Like an airplane on its initial climb, my early season betting picks have experienced some minor turbulence. As any good pilot will tell you, the key is to weathering the bumps is to slowly increase air speed and power through the clouds before eventually reach a nice, comfortable cruising altitude.
That’s where we’re at, folks. I’m off to a blazing 0-3-1 start after Week 1. By no means is this something I should be posting on the internet. But I feel like I’ve learned a lot after Week 0 and Week 1 and am confident that Week 2 will get us back to even. Let’s soar to new heights this Saturday and win some bets.
This week’s picks…
Iowa (-3.5) over Iowa State
4:00 pm ET (Big Ten Network)
The Vegas over/under for this game could potentially go below 40 points before kickoff. Still, if you have any desire to bet the over in this game, make sure you’re fully hydrated and prepared to sweat out your Saturday afternoon.
The jokes came in droves after Iowa scored just 7 points against South Dakota State in Week 1 via two safeties and a field goal. Hell, I told a few jokes myself. But I think it’s important to pump the brakes on the Iowa disrespect heading into a big rivalry spot like the CyHawk game. A couple reasons:
- Kirk Ferentz is 5-0 against Matt Campbell
- The game is in Iowa City
- Iowa’s defense is really freaking good
- Iowa State lost the nucleus of its offense from the last 3 years
- Iowa’s offense can’t possibly be any worse than last week
For as countintuitive as it might seem, I’m going with Iowa to continue the trend.
Bet Iowa -3.5
Kentucky (+6) over Florida
7:00 pm ET (ESPN)
The Gators jumped all the way up to No. 12 in the latest top 25 after a thrilling victory last week over Utah. The Anthony Richardson hype is already at a fever pitch. Can you imagine what will happen if he knocks off Kentucky at home in Week 2?
I’ve maintained all along that Florida will be solid in 2022. But the same is certainly true for Kentucky. Despite some key losses on offense, this is still a veteran team led by a talented quarterback and a veteran defense. I expect Florida to win this game outright in The Swamp, but would be stunned if Mark Stoops fielded a team that was unprepared. As our friend Bill Connelly pointed out, the SP+ sees these teams as nearly identical.
Bet Kentucky +6
Fresno State (+1) over Oregon State
10:30 pm ET (CBS Sports Network)
This is a late one, but it should be a ton of fun with a lot of scoring. To drive home the point, Vegas set the over under at 61.5 and that still might not be enough.
Generally speaking, I think Oregon State will be a fun team to bet this season, if only because the Pac-12 feels up for grabs and the Beaver offense will put up points. And I definitely understand why Oregon State is now favored in this game despite Fresno opening up as the favorite. Beating Boise State in Week 1 was a nice way to start the season.
But that Boise game was gift-wrapped after Hank Bachmeier got off to a rough start. I expect a lot more competence from Jake Haener and Fresno.
Bet Fresno State +1
