College Football Week 2 Odds & Picks: Best Early Bets (2024)
We’re headed to Week 2 of the college football season!
Ultimately, we learned a lot in Week 1. So, after the FBS lines were released yesterday, I looked through all the games and found my favorite early bets for this upcoming week’s slate.
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College Football Top Early Week Picks (Week 2)
(Odds courtesy of DraftKingsFanDuel Sportsbook)
Texas Longhorns vs. Michigan Wolverines
It seems like the trendy play is to back the Texas Longhorns over the Michigan Wolverines. But while it might be the trendy play, I still agree.
Texas defeated Colorado State. 52-0. While a blowout was expected, a shutout wasn’t. Texas scored at least seven points in every quarter and held Colorado State to just 74 passing yards on the defensive end.
Additionally, there were concerns about the running back. However, Texas gave at least ten carries to Jerrick Gibson and Jaydon Blue, and each ran for over five yards a carry. The run game might not be as efficient against Michigan, but Michigan’s offense might struggle to score at home throughout the entire game.
Michigan escaped Fresno State, 30-10 in its opener. However, at halftime, Fresno State was only down 10-3. It took a late fourth-quarter push from Michigan to make the score look more lopsided. The Wolverines rolled with Davis Warren as quarterback over Alex Orji, and he went just 15-for-25 for 118 yards. He also threw one touchdown and an interception.
Michigan is relying on a former walk-on at quarterback. Meanwhile, Donovan Edwards, expected to have a big year, rushed for only 27 yards on 11 carries.
I guess it’s harder to play football games when you don’t know what’s coming. Let’s back Texas at -6.5.
Pick: Texas -6.5 (-110)
Tennessee Volunteers vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack
The North Carolina State Wolfpack were another team that didn’t impress in their season opener. The Wolfpack defeated Western Carolina, 38-21, but needed 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
North Carolina State literally trailed in this game heading into the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the run game was fantastic behind Jordan Waters, who rushed 20 times for 123 yards. Meanwhile, Grayson McCall still added 28 completions on 40 attempts and earned 318 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. However, the defense still allowed 361 yards to Western Carolina, including 241 yards passing and 120 yards rushing.
On the other hand, Tennesssee demolished Chattanooga 69-3 in its season opener. Nico Iamaleava completed nearly 79% of passes and added three touchdowns despite missing a lot of the second half due to the blowout.
The offense will be one of the best in the nation this season. But what stood out the most against Chattanooga was the run defense. Tennessee held Chattanooga to 74 yards rushing on 35 attempts. That’s just 2.1 yards per rush.
Tennessee opened at -4.5 but is already at -7.5 (-105). I wouldn’t be surprised if Tennessee wins this game by double-digits.
Pick: Tennessee -7.5 (-105)