Week 2 College Football Picks – Best Early Bets to Make

• Week 2 of the College Football season begins Friday, featuring just one matchup between ranked programs
• South Florida is seeking a second straight upset of a top-25 opponent
• See my favorite Week 2 College Football picks, and the best early bets to make

Week 1 of the college football season produced plenty of surprises, with the number 25, 17, 8, 6, 4 and 1 programs in the country taking L’s. A repeat in Week 2 is unlikely; however, there are plenty of underdogs I see covering and potentially pulling off an upset in my Week 2 college football picks.

College Football Week 2 Picks

Odds as of Sept. 1 at DraftKings and FanDuel.

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My best early bet to make is South Florida +17.5 against Florida, as I don’t think we should be selling high on the Bulls just yet. I’m also backing Michigan +6.5 versus Oklahoma, as this line has moved way too much since the opening college football Week 2 odds were released. I’m rounding out my card with Sam Houston +8.5 in Hawaii, as this number is too high for the Rainbow Warriors to cover given their QB situation.

South Florida vs Florida Prediction

Money poured in on South Florida ahead of their upset last week of #25 Boise State, dropping the line from +9 to +3.5 before kickoff. As we enter a new week, bettors are flocking to the Bulls again, dropping the spread against Florida from 18.5 to 17.5 so far.

You might think now is the time to sell high on South Florida, but I disagree. The Bulls didn’t squeak by in Week 1, they dominated their ranked opponent. They pounded Boise State 34-7, holding the Broncos to their lowest scoring game since 2019, and their second lowest rushing yards total (122) over the last two seasons.

Offensively, Byrum Brown impressed with 210 yards through the air, and 43 yards on the ground with 2 TD. Brown missed nearly all of last season due to injury, but looked like the same guy that threw for 26 TD and 3,200 yards in his last full season, and that has 19 career rushing scores.

As for Florida, yes, they’re a National Championship odds dark horse, but they barely forced broke a sweat in Week 1. The Gators trounced their FCS opponent, but lacked efficiency on offense despite the lopsided box score. This is a big step up in competition, and I’m betting Florida is caught off guard by the Bulls.

• South Florida +17.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

Michigan vs Oklahoma Pick

One of the biggest line moves of the week is Oklahoma going from a 3-point favorite to 6.5-point chalk. I understand the Sooners being labeled as favorites, but there’s no way this line doesn’t come back to Michigan as the week progresses.

This is the game of the week, with both teams coming off blowout wins over inferior opponents. Michigan got impressive play from freshman QB Bryce Underwood versus New Mexico, and a career day from Alabama transfer Justice Haynes in the running game. The defense forced three turnovers and picked up three sacks, while limiting the Lobos to 1.9 yards per carry.

Oklahoma meanwhile, beat up on FCS opponent Illinois State 35-3, fuelled by 392 passing yards and 3 TD from QB John Mateer. That performance puts Mateer in the Heisman Trophy odds conversation, but let’s see how he fares against a top-tier FBS defense before we give the Sooners offense too much credit.

The lookahead line between these top-20 teams was Oklahoma -2.5, and I think the buy-back on the Wolverines will happen sooner rather than later. Bet Michigan now at this very favorable spread.

• Michigan +6.5 (-115 at FanDuel)

Sam Houston vs Hawaii Best Bet

For my last Week 2 college football early best bet, I’m going back to the Sam Houston well against Hawaii. The Bearkats have put up impressive offensive numbers in back-to-back outings, but have been derailed by a porous defense. That won’t be a concern in Week 2, as the Rainbow Warriors are down starting QB Micah Alejado.

The freshman has suffered injuries in each of his first two games, the latter of which forced him out of action. His replacement, Luke Weaver, is a JUCO transfer who failed to impress last week in relief against mostly Arizona backups. Weaver threw two picks, was sacked once and fumbled in his three drives, completing just 50% of his throws.

Hawaii Week 1 Defensive Stats

On the other side of the ball, Hawaii was gashed for 185 rushing yards, which plays right into Sam Houston’s strengths. Bearkats starting QB Hunter Watson has already amassed 108 rushing yards, while RBs Landan Brown and Alton McCaskill are each averaging 6.5+ yards per attempt.

This line has already fallen a point to 7.5 at some books, so act now and make sure to shop around for the best number.

• Sam Houston +8.5 (-115 at DraftKings)