Free College Football Picks Week 2 Part 1-9/7/2024
Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse College Football Pick Prediction 9/7/2024
Georgia Tech at Syracuse—Georgia Tech is 2-0 following their 35-12 home win to Georgia St. The Yellow Jackets produced 499 offensive yards with 225 rushing for 6.6 yards per run. They held the Panthers to 360 yards with 150 rushing for 5.2 yards a carry. Georgia Tech held Georgia St to 3 of 12 on third down. Haynes King hit 24 of 29 for 275 yards with two touchdowns and a pick averaging 9.5 yards per pass attempt. Syracuse is 1-0 with their 28-22 home win to Ohio. The Orange put up 480 yards offensively with 4.2 yards per run. They held the Bobcats to 2 of 11 on third down with 436 yards. Syracuse did allow 255 rushing yards with 6.5 yards per run. Kyle McCord hit 27 of 39 for 354 yards with four touchdowns and a pick. He averaged 9.1 yards per pass attempt.
The Pick:
Georgia Tech is defending well and limiting big plays in the passing game with 6.6 yards per pass attempt. They have gone under in both games. Last year they held Syracuse to just 22 points in the win. This year the Total is nine points higher than last year. Third down defense by the Orange encouraging. Play Georgia Tech and Syracuse under 61.
Kansas St vs. Tulane College Football Pick Prediction 9/7/2024
Kansas St at Tulane—Kansas St is 1-0 after their 41-6 home win to FCS Tennessee Martin. Kansas St finished at 9-4 last year for head coach Chris Klieman in his sixth season with the program. The team returns four starters on offense with eight to the defense. They put up 36.4 points per game in 2023 with 4.9 yards per run. Completed passes were 59.6% with 7 yards per pass attempt. On defense the Wildcats allowed 22.8 points per game but 159 rushing for 5.1 yards per attempt. Pass defense was a strong suit. The running backs return but the offensive line is inexperienced. Avery Johnson is at quarterback and completed 56.1% of his passes last year with limited action as a freshman. He played in the bowl game and a threat to run. Tulane came off the 52-0 home win to FCS Southeast Louisiana last week. The Green Wave finished at 11-3. Jon Sumrall is in his first year with the program. They put up 25.6 points per game last year with 367.2 yards per game. They rushed for 4.1 yards per carry with 8.1 yards per pass attempt. Tulane limited opponents to 21.5 points per game with 3.6 yards a carry. They allowed only 6.7 yards per pass attempt. The Green Wave must replace quarterback Michael Pratt. They get back their running back but inexperienced at the receiver position. Key contributors are back on defense. Sophomore Darian Mensah starts at quarterback and hit 10 of 12 for 205 yards with big plays. He had two touchdown passes. He won the quarterback battle over Oregon transfer Ty Thompson.
The Pick:
Tough spot on the road for the inexperienced Kansas St quarterback facing a strong Tulane defense. Mensah’s opening performance was encouraging. The Wildcats run defense a concern. Play Tulane +10.
Bowling Green vs. Penn St College Football Pick Prediction 9/7/2024
Bowling Green at Penn St—Bowling Green is 1-0 after their 41-17 home win to FCS Fordham. The Falcons finished at 7-6 last season for head coach Scot Loeffler in his sixth season. The team put up only 25.2 points per game in 2023 with 4.2 yards per run. They thew for only 173 yards per game with 6.3 yards per pass attempt. Third down conversions were poor. Defensively they limited opponents to 2.48 points per game with 4.1 yards per run. Bowling Green held opposing quarterbacks to 59.2% completions with 6.8 yards per pass attempt. The offensive line is experienced, and transfers will receiver roles. Connor Bazelak returns at quarterback. He completed 60.6% of his throws in 2023 with 6.9 yards per pass attempt. Penn St is 1-0 after their 34-12 road win at West Virginia. The Nittany Lions gained 457 yards with 222 rushing for 5.3 yards per carry. They limited the Mountaineers to 246 yards with 2.3 yards per run and shut down their passing game. Penn St forced three turnovers. Drew Allar hit 11 of 17 for 216 yards and three touchdowns.
The Pick:
Bowling Green offense is the concern here facing the Penn St defense. That road performance in West Virginia was impressive. The run game supporting Allar is the key here. Play Penn St -34.5.
Troy vs. Memphis College Football Pick Prediction 9/7/2024
Troy at Memphis—Troy fell to 0-1 with their 28-26 home defeat to Nevada. The Trojans put up 391 yards with 190 rushing for 5.3 yards per run. On defense they surrendered 393 yards to the Wolf Pack with 214 rushing for 8.5 yards per pass attempt. Goose Crowder hit 20 of 30 passes for 201 yards and 6.7 yards per pass attempt. Memphis is 1-0 after their 40-0 home win to FCS North Alabama. The Tigers went 10-3 last year for head coach Ryan Silverfield in his fifth season. The team put up 38 points per game last season with 4.6 yards per run. They threw for 303 yards with 8.2 yards per pass attempt. On defense the team allowed 30 points and 452 yards per game. Opponents rushed for 4.7 yards per run with 287 passing yards with 8.4 yards per pass attempt.
The Pick:
Memphis defense makes it difficult to lay this big of a point spread. Unit there is an improvement from the Tigers defense against their FBS opponents must take these points. The Trojan’s running game is encouraging in this spot. Play Troy +18.5.
Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati College Football Pick Prediction 9/7/2024
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 12PM ET—Pittsburgh is 1-0 after their 55-24 home win to Kent St. The Panthers put up 567 yards of offense with 201 rushing for 6.3 yards per run. Each team turned it over twice. On defense the Panthers held the Golden Flashes to 212 yards with 181 passing for 6.5 yards per run. Eli Holstein hit 30 of 40 for 336 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He averaged 8.4 yards per pass attempt. Cincinnati comes off the 38-20 home win to FCS Towson. Cincinnati was 3-9 last year for head coach Scott Satterfield who enters his second season. Eight starters return on offense with seven to the defense. The team averaged only 20.3 points per game with 5 yards per pass attempt. The quarterback play was inaccurate and inefficient. On defense they surrendered 31.5 points per game with 5.5 yards per run. Opponents threw 230 yards to Cincinnati for 8.4 yards per pass attempt. Their top running back returns as does their entire offensive line. Indiana transfer Brian Sorsby won the quarterback job and was efficient against his FCS opponent. Last year at Indiana he completed 57% of his passes with 6.7 yards per pass attempt.
The Pick:
The Bearcat’s defense is what is in question here as they face their first FBS opponents of the year. The Panther’s run defense was strong in their opener. Offensively they clicked on all cylinders in their opener. Play Pittsburgh +2.
Akron vs. Rutgers College Football Pick Prediction 9/7/2024
Akron at Rutgers—Akron is 0-1 following their 52-6 road defeat at Ohio St. The Zips gained 177 yards with 47 rushing for 1.3 yards per carry. Defensively they surrendered 404 yards to the Buckeyes with 170 rushing for 5.2 yards per carry. They were just 4 of 16 on third down and had three turnovers. Tahj Bullock hit 9 of 13 for 68 yards with 5.2 yards per attempt. Bullock did rush for 42 yards on 14 carries. Starting quarterback Ben Finley has a rib injury and is questionable. Rutgers is 1-0 after their 44-7 home win to FCS Howard. Rutgers finished at 7-6 in 2023. Greg Schiano has seven starts returned on offense with eight to the defense. They put up just 20.8 points per game last season with 4.1 yards per run. Quarterback play was amongst the worst in the nation. On defense they held opponents to 22.8 points per game with 4.1 yards per run. They limited opposing quarterbacks to 59.7% completions and 6.2 yards per pass attempt. They have experience on the offensive line. Their defensive line returns key starters. Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis starts at quarterback. In two seasons at Minnesota, he averaged only 53.35 completions with 6.9 yards per pass attempt. He threw 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Last week he averaged only 6.1 yards per pass attempt against Howard.
The Pick:
The Scarlet Knights experience on the offensive line will wear out the Zips. Akron in a tough spot after facing Ohio St last week and allowed over five yards per carry on the ground. The Zips did get in line to make two field goals against Ohio St. Play Akron and Rutgers over 38.5.
Army vs. FAU College Football Pick Prediction 9/7/2024
Army at FAU—Army is 1-0 after their 42-7 home win to FCS Lehigh. The Black Knights finished at 6-6 for head coach Jeff Monken. The team returns eight starters on offense with three to the defense. They put up just 17.2 points per game a year ago with 4.1 yards per carry. The team completed 47.6% of their passes for 6.4 yards per attempt. On defense the Black Knights allowed 23.9 points per game with 5.2 yards per carry. Opponents completed 60.9% of their passes on Army with 7.6 yards per pass attempt. Bryson Daily lines up a quarterback. He saw action in 11 games last season completing 50% of his passes with 5.8 yards per pass attempt. He averaged 4.6 yards per run. FAU is 0-1 after their 16-10 road defeat at Michigan St. The Owls produced 248 offensive yards with 132 rushing for 2.8 yards a carry. They went 2 of 15 on third down. On defense FAU surrendered 293 yards to the Spartans offense with 4.8 yards per run and only 4.8 yards per pass attempt. The team did force three turnovers but coughed up two. Cam Fancher hit 12 of 25 for 116 yards and only 4.6 yards per pass. He rushed for 67 yards on 25 carries but took seven sacks.
The Pick:
Army is looking to play the ball possession game and keep the Owls defense on the field. There will be lots of running by the Black Knights. FAU allowing 4.8 yards per run is the concern in this spot. Daily has experience running the Black Knights offense. Play Army +4.
Texas vs. Michigan College Football Pick Prediction 9/7/2024
Texas at Michigan 12PM ET—Texas is 1-0 with their 52-0 home victory to Colorado St. The Longhorns gained 545 yards with 190 rushing for 4.6 yards per run. They held the Rams to 192 yards offensively with 3.1 yards per pass attempt and 3.7 yards per rush. Quinn Ewers hit 20 of 27 for 260 yards with three touchdowns and a pick. Michigan is 1-0 after their 30-10 home win to Fresno St. The Wolverines gained 269 yards with 148 rushing for 4.4 yards per run. On defense they allowed 244 yards to the Bulldogs with only nine rushing yards and 6.5 yards per pass attempt. They held Fresno St to 2 of 11 on third down. Davis Warren went 15 of 25 for 118 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He averaged 4.7 yards per pass attempt.
The Pick:
Texas faced a bad defensive team in Colorado St. Respect the Wolverines defensive effort against Fresno St last week and the culture built defensively in this program. Play Michigan +7.5.
Arkansas vs. Oklahoma St College Football Pick Prediction 9/7/2024
Arkansas at Oklahoma St 12PM ET—Arkansas is 1-0 after their 70-0 home win to FCS Arkansas Pine Bluff. Arkansas finished at 4-8 last year for head coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks return eight starters on offense with eight to the defense. The team put up 23.9 points per game last year with 3.6 yards per run. The passing game produced only 179 yards per game with 6.6 yards per pass attempt. On defense the Razorbacks allowed 29 points with 4.4 yards per run. Opponents threw for 200 yards per game on Arkansas with 7.9 yards per pass attempt. Notable hire was Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator. Taylen Green starts at quarterback transferring in from Boise St. Green completed 57.1% of his passes last year with 8.3 yards per pass attempt. A threat to run as he rushed for 434 yards and 5.6 yards per pass attempt. Oklahoma St is 1-0 after their 44-20 home win to FCS South Dakota St. Mike Gundy returns for his 20th season as head coach. The team went 10-4 last year and returned 10 starters on offense with nine to the defense. The Cowboys put up 29.8 points per game last year with 4.8 yards per rush. They threw for 274 yards with 6.8 yards per pass attempt. On defense they surrendered 29.8 points and 445.7 yards per game. Opponents rushed for 4.6 yards a carry on the Cowboys with 275 yards passing with 8.8 yards per pass attempt. Alan Bowman completed 60.7% of his passes last year with 6.9 yards per pass attempt. He struggled with 14 interceptions. He had a great performance in the opener against South Dakota St.
The Pick:
With these poor defensive numbers it’s tough to lay over a touchdown with the Cowboys. Bowman experienced at quarterback but inefficient last season. Petrino hire could make an impact with their dual threat quarterback in Green. Play Arkansas +7.5.