Free College Football Picks For Today 8/30/2023
More College Football Picks Predictions Previews
Fresno St vs. Purdue College Football Pick Prediction 9/2/2023
Fresno St at Purdue 12PM ET—Jeff Tedford is in his fifth year as head coach with Fresno St. The team finished at 10-4 last year but brought back four starters on offense with seven to the defense. Bulldogs put up 30.6 points and 403 yards per game in 2022. On defense, the limited opponents to 19.4 points and 340 yards per game. Exiting the program are the teams starting quarterback, top running back and six of their top seven receivers. UCF transfer Mikey Keene expected to start at quarterback. Four starters are back on the offensive line with the defense experienced in the front seven. Ryan Walters is in his first year as head coach for Purdue. The team finished 2022 at 8-6 and have six starters return on offense with five to the defense. Last year on offense the Boilermakers averaged 400 yards and 26.6 points a game. Defensively they limited the opposition to 27.4 points and 367 yards per game. Returning are their top two running backs. The Boilermakers lost their starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell and their top two pass receivers. Texas transfer Hudson Card expected to start. Only three starters return on the offensive line with only one returning in the secondary defensively. The Bulldogs inexperience is a major concern here playing a physical Big Ten team on the road here. Card with Texas last year completed 69.4% of his throws with 8.6 yards per attempt. Play Purdue -3.5.
Akron vs. Temple College Football Pick Prediction 9/2/2023
Akron at Temple 2PM ET—Akron head coach Joe Moorhead returns for his second season. Zips finished at 2-10 and returned eight starters of offense with six to the defense. The team put up 21.8 points and 373 yards per game last year. They ran for just 2.9 yards per carry. On defense they surrendered 33.5 points and 406 yards per game. Two of their top three rushers are back along with three of four top receivers. Starting quarterback DJ Irons returns for his senior season. Zips returns four starters on the offensive line but only one returns on the defensive line. Temple head coach Stan Drayton is back for his second season. The Owls went 3-9 in 2022 and returned seven starters on offense with nine to the defense. Temple struggled offensively by averaging 21.9 points and 351 yards per game. On defense they allowed 29.3 points and 391 yards per game. Their top rushers and quarterback returned. Two of their top three receivers have exited the program. Sophomore EJ Warner will start at quarterback. He is the son of Kurt Warner. The team returns three starters on the offensive line with experience in the back seven. Irons completed 66.8% of his throws last year and a threat to run. Warner in eleven games in his true freshman campaign completed 60.5% with 6.8 yards per attempt. He closed the season sharp with 527 yards and five touchdowns against East Carolina. Warner threw for over 340 yards in three of his final four games in 2022. Play Temple -10.
Buffalo vs. Wisconsin College Football Pick Prediction 9/2/2023
Buffalo at Wisconsin 3:30PM ET—Buffalo head coach Maurice Liguist is in his third year with the school. The Bulls finished at 7-6 in 2022 and return five starters on offense with five to the defense. On offense the team put up 28.5 points and 377 yards per game. Defensively the Bulls surrendered 26.7 points and 396 yards to their opponents. Their top four ball carriers and starting quarterback returned. Buffalo’s three top pass receivers have exited the program. Junior quarterback Cole Snyder will have three of his starting offensive linemen back. All three levels on defense lack at least two returning starters. Luke Fickell is in his second year as head coach of Wisconsin. Ten starters are back on offense and eight to the defense on a team that finished at 7-6. Their top two rushers and three top receivers returned. Starting quarterback Graham Mertz has exited the program. SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai will start at quarterback in his senior season. Four starters are back on the offensive line with an experienced front seven on defense. Cole Snyder completed 59% of his throws last year with 6.6 yards per attempt. Mordecai gives the Badgers a strong downfield passing game. Snyder’s lost playmakers in the passing game a concern. Play Buffalo and Wisconsin under 54.
Ohio St vs. Indiana College Football Pick Prediction 9/2/2023
Ohio St at Indiana 3:30PM ET—Ryan Day enters his sixth season with the Buckeyes. The team finished at 11-2 last year and returned seven starters on offense and seven to the defense. Buckeyes in 2022 averaged 44 points and 491 yards per game. On defense they surrendered 21 points and 322 yards to their opponents. They return their top four runners from a year ago along with their top five receivers. Quarterback C.J. Stroud is now in the NFL. Junior Kyle McCord is expected to start at quarterback but has only two starters back on the offensive line. The front seven on defense has experience for Ohio St and three starters return in the secondary. Tom Allen is in his seventh season as head coach for Indiana. Team went 4-8 in 2022 and returned five starters on offense with three to the defense. Offensively they put up 23.3 points a game last year with 328 yards. Running game generated only 3.4 yards per rush. On defense the Hoosiers allowed 34 points and 448 yards per game. Their leading rusher has exited the program and has three of their top four receivers back. Starting quarterback Connor Bazelak has left the program. Tennessee transfer Tayven Jackson is expected to start at quarterback. Sophomore Brendan Sorsby is also in the running to start. The offensive line returned three starters. One starter returns to the defensive line with no starters returning in the secondary. McCord has seen limited action the past two seasons. Last year he completed 16 of 20 for 190 yards and a touchdown. Devin Brown is also expected to take some snaps. Brown is a sophomore who attempted no passes last year. Hoosier’s quarterback Sorsby attempted six passes last year. Jackson went 3 of 4 for 37 yards in 2022. Indiana’s lack of experience on offense concerns here. Play Ohio St and Indiana under 59.5.
USF vs. Western Kentucky College Football Pick Prediction 9/2/2023
USF at Western Kentucky 3:30PM ET—Alex Golesh is in his first season as head coach for South Florida. The team finished at 1-11 last year and returned four starters on offense with nine to the defense. Bulls offense in 2023 averaged 28 points and 391 yards per game. A very poor defensive year as USF surrendered 41.2 points and 517 yards per game. The team loses their top running back from 2022 and four of their top five receivers. Quarterback Gerry Bohanon returns for his senior season. The offensive line returns two starters with experience defensively on the line and secondary. Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton is back for this fifth season. Hilltoppers finished with a 9-5 record and has seven starters return on offense with four to the defense. The team produced 36.4 points and 497 yards per game in 2022 while on defense allowed 23.4 points along with 384 yards. Three of their top four rushers returned along with their top receiver. Quarterback Austin Reed returns for his senior season. Three offensive linemen are back but the front seven defensively has a only two starters returning. Bohanon, a Baylor transfer played in seven games for the Bulls last year completed 57% with 6.7 yards per pass attempt. Reed changed his mind about hitting the transfer portal after last season. He completed 64.5% of his passes in 2022 with 7.9 yards per pass attempt. He threw 40 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. A massive rebuild on defense for USF. WKU’s offense looks very good. Hilltoppers are 18-6 to the spread when they scored 28 points or greater. Play Western Kentucky -11.5.
Massachusetts vs. Auburn College Football Pick Prediction 9/2/2023
UMASS at Auburn 3:30PM ET—Massachusetts is 1-0 on the year after their 41-30 road win at New Mexico St. Minutemen gained 389 yards with 197 rushing yards for 5.3 yards per attempt. Clemson/Georgia Tech transfer Taisun Phommahanh completed 10 of 17 for 192 yards. They surrendered 458 yards to the Aggies with 248 passing yards with 10.9 yards per pass attempt. Hugh Freeze is in his first year as head coach for Auburn. The Tigers finished at 5-7 last year and returned eight starters on offense with nine on defense. Two of their three top running backs return as do their top three receivers. Sophomore quarterback Robby Ashford expected to return as starter. Auburn returns three starters on the offensive line. The secondary returns all four starters on defense. Minutemen defense a concern here. Auburn is 45-15 to the spread when they outgain opponents by 200 yards or greater. The game opened at 40 and was bet down five points. Play Auburn -35.
Boise St vs. Washington College Football Pick Prediction 9/2/2023
Boise St at Washington 3:30PM ET—Andy Avalos is in his third season as head coach for Boise St. The team finished at 10-4 in 2022 and return nine starters on offense with five to the defense. The Broncos offense produced 29.5 points and 387 yards per game. They defended well a year ago by allowing 19.5 points and 293 yards per game. The team returns their three top rushers and four top receivers. Sophomore quarterback Taylen Green will start at quarterback. Green started the final ten games last season. Three starters return to the offensive line with an inexperienced front seven defensively. Kalen Deboer is in his second year as head coach for Washington. Huskies finished at 11-2 and return seven starters on offense with eight to the defense. The team saw massive offensive improvement by averaging 40 points and 516 yards per game. Defensively they held opponents to 25.8 points and 373 yards per game. Their top running back has exited the program, but their top five receivers return. Starting quarterback Michael Penix is back. Two starters return to the offensive line with experience on all three levels defensively. Green is a threat to run the football as he averaged 7.2 yards per attempt. He averaged 7.5 yards per pass attempt with fourteen touchdowns and six interceptions. Penix threw for 4641 yards last year averaging 8.4 yards per pass attempt with a 65.3% completion rate. Expect both offenses to have success in this game. Penix is a big play quarterback. Broncos 53-19 to the over when they allow 28 or greater points. Play Boise St and Washington over 58.5.
Rice vs. Texas College Football Pick Prediction 9/2/2023
Rice at Texas 3:30PM ET—Mike Bloomgren returns for his sixth year as head coach for Rice. They finished at 5-8 last year and returned eight starters on offense with seven on defense. The Owls posted only 25.2 points and 374 yards per game in 2022. On defense opponents put up 34.2 points and 391 yards per game. Rice top running back, and receiver have exited the program. Starting quarterback T.J. McMahon is gone. USC/Georgia/West Virginia transfer J.T. Daniels will start at quarterback. Four starters return on the offensive line and they’re inexperienced on the defensive line. Steve Sarkisian is back for his third season as head coach for Texas. The team was 8-5 in 2022 and return ten starters on offense with six on defense. Longhorns’ offense produced 34.5 points and 430 yards per game. On defense they allowed 21.6 points and 368 yards which is a major improvement from the previous year. Texas loses their top two running backs that combined for nearly 2200 yards rushing. Starting quarterback returns as well as their five of their top six receivers. Ohio St transfer Quinn Ewers starts at quarterback. All five starters return on the offensive line with inexperience on the defensive line and secondary. JT Daniels with West Virginia last year completed 61.2% of his throws with 6.4 yards per pass attempt. He is not a threat to run. Ewers in his freshman campaign hit on 58.1% of his passes with 7.4 yards per attempt in ten games. The quarterback struggled at the end of the regular season with one passing touchdown in the final three regular season games. Daniels experience upgrades Owl’s offense. Play Rice +35.
California vs. North Texas College Football Pick Prediction 9/2/2023
California at North Texas 4PM ET—Justin Wilcox is back for his seventh year as Cal’s head coach. The team went 4-8 last year and brought back eight starters on offense with nine to the defense. Golden Bears offense in 2022 averaged 24 points and 365 yards per game. On defense they limited foes to 27.8 points and 429 yards per game. Their top running back returns and four of their top five receivers. Quarterback Jack Plummer exits. TCU transfer Sam Jackson expected to start. The sophomore is a mobile quarterback. NC State transfer Ben Finley is competing for the position. Cal returns four starters to the offensive line with experience on all levels defensively. North Texas head coach Eric Morris is in his first season. Mean Green finished at 7-7 last year and returned eight starters on offense with seven to the defense. North Texas averaged 33.8 points and 462 yards per game last year. Defensively they surrendered 32 points and 460 yards per game. Mean Green top running backs return but will be without three of their four top receivers. ULM transfer Chandler Rogers will rotate at quarterback with Stone Earle. The team returns all five on the offensive line with inexperience at the linebacker position defensively. Jackson will start for Cal and threw only six passes while at TCU but ran it fifteen times. Stone spent 2022 and 2021 in FCS Abilene Christian. He threw eight passes for North Texas last year but ran it eighteen times for 110 yards. Rogers played 12 games for UL Monroe in 2022 hitting on 67.5% with 7.5 yards per attempt and is also a run threat. Golden Bears have lost 11 of 12 on the road. They lost at Colorado last year. Play North Texas +6.5.