Mr. CFB Pick Six: Week 2
Thanks to the underdogs, we had a decent 4-2 record against the spread in our first week:
**--I took Louisiana-Lafayette and the 11.5 points at No. 23 Iowa State. The Rajin’ Cajuns were No. 8 in total offense last season and are very well coached by Billy Napier. They won straight up 31-14 in the first-ever Top 25 road win in school history.
**--Arkansas State was a 10.5 point underdog at Kansas State and won 35-31.
**--Georgia Tech, a 12.5 underdog at Florida State, overcame three blocked kicks and two red zone interceptions to win 16-13.
**--The other win was North Carolina, a 22.5 point favorite against Syracuse, finding its groove in the second half winning 31-6.
The losses came when Notre Dame did not cover 20.5 in a 24-13 win over Duke while Clemson did not cover the 32.5 against Wake Forest.
So let’s see if we can do better this week:
UCF (0-0) at Georgia Tech (1-0) (plus 7.5) 3:30 p.m., ABC:
**--The pick: Georgia Tech.
**--The score: UCF 28, Georgia Tech 21.
Georgia Tech got its first signature win of the Geoff Collins era by winning at Florida State last Saturday. The Yellow Jackets played well defensively against the Seminoles but they will have a much bigger challenge in UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who threw for 3,653 yards as a freshman last season. UCF has won 35 of its last 39 games. Remember the highest-ranked Group of Five champion gets a berth in a New Year’s Six game. So, this is a huge game for UCF and the Group of Five. UCF wins but the Knights don’t cover.
Houston (0-0) (plus 7.5) at Baylor (0-0), Noon, FOX:
POSTPONED DUE THE CORONAVIRUS
Boston College (0-0) (plus 6.5) at Duke (0-1), Noon
The pick: Duke
The score: Duke 35, Boston College 21.
The skinny: Duke is coming off a hard-fought 27-13 loss last week at Notre Dame. Duke quarterback Chase Brice had a good first start throwing for 259 yards. Duke Coach David Cutcliffe is 10-2 in opening games for the Blue Devils.
Miami (1-0) (plus 1.5) at Louisville (1-0), 7:30 p.m., ABC
The pick: Louisville.
The score: Louisville 35, Miami 31.
The skinny: This game is going to feature a fun quarterback battle. Miami has Houston transfer D’Eriq King, who had a good opener (16 of 24 passes, 144 yards in a 31-14 win over UAB. The Hurricanes ran for 334 yards in that game. A rising star in the ACC is Micale Campbell, who completed 19 of 34 passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Western Kentucky. Louisville had four plays that covered over 40 yards in that game. Louisville wins in a shootout.
Wake Forest (0-1) (plus 2.5) at N.C. State (0-0), 8 p.m., ACC Network
The pick: N.C. State
The score: N.C. State 28, Wake Forest 24
The skinny: Wake Forest was overwhelmed in its opener, losing to No. 1 Clemson 37-13. This will be N.C. State’s first game of the season after its opener with Virginia Tech was postponed due to the coronavirus. The Wolfpack dropped to 4-8 last season, their worst season in seven years under Coach Dave Doeren, who revamped his coaching staff. Tim Beck takes over as OC and should have an impact on sophomore QB Devin Leary, who had 1,219 yards passing as part-time starter last season.
Appalachian State (1-0) at Marshall (1-0) (plus 4.5), 1:30 p.m, CBS Sports Network.
The pick: Appalachian State.
The score: Appalachian State 35, Marshall 28.
The skinny: Appalachian State, which is coming off a 13-1 season, got off to a good start with a 35-20 win over Charlotte. The Mountaineers had 29 first downs and rushed for 308 yards against the 49ers. Marshall had an easy 59-0 win in the opener against overmatched Eastern Kentucky. But the Thundering Herd looks like they have found their quarterback in freshman Grant Wells, who threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns.
Appalachian State goes into Huntington, W. Va., and comes out with a win.
USF (1-0) (plus 25.5) at Notre Dame (1-0), 2:30 p.m., USA Network
The pick: Notre Dame.
The score: Notre Dame 37, USF 10.
The skinny: The Irish won their first game as a member of the ACC last week beating Duke 27-13. Now Notre Dame plays its only non-conference game of the season. After going 4-8 in 2019, USF is starting over under new head coach Jeff Scott, who came from Clemson. Keep an eye on Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams, who had 112 rushing yards and 93 receiving yards against Duke in his first career start. Notre Dame cruises and gets ready for a trip to Wake Forest.