College Football Week 2: Louisville at North Carolina Betting Lines

College Football Week 2 ATS Picks

Written by on September 4, 2017

Lot of upsets in Week 1 of the college football season. The biggest was Howard at +45 winning over UNLV. Las Vegas sportsbooks were not offering a money line on the game, but the Bison could be found as 600-1 long shots and even higher at some offshore books like MyBookie. So, with that in mind, we’ve decided to pick out our top College Football Week 2 picks to bet against the spread. Here are our two picks with the latest NCAAF odds for Week 2 of the regular season.

College Football Week 2 ATS Picks

No. 16 Louisville at North Carolina

When: Saturday, Sept. 9, Noon ET Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill TV: ESPN Stream: WatchESPN Radio: WHAS 840 AM (Louisville) / WCHL-AM (North Carolina) Opening College Football Week 2 Lines: Louisville -8

Why Bet On Louisville?

Neither of these ACC potential contenders looked great in Week 1. The No. 16 Cardinals escaped vs. a bad Purdue team, 35-28. Amid the false starts and the fumbles, QB Lamar Jackson, the elusive, cannon-armed junior who is trying to become the first player since Archie Griffin to repeat as a Heisman Trophy winner, posted some ridiculous numbers to come to the rescue, throwing for 378 yards and running for 107. But there were troubling signs too. The inability to run the ball consistently tends to make an offense more predictable and hurts red-zone production, which led to field goals of 23, 32 and 30 yards Saturday. Louisville finished with 16 penalties for 110 yards. If you’re looking for an explanation as to how a largely outmanned Purdue team was able to push the Cards to the wire, penalties and fumbles are a big part of the answer. “Well, we’ll take it,” U of L coach Bobby Petrino said. “It was a hard-fought game. I felt like we gave them opportunities and kept them in the game some. … I’m really disappointed in our penalties and turning the ball over. That’s what we’ve been harping on all fall. That’s what we’ve worked on, and that didn’t come out and show.” An apparent leg injury to Jaire Alexander, Louisville’s preseason All-American cornerback, dampened the win for the Cards. Alexander took a nasty spill in the second quarter after scooping up a blocked field- goal attempt and trying to return it, and he didn’t return. It was the Cardinals’ first victory over a Big Ten team since 1998, when Louisville beat Illinois 35-9 in Champaign on Sept. 19. Louisville’s defense finished the game with three interceptions. It is the most since the Cardinals tallied three against NC State in 2016.

College Football Week 2 ATS Picks and Winning Favorites

Why Bet On North Carolina?

The Heels were upset at home by California 35-30. Michael Carter scored twice for UNC (0-1), which started LSU graduate transfer Brandon Harris at quarterback but leaned more on redshirt freshman Chazz Surratt. The Tar Heels entered the offseason and preseason camp with a lot of questions on offense, most notably with the departure of No. 2 overall NFL draft pick Mitch Trubisky at quarterback. The Tar Heels’ offense committed three turnovers Saturday. But the defense prevented the Golden Bears from converting those into any points. And a season removed from registering just one interception, UNC doubled that total with one by Donnie Miles and another by Andre Smith. Michael Carter rushed for two touchdowns and 94 yards. Jordon Brown also added 56 yards on the ground and 53 receiving. And after much offseason discussion about the quarterback position, Surratt found some success, completing 18-of- 28 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown.

Fresno State at No. 1 Alabama

When: Saturday, Sept. 9, 3:30 PM ET Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium TV: ESPN2 Stream: WatchESPN Radio: 940 ESPN (Fresno State) / 102.9  FM (Alabama) Opening College Football Week 2 Lines: Alabama -42.5

Why Bet On Fresno State?

Could the Tide have a bit of a letdown after their big 24-7 Week 1 win over No. 3 Florida State? In addition, that stellar defense lost two linebackers to injury. Redshirt junior Christian Miller, who is listed as Alabama’s starter at Sam linebacker, has a torn biceps and is expected to miss the rest of the year. Sophomore Terrell Lewis, who is one of the Tide’s top young defensive players, tore a ligament in his elbow and is out for the year. They were two of four Alabama linebackers who left with injuries Saturday night. Inside linebacker Rashaan Evans didn’t play during the second half because of a groin injury and starting outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings left with a sprained ankle. Fresno opened with a 66-0 win over little Incarnate Word. Fresno State churned out 613 yards of offense while allowing just 148 against the overmatched Cardinals, a championship subdivision opponent picked to finish last in the Southland Conference. The Bulldogs are now coached by Jeff Tedford, a former Bulldogs quarterback and assistant best known for an 11-year run as the coach at Cal. The 66 points were the most the Bulldogs have scored since a 69-28 victory over New Mexico in 2013 when Derek Carr threw seven touchdown passes. Their last shutout was a 51-0 win over UC Davis in 2009.

Why Bet On Alabama?

Even with those injuries, the Tide dominated FSU. The defense forced two interceptions, caused and recovered a fumble and blocked two kicks. The victory extended the Crimson Tide’s winning streak in season openers to 16 straight games. Are the Crimson Tide a safe bet in College Football Week 2? The Alabama special teams forced a fumble on a kickoff as well as blocking a field goal and a punt, while converting on three field goal attempts in the decisive victory. The Tide defense buckled down in the second half, allowing the potent Seminole offense just 65 total yards, while picking off FSU quarterback Deondre Francois twice in the final 16 minutes of the game. Shaun Dion Hamilton led the Alabama defense with eight tackles from his starting linebacker spot, including 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Under head coach Nick Saban, Alabama has played in eight season-opening games in a domed stadium. In those eight contests, the Crimson Tide is a perfect 8-0 and owns a 289-111 (36.1-13.9) scoring advantage over its opponents. Also under Saban, the Crimson Tide is 107-7 (.939) when leading at the half. Alabama led Florida State, 10-7, at the half vs. FSU and has held the lead in 26 of its last 32 games dating back to the start of the 2015 season, including 13 of 15 games in 2016.

Expert College Football Week 2 Predictions

I like both the underdogs here; UNC because it’s at home and should lose close and Fresno State because Alabama almost surely will suffer some sort of letdown and only win by 35-40. It’s going to be a very interesting College Football Week 2.