino went with UTEP Head Coach Mike Price's recommendation for accommodations. KU 38 - UTEP 17

Texas A&M and Baylor have bye weeks.

Non-Conference games of note:

USC at Ohio State (USC by 7)

Steve: Tyrrell Pryor may be the most overrated player in college football. I guess his one talent is stiff-arming bad db’s. USC has great db’s, and possibly the best one in the country in Taylor Mays. USC may have a freshman quarterback, but who cares? They are playing a Big 10 team. USC 24 – Ohio State 10

Beav: I had to double check this line a few times to make sure it wasn't a misprint. OSU only gets 7 points vs. USC? THE Ohio State University could only muster 153 rushing yards on 38 carries against Navy....they will be lucky to cross the 50 yard line against USC's D. USC 28 - OSU 0

UCLA at Tennessee (Tennessee by 10)

Steve: Beav, I’m confused why you picked this one as a “game of interest.” UCLA is very weak at the QB position. Monte Kiffin will have the Tennessee D all over that clown. Tennessee 28 – UCLA 14

Beav: I'm not a believer in either of these teams right now, but I do love Tennessee getting 10 points in Knoxville. UCLA 31 - Tennessee 24

Notre Dame at Michigan (Notre Dame by 3.5)

Steve: I don’t like RichRod, but I hope he can get his Wolverines to beat ND. With ND’s horrific schedule, if they win this one, they may not lose until they play USC. If that happens, Notre Dame will be so overrated and over-hyped, my head might explode. Michigan 28 – Notre Dame 24

Beav: This game is the 2009 college football equivalent of Al Pacino and Robert Deniro.
1) Both used to matter.
2) Both constantly have poor performances excused because of their reputation.
3) Both were considered relevant long past their primes
4) Seeing them on screen at the same time is becoming less nostalgic and more pathetic. (Righteous Kill for Al & Bob; Saturday's game for M & ND)
Michigan 20 - Notre Dame 13

Last Week:

Steve: 8 out of 15 (6 out of 13 against the spread)

Beav: 8 out of 15 (6 out of 13 against the spread)