Week 1 Against the Spread: College football starts in earnest, and picking myself up off the floor

On3 imageby:Joe Cook08/31/22

josephcook89

There are a lot of excellent games throughout the country over the course of this holiday weekend as the 2022 college football season gets fully underway. After last week, I’m willing to say that Week 0 doesn’t count, and this is when the season ACTUALLY starts.

[Get FOUR MONTHS of Inside Texas Plus for $1!]

WEEK 0: College Football is back!

All lines via Bovada.

West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers

Pick: Pitt -7.5

It’s good to see the Backyard Brawl return to the schedule, and intriguing storylines surround this game. Two USC transfers, Pitt’s Kedon Slovis and WVU’s JT Daniels, start at quarterback on either side. Though I’ve been a Neal Brown believer, I don’t know if WVU has what it needs all over the field to win this game, even with Graham Harrell calling plays.

Temple Owls vs. Duke Blue Devils

Pick: Duke -7.0

A battle of first-year head coaches when former Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton brings his Owls to Durham to face former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko. I have no doubts about Drayton’s culture-building ability at a place that he profiles well to in Temple, but I don’t think the Owls have the talent to hang with the Blue Devils.

North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. East Carolina Pirates

Pick: NC State -11.5

Could this be the best NC State team ever? It has a chance to be, and they get started with a good test on the road in-state. I don’t know if ECU’s football atmosphere is anything akin to “The Jungle” the Longhorn baseball team had to navigate on their way to Omaha, but even if it is, it probably won’t matter.

Houston Cougars vs. UTSA Roadrunners

Pick: Houston -4.0

Throughout the offseason, I’ve cautioned against fear for when Jeff Traylor brings his UTSA team to Austin. They were a phenomenal team last year and still have good pieces, including personal favorite Rashad Wisdom. But they aren’t the same as that double-digit win team, and this is one of Dana Holgorsen‘s best teams. I think four, even on the road in the Alamodome, is not going to be an issue.

Texas State Bobcats at Nevada Wolfpack

Pick: Texas State +1.0

An opponent like Nevada, who is breaking in a first-year head coach and saw a lot of the better players from the 2021 team follow Jay Norvell to Colorado State, is the perfect place for Jake Spavital to see if his transfer-heavy recruiting strategy will lead to more wins in 2022.

Illinois Illini vs. Indiana Hoosiers

Pick: Illinois +3.0

I’m not exactly sure who on this Indiana team is good, save for freshman linebacker Dasan McCullough. They were 2-10 last year and don’t seem to have added a lot. Meanwhile Bret Bielema‘s team netted me one of my two wins last week. I’ll keep going with him until it isn’t borderline erotic.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Boston College Eagles

Pick: Rutgers +7.0

I don’t think either of these teams are that good, so I’m thinking the worst-case scenario is that I get a push.

Utah Utes vs. Florida Gators

Pick: Utah -3.0

To me, this is the most intriguing game of the week if we’re going to call Notre Dame at Ohio State the game of the week. Utah is coming off a Pac-12 title and hopes to repeat before USC can get itself going once again with Lincoln Riley at the helm. They travel to the Swamp, and if they eek this one out and survive their Pac-12 slate, they could find themselves in the College Football Playoff. Big game for Billy Napier, too.

Clemson Tigers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Pick: Clemson -22.0

Geoff Collins has two things working against him. He was the guy after the guy and he was the guy after the triple-option guy. Clemson may not be an upper-elite team this year, but they’re still the class of the ACC and should roll. How many snaps for Cade Klubnik, though?

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Missouri Tigers

Pick: LA Tech +20.0

I don’t think too highly of Mizzou, at least not enough to where I think it’ll be a three touchdown win. Sonny Cumbie is getting the head coaching shot he deserves after taking a team that Matt Wells didn’t know how to lead last year to a bowl. Excited to see what he does in Ruston, hopefully it’s a launching pad for the former Big 12 gunslinger.

You may also like