Free College Football Picks For Today 9/8/2023
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Illinois vs. Kansas College Football Pick Prediction 9/8/2023
Illinois at Kansas 7:30PM ET—Illinois improved to 1-0 after their 30-28 home victory to Toledo. Fighting Illini rushed for 4.5 yards per attempt. They gave up 416 yards to the Rockies with 4.7 yards per run and 230 passing on 37 attempts. A sloppy game for Illinois as they were penalized 10 times for 100 yards. Ole Miss transfer Luke Altmyer started and played well completing 69.2% of his throws for 211 yards. He is a run threat rushing for 69 yards on nine carries. Kansas is 1-0 on the year following their 48-17 home victory to FCS Missouri St. Lance Leipold is in his third season as head coach for Kansas. The team finished at 6-7 last year and returned ten starters on offense with seven to the defense. Jayhawks produced 35.6 points and 438 yards per game last season. On defense they surrendered 35.5 points and 469 yards per game. Kansas returned their five top rushers along with their top receivers. Quarterback Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean returned at quarterback. Four starters returned on the offensive line with four first year starters on the defensive line but all starters back on the back seven. Jason Bean drew the start and went 22 of 28 for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Jalon Daniels sat out the opener with a sore back and is expected to play in this spot. Illinois returned only twelve starters and Kansas has seventeen back. Fighting Illini rush defense, the concern here. Play Kansas -3.
Jacksonville St vs. Coastal Carolina College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Jacksonville St at Coastal Carolina 7PM ET—Jacksonville St is 2-0 after their 49-3 home win to FCS East Tennessee St. The Gamecocks opened the year defeating UTEP 17-14 at home. Jacksonville St ran for 208 yards on 44 carries in the win against the Miners with the defense allowing less that four yards a carry. Quarterback play was subpar with Zion Webb going 10 of 20 for 67 yards. He rushed for 55 yards on 10 carries. Coastal Carolina drops to 0-1 with their 27-13 road defeat at UCLA. Chanticleers rushed for less than two yards per rush. On defense they allowed the Bruins just over 5 yards per rush along with 264 passing on 29 attempts. Grayson McCall had a disappointing debut in his senior season with one touchdown, two interceptions and only 6.5 yards per attempt. Chanticleers are inexperienced on defense. They have lost four straight dating back to last year with poor defensive play. Play Jacksonville St +14.
Middle Tennessee St vs. Missouri College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Middle Tennessee St at Missouri 7PM ET—Middle Tennessee St is 0-1 with their 56-7 road defeat at Alabama. Blue Raiders struggled on both sides. The offense rushed for three yards per rush. Sophomore quarterback Nicholas Vattiato completed 21 of 32 for only 127 yards with a touchdown and pick. He averaged four yards per attempt. On defense they surrendered 431 yards to the Crimson Tide with 5 yards per run and 226 passing on 24 attempts. Missouri is 1-0 after their 35-10 home victory to FCS South Dakota. Eliah Drinkwitz is in his fourth season as head coach for Missouri. Tigers were 6-7 in 2022 and returned seven starters on offense with eight to the defense. The team posted 25 points and 370 yards per game. The defense held opponents in 2022 to 25 points and 341 yards a game. Their top three rushers are back but they lost their top two receivers. Quarterback Brady Cook is back. The team returns three starters to the offensive line with inexperience defensively in the front seven. Cook last year did complete 65% of his throws with 8.1 yards per attempt. He is a threat to run the football. Blue Raiders brought back only five starters to the offense and will be challenged to get points on the board. It is also a tough spot for the Blue Raiders playing back to back road games against the SEC and following a game at a physical Alabama team. Play Missouri -21.
Texas vs. Alabama College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Texas at Alabama 7PM ET—Texas is 1-0 after their 37-10 home victory to Rice. Longhorns run game produced four yards a carry. It was a solid defensive effort for Texas to hold the Owls to 27 rushing yards and 149 passing on 26 attempts. They forced three Rice turnovers. Quinn Ewers was an impressive opener, hitting on 19 of 30 passes for 260 yards with three touchdowns and 8.7 yards per attempt. Alabama is 1-0 with their 56-7 home victory to Middle Tennessee St. Crimson Tide rushed for five yards a carry in the win. Jalen Milroe in the opener hit 13 of 18 for 194 yards and three touchdowns. He is a threat to run with 48 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Last year’s meeting was low scoring with Alabama winning 20-18. Ewers last year against Alabama hit 9 of 17 for 134 yards averaging 11.2 yards per attempt. Milroe’s running and a full game from Ewers here could open this game to a high scoring affair. Play Texas and Alabama over 54.
Eastern Michigan vs. Minnesota College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Eastern Michigan at Minnesota—Eastern Michigan is 1-0 after their 33-23 home victory to FCS Howard. Chris Creighton returns for his tenth year as head coach for the Eagles. The team finished at 9-4 in 2022 and returned four starters on offense with seven to the defense. The team put up 30 points and 365 yards per game a season ago. On defense they limited foes to 28 points and 377 yards per game. Returning are their top three running backs but only one of their impact receivers. Quarterback Taylor Powell has exited the program. Sophomore Austin Smith is under center. Two starters returned to the offensive line with inexperience on the defensive line and secondary. Minnesota is 1-0 after their 13-10 home victory to Nebraska. Down 10-3 late the Golden Gophers rallied for ten points in the final 2 and a half minutes. Poor offensive showing for Minnesota rushing for just over two yards a carry. They did allow 4.5 yards per run to the Cornhuskers but limited their passing to 114 yards on 19 attempts. Sophomore quarterback Athan Kaliamanis completed just 54.5% of his passes with only 4.5 yards per attempt. Golden Gophers lost their top running backs and quarterback from last year. Their offense doesn’t look good. Play Eastern Michigan +20.5.
Arizona vs. Mississippi St College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Arizona at Mississippi St—Arizona is 1-0 after their 38-3 home victory to Northern Arizona. Jedd Fisch is in his third year as head coach for Arizona. The Wildcats were 5-7 last season and returned eight starters on offense with three to the defense. Arizona posted 31 points and 462 yards per game last season. On defense they surrendered 36.5 points and 468 yards per game. Their top rushers returned as do four of their top five receivers. Quarterback Jayden de Laura returns as do three starters to the offensive line. Their defense is inexperienced on all levels. Mississippi St is 1-0 after their 48-7 home victory to FCS Southeast Louisiana. Zach Arnett is in his second season as head coach for Mississippi St. It is his first full season and was the former defensive coordinator for the school. Bulldogs finished at 9-4 in 2022 and returned eight starters on offense with four to the defense. They averaged 31.6 points and 393 yards per game last year. The defense held foes to 23 points and 346 yards per game. Ther top rusher is back but the Bulldogs lost three of their top four receivers. Will Rogers returned at quarterback. Four starters returned to the offensive line with inexperience defensively on the line and secondary. They met last year with Mississippi St winning 39-17 on the road. The Wildcats struggled in the loss with their ground attack and averaged only five yards per pass attempt. de Laura threw three interceptions. Rogers was accurate last year and is in his fourth season as quarterback for the Bulldogs. De Laura struggled with interceptions last year. The signal caller also struggled last year against a good defensive team in Utah. Play Mississippi St -9.
Charlotte vs. Maryland College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Charlotte at Maryland—Charlotte is 1-0 after their 24-3 home victory to FCS South Carolina St. Biff Poggi is in his first season as head coach. The team finished at 3-9 in 2022 and returned four starters on offense with six to the defense. The 49ers offense produced only 24.4 points and 387 yards per game last season. The defense surrendered 39.4 points and 484 yards per game. Their top four rushers are back but they lose their top four receivers. Quarterback Chris Reynolds has left as do his three backups. Florida/Bethune Cookman transfer Jalon Jones is under center for his senior year. Two starters returned to the offensive line with inexperience defensively on the line and secondary. Maryland is 1-0 following their 38-6 home victory to FCS Towson. Mike Locksley returns for his fifth season as head coach. The team went 8-5 a year ago and returned five starters on offense with six to the defense. The Terrapins put up 28 points and 402 yards per game last year. The defense held foes to 23 points and 357 yards per game. All top rushers returned for Maryland as did their top two receivers. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa returned. Only one starter back on the offensive line with inexperience defensively in the front seven. Jones struggled with accuracy in his years in the FCS. Tagovailoa has all his weapons back in 2023. Tough spot for a first year head coach in his first road game against this playmaker experience. The 49ers lack of experience on offense is a concern as well. Play Maryland -24.5.
Wisconsin vs. Washington St College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Wisconsin at Washington St 7:30PM ET—Wisconsin is 1-0 on the year with their 38-17 home victory to Buffalo. Strong rushing performance for the Badgers as they rushed for 314 yards on 40 attempts. The allowed four yards per rush to the Bulls with less than five yards per pass attempt. Tanner Mordecai went 24 of 31 for 189 yards with a touchdown but two picks. Washington St is 1-0 after their 50-24 road win at Colorado St. Cougars held the Rams to three points after three quarters. Their running attack generated less that three yards per run Defensively they held Colorado St to under two yards a carry with 320 passing on 44 attempts. A huge game for Cameron Ward hitting 37 of 49 on this road win with 451 yards and three touchdowns. He is a threat to run. First year offensive coordinator system looked to work for Ward. Mordecai averaged only 6.1 yards per attempt at home to a MAC team. Run defense promising start for the Cougars in their opener. Play Washington St +6.
Temple vs. Rutgers College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Temple at Rutgers—Temple is 1-0 following their 24-21 home victory to Akron. The Owls overcame a 21-10 halftime deficit. The team struggled running the football with only 61 yards on 28 carries against a MAC team at home. On defense, they limited the Zips to under three yards per rush and 205 passing yards on 29 attempts. Second year quarterback EJ Warner went 28 of 49 for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Rutgers is 1-0 following their 24-7 home victory to Northwestern. Scarlet Knights rushed near nearly three yards a carry. They limited the Wildcats to 12 rushing yards and 189 passing on 40 attempts. Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt completed 17 of 29 for 163 yards with a touchdown and only 5.6 yards per attempt. Wimsatt has completed less than half of his passes the past two seasons in limited work. Owls are an experienced defense with nine returning starters. Prefer Warner at quarterback. Play Temple +9.
UCLA vs. San Diego St College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
UCLA at San Diego St 7:30PM ET—UCLA is 1-0 after their 27-13 home victory to Coastal Carolina. Bruins offense produced over five yards per rush. They limited the Chanticleers to under two yards per rush and 289 passing yards on 43 attempts. Three interceptions were thrown by the Bruins quarterbacks. Ethan Garbers went 10 of 17 for 121 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Freshman Dante Moore saw work going 7 of 12 for 143 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. San Diego St is 2-0 after their 36-28 home victory to FCS Idaho St. Aztecs opened the year with a 20-13 home victory to Ohio. Aztecs held the Bobcats to just over three yards per attempt. They allowed 278 passing yards on 52 attempts. San Diego St rushed for just under five yards a carry. Jalen Maden went 17 of 27 for 164 yards and two touchdowns. In the win against their FCS opponent last week, he averaged only 4.6 yards per attempt. Quarterbacks on both sides the concern here. Moore if he sees time is a freshman playing in his first road game. Play UCLA and San Diego St under 48.5.
Air Force vs. Sam Houston St College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Air Force at Sam Houston St 8PM ET—Air Force is 1-0 after their 42-7 home victory to FCS Robert Morris. Troy Calhoun is in his 17th season as head coach. The Falcons went 10-3 last year and returned five starters on offense with eight to the defense. Team posted 28 points and 397 yards per game last year. Defensively they limited opponents to 13.4 points and 254 yards per game. Falcons lose four of their top five rushers and lose their top two receivers. Quarterback Zac Larrier attempted only three passes. He rushed 14 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Three starters returned to the offensive line with inexperienced defensively in the front seven. Sam Houston St is 0-1 after their 14-0 road defeat at BYU. They lose their lone game against an FBS school last year at Texas A&M 31-0. Bearkats offense produced less than two yards per rush against the Cougars. Their defense played well to hold BYU to under four yards a carry and 145 passing yards on 33 attempts. Quarterback Keegan Shoemaker went 18 of 33 for 147 yards and three interceptions. He completed only 46.6% of his passes with 5.5 yards per attempt last year in the FCS. Neutral site game played in an NFL stadium in Houston. Bearkats offense massive concern and facing a Triple Option offense after playing at BYU as well Lazier has seen action in nine games the past two seasons. Play Air Force -13.5.
Southern Miss vs. Florida St College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Southern Miss at Florida St 8:30PM ET—Southern Miss is 1-0 after their 40-14 home victory to FCS Alcorn St. Will Hall is back for his third season as head coach. The team finished at 7-6 in 2022 and returned nine starters on offense with six to the defense. They put up 25 points and 349 yards per game a year ago. While on defense the Bulldogs held opponents to 23.5 points and 372 yards a game. The team returns their top rusher along with five of their top six receivers. Starting quarterback Zach Wilcke returned but failed to earn the starting position. Clemson transfer Billy Wiles got the start. Four starters returned to the offensive line with inexperience defensively in the back seven. Florida St is 1-0 after their 45-24 home victory to LSU on Sunday night. Down 17-14 at the half the Seminoles outscored the Tigers 31-7 in the second half. FSU gained four yards per rush in the win. They allowed four yards a carry to LSU but 347 passing yards on 37 attempts. Jordan Travis was 23 of 31 for 342 yards with four touchdowns and a pick. He averaged 11 yards per attempt against LSU. Travis is experienced in his fourth season. Bulldogs quarterback Billy Wiles threw four passes for Clemson in 2021. He had an impressive debut but that was against an FCS school. Southern Miss inexperience in the secondary a concern here. Tough to lay this huge number in a short week. Wiles performance promising. Play Southern Miss and Florida St over 53.
Auburn vs. California College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Auburn at Cal—Auburn is 1-0 after their 59-14 home victory to Massachusetts. Tigers went up 31-7 at the half. Auburn crushed the Minutemen on the ground rushing for 289 yards on 44 carries. They did allow five yards per rush with 161 passing on 24 attempts. Michigan St transfer Payton Thorne got the start hitting on 10 of 17 for 141 yards and one touchdown. California is 1-0 after their 58-21 road win at North Texas. Golden Bears rolled up 669 yards on the Mean Green defense. The team rushed for 357 yards on 56 carries. They limited North Texas to under two yards per rush and 184 passing yards on 26 attempts. Sam Jackson saw limited action and suffered an injury and a game time decision. NC State transfer Ben Finley hit 24 of 34 for 279 yards with a touchdown and interception. He struggled with accuracy in his limited work with the Wolfpack. Thorne struggled with interceptions in his time with the Spartans. Both teams are experienced. Golden Bears have covered three straight dating to last year. Tigers struggled on the road in 2022. Cal’s performance on both sides is promising. Play California +6.5.
Stanford vs. USC College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Stanford at USC—Stanford is 1-0 this year after their 37-24 road win at Hawaii. This broke a five game losing streak dating back to last year. Cardinal put up 402 yards with over four yards per rush. They held the Warriors to -5 yards rushing but 355 passing on 53 carries. Stanford had six sacks. Sophomore quarterback Ashton Daniels impressed in the opener hit on 25 of 36 for 248 yards and two touchdowns. He threw six passes in his freshman year. USC improved to 2-0 after their 66-14 home victory to Nevada. Trojans rolled up 668 yards on the Wolf Pack defense with 215 rushing on 20 carries. USC held Nevada to under two yards per carry but 311 passing yards on 34 attempts. Another huge passing performance by Caleb Williams. Trojans look part of a high-octane offense whose defense will give up points. Stanford’s offensive showing promising enough for an over here. Play Stanford and USC over 69.5.
Oklahoma St vs. Arizona St College Football Pick Prediction 9/9/2023
Oklahoma St at Arizona St—Oklahoma St is 1-0 after their 27-13 home victory to Central Arkansas. Mike Gundy is in his nineteenth year as head coach. The team went 7-6 last year and returned seven starters on offense with six to the defense. Cowboys averaged 30.6 points and 405 yards per game in 2022. Running game generated only 3.4 per attempt. Their defense allowed 29 points and 436 yards per game. Oklahoma St lost their top to running backs and four of their top five receivers. Starting quarterback Spencer Sanders is gone. Garrett Rangel started at quarterback but three saw action. Four starters returned to their offensive line with inexperience defensively on the line and secondary. Arizona St is 1-0 after their 24-21 home victory to Southern Utah. Kenny Dillingham is in his first year as head coach. ASU was 3-9 in 2022 and returned eight starters on offense with five on defense. Sun Devils posted 26 points and 387 yards per game in 2022. On defense they allowed 31 points and 422 yards per game. The team loses their top two rushers, but their three top receivers are back. Quarterback Emory Jones transferred. True freshman Jaden Rashada got the start at quarterback in a heated summer battle. Four starters are back on the offensive line with inexperience defensively in the front seven. Rashada had a good showing in his opener but against an FCS team. Oklahoma St quarterback situation a major concern. True freshman has a major test here for Arizona St quarterback. Play Oklahoma St and Arizona St under 56.5.