Top College Football Week 2 Expert Picks

The wild first week of the 2016 college football season is in the books and it’s time for us to turn our attention to Week 2. Obviously, Week 2 is not as loaded with top-tier games as Week 1, but the week should still be interesting, especially if you can find a way of putting the select NCAA football expert picks below into good use.

Analyzing The Top College Football Week 2 Expert Picks

   

Tulsa at Ohio State, Saturday, September 10, 3:30 PM ET

Week 2 NCAAF Expert Pick: Ohio State (-28.5) In spite of losing 12 players to the NFL Draft, Ohio State Buckeyes looked as solid as ever, putting up the most points of Week 1 (77 points) in the season-opening win over Bowling Green. J.T Barrett proved why he was a Heisman Trophy hotshot as he passed for 349 yards and 6 touchdowns plus one rushing TD, helping the Buckeyes to beat Bowling Green 77-10 as 27.5-point favorites. Tulsa is definitely an upgrade to Bowling Green, but Ohio State looks really formidable in offense and defense, and Urban Meyer will want to get the job done early and fast ahead of the clash against Oklahoma in Week 3. So, in short, be on the lookout for another big performance from OU, as Barrett and gang shine at home.

Western Kentucky at Alabama, Saturday, September 10, 3:30 PM ET

Week 2 NCAAF Expert Pick: Alabama (-28.5) Nick Saban is a perfectionist and that’s what makes him very good at his job. Even after shellacking the Trojans in a 52-6 victory that would make any coach proud, Saban was still somewhat unsatisfied by his team, claiming that “our consistency and execution needs to be much improved.” Meanwhile, true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts proved he was every bit of the hype surrounding him, as he totaled four touchdowns in the victory over USC. The Tide will have their struggles this season, no doubt, but don’t expect those struggles to come against the Hilltoppers, whom they’ve beaten by 34 and 35 points in their all-time two meetings in 2008 and 2012, respectively.

Kentucky at Florida, Saturday, September 10, 3:30 PM ET

Week 2 NCAAF Expert Pick: Florida (-16.5) If their season-opening 44-35 loss to FCS’ Southern Miss is anything to go by, then the Wildcats are going to have a long disappointing season. At halftime, the ‘Cats were leading 35-10, only for them to get trounced 34-0 in the second-half. And it won’t be getting any easier for the Wildcats, who will be facing divisional rivals Florida in Week 1. Not only are the Gators coming off a decent 24-7 victory over UMass, but they come into this game with a ridiculous 29-Game Winning Streak Over Kentucky. In addition, Florida is 8-1 ATS In its last 9 overall meetings against Kentucky. Add Florida’s mean defense into the mix, you get a very solid pick in Florida, who should be able to handle the visiting Wildcats straight up and against the spread.

North Carolina at Illinois, Saturday, September 10, 7:30 PM ET

Week 2 NCAAF Expert Pick:  North Carolina (-9.5) No. 22 North Carolina lost its season-opener to No. 18 Georgia, but the Tar Heels put up a very strong fight in that game and were undone by a late touchdown from Georgia’s go-to star RB Nick Chubb plus a couple of questionable calls in favor of the Bulldogs. UNC will most likely have a more winnable game when it travels to Illinois. Initially, this game saw the Tar Heels open as a touchdown favorite, but the line quickly jumped to -9.5 or better in most books within hours, underlining the fact that the public liked what they saw from UNC last week. More than that, UNC beat Illinois 48-14 when these two teams met on September 19, 2015 and the Tar Heels boast of a stellar 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS mark in their last five road trips as a single-digit chalk. With all that in mind, it’s hard not to like UNC for the victory and its affordable value in the ATS lines.