We’re onto the second full week of the 2025 college football schedule, and each week we’ll work to provide winners for your benefit throughout the season.
On Saturday, the slate isn’t nearly as exciting as it was for Week 1. We had a ton of marquee games on the slate, while this week has just a single game featuring two ranked teams facing each other. That’s OK, though. Winners all cash the same, and sometimes, where there is great disparity, there is also great opportunity.
Let’s build our bankroll with our best college football Week 2 parlays and picks.
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Saturday’s Best College Football Week 2 Picks & Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
The San Jose State Spartans (0-1) and the Texas Longhorns (0-1) meet in a battle of teams that lost their respective openers. San Jose State suffered a 16-14 loss at home to Central Michigan, while Texas lost 14-7 on the road against Ohio State in one of those aforementioned marquee battles. Both teams cashed the under, but you can expect different results this week.
San Jose State quarterback Walker Eget was able to move the ball, but two interceptions and a lost fumble hurt his team, and it didn’t help that the kicking game was a disgrace, too. Still, San Jose’s ceiling for scoring points is much higher than it was against CMU, and its defense isn’t as good as it was in the opener.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning had a day to forget in Columbus, and, of course, social media was quick to jump all over him. But, like the great Coach Klein of the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs once said, “Use it on the field, Archie!” He should use that anger and disappointment from last week, taking it out on the poor Spartans. While the game is off the board, and laying the 36.5 points is a bit much, the total appears a bit low. Texas could easily hit the over with no help at all from San Jose State.
Picks: Over 52.5 Points (-105)
The Kennesaw State Owls (0-1) and the Indiana Hoosiers (1-0) square off at The Rock in Bloomington, and both teams have a lot of things to work on after underwhelming Week 1 performances.
While a one-point loss against a Power Four team might seem like a positive, as Kennesaw State lost 10-9 at Wake Forest, it was hardly a pretty game, or a morale victory. Quarterback Dexter Williams II was Anthony Richardson-like with a 12-of-33 passing game, posting a quarterback rating of just 24.1, although he did run for 44 yards. The Owls were able to somehow amass 307 total yards of offense, with 9-of-19 on third-down efficiency. That’s the good part. The inaccuracy and the lack of discipline with nine penalties are a big reason Kennesaw State couldn’t finish off the upset.
Indiana had its own issues, narrowly escaping against Old Dominion 27-14 as a heavy favorite. While IU did post 502 total yards, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza was somewhat effective in his team debut, Indiana needed a punt return for a score for a little bit of cushion despite a +2 turnover margin. The Hoosiers should have rolled the Monarchs, but for whatever reason, they weren’t able to do so, allowing ODU to make it a two-score game halfway through the fourth quarter. The possibility of an upset was never real, as IU kept ODU within arm’s length the entire day. It was hardly a dominant performance one would expect from a playoff team of 2024, though, and one that has aspirations of returning to the playoffs in 2025.
Let’s take Kennesaw State catching the big points here. As long as the line stays higher than five touchdowns, or more than 35 points, this is worth a look. Since this has a 41-10 kind of feel to it, playing the total, hovering at 51.5, is a bit too risky.
Picks: Kennesaw State +35.5 (-110)
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (2-0) and Toledo Rockets (1-0) get together at the Glass Bowl on Saturday night in perhaps the most underrated matchup of the weekend. This has an old GMAC Bowl or California Bowl feel to it.
Western Kentucky opened with a 41-24 victory in Week 0 over a decent Sam Houston State team, while pounding FCS North Alabama 55-6 as a 27.5-point favorite. They’re 2-0 against the spread (ATS) so far, while cashing the over in each of the outings.
Toledo went down to Kentucky and played the Wildcats tough. While Kentucky’s new quarterback, Zach Calzada, had self-inflicted wounds, Jason Candle’s defense also contributed to the confusion. We aren’t likely to see a lot of defense in this one, though.
Western Kentucky might not win this game, but it will play Toledo tough. It has the offensive weapons to make this a shootout at the Glass Bowl worth tuning into.
Picks: Western Kentucky +7.5 (-120) & Over 58.5 Points (-105)
The Akron Zips (0-1) suffered a 10-0 loss at home against Wyoming in the opener, as the defense was somewhat effective, but the offense was abysmal as usual.
Meanwhile, the Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0) opened up at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, easing by Cincinnati 20-17. The Cornhuskers took on a Big 12 team and are now a bit more battle-tested.
To make matters worse for the Zips, if playing in front of a sea of red wasn’t bad enough, the game will be under the lights. Nebraska fans have been hungry for decades for a winner, progress and a hint of dominance. One win over Cincinnati, and a likely win over a dismal Akron team won’t change the national perception quite yet; Nebraska is on the right track.
The sportsbooks might be overvaluing Akron’s defensive effort against Wyoming, pushing the total way down. Akron was blanked at home, yes, and not much is expected in Lincoln from its offense; the defense could easily give up 48 points to Nebraska. Go high, and feel good, even if Akron produces, yep, zip.
Parlay Odds: +146
Roll the Dice 5-Leg Parlay
- Leg 1: San Jose State at Texas Over 52.5 Points (-105)
- Leg 2: Kennesaw State +35.5 (-110)
- Leg 3: Western Kentucky +7.5 (-120)
- Leg 4: Nebraska -34.5 (-105)
- Leg 5: Nebraska vs. Akron 47.5 Points (-110)
Parlay Odds: +1583
