My favorite time of the year has arrived – football season! And with that, I’ve decided to expand my arsenal from WNBA/NBA to include college football. I know I’m a week behind, but going forward I’ll be posting college football picks each week. I’m super excited to see what type of success this season brings and hope you join me!
Boise State -17, 1 unit*
Boise State looked awful in Week 1 against Oregon State, but I’m going to throw that game out the window. They were atrocious in nearly every aspect of the game, yet I don’t think that’s a fair reflection of who this team really is. I don’t know what happened with the Broncos last weekend, but that’s not the team we’re going to see moving forward.
There is a reason that the Broncos have the second-best odds to win the Mountain West Mountain division and we’re going to see that on Friday. Quarterback Hank Bachmeier – if he gets the start – isn’t going to throw three interceptions in the first quarter again. That took Boise State out of the game before it even got started and created a hole that was too big for them to climb out of. And if head coach Andy Avalos decides to start Taylen Green, I have confidence in the redshirt freshman based on what we saw from him in the later part of that game.
Although 17 is a big number, this still feels like a bit of a buy-low spot for Bosie State. The Broncos have a solid defensive front and an overall unit that ranked second in the conference to start the season. Not to mention New Mexico only has two starters returning to its offensive line. Now, the Lobos did beat Maine 41-0 last week, but let’s be real… It’s Maine.
Boise State has manhandled New Mexico in the past, winning each of the previous three meetings by 31 points. They’re coming off a terrible loss, so I expect them not only to be hyper-focused on this matchup but also pissed off and ready to show the college football world what type of a team they really are. I could see the Broncos winning by 20+ so I’ll happily lay -17.
Duke +10, 1 unit*
Is Northwestern’s offense really as good as it showed in Week 0 against Nebraska? I don’t think so. That win from Northwestern was more of a result of Nebraska’s defense – and Scott Frost’s poor decision-making – than it was NU’s offense proving to be high-powered. This line feels like a bit of an overreaction from their win in Dublin. Plus it feels like it could be a bit of a letdown spot for the Cats, coming back home to play a non-conference opponent. Don’t get me wrong, I still think NU wins this game but I don’t think they cover -10.
Duke looked solid offensively against Temple, winning 30-0. Their defense held the Owls to just 172 total yards and Blue Devils QB Riley Leonard was nearly perfect while also leading the team in rushing with 64 yards. I take all of that with a grain of salt though, because after all, they did play Temple. Still, I saw some bright spots from the Dukies and I’m not sure I’m fully onboard the Northwestern train yet. Take the points with Duke.
Kentucky +6, 1 unit*
Hold up. Wasn’t Florida a 2-point underdog last week against Utah? Now you’re telling me that one win, in which it took an endzone interception in the final seconds for the Gators to win, and all of a sudden they’re six points better than a Kentucky team that’s ranked 20th. I don’t buy it.
Anthony Richardson showed that he’s quite the stud, but Kentucky is going to try and take away his ability to make plays with his feet which is a lot of what led Florida to success in Week 1. The Wildcats’ linebackers are solid and that’s going to force Richardson to have to throw the ball more. On the flip side, Will Levis is an NFL prospect QB that’s going to look to take advantage of Florida’s secondary after they showed some trouble against the Utes. Kentucky hasn’t won in the Swamp in a longggg time, but they’ll at least give themselves a chance to pull out the upset by keeping this game close.
Stay tuned for Week 3 plays next week! In the meantime, you can check me out on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @kateconstable.
*All plays listed are to win that amount.
