Week 2 College Football Reaction, Week 1 NFL Final Word

What a week two it was in college football. My “shot in the dark” college football picks went 3-2. My top play in Stanford -20.5 over Duke rolled 44-14. I’m loving this Stanford team this year and will be the first spread I look up in college football each week, but look for the generous spreads on them to end.

My pick in Iowa -6.5 over Iowa State went into triple overtime in a thriller.  California -6.5 was another pick that wound up in overtime. My last play of TCU +1 over Air Force and over 50 points both hit with TCU winning 35-19. Like I said, expect TCU to put up at least 30 while Air Force puts up at least 20.

My recommendation on the big Michigan vs. Notre Dame game was no action and you clearly saw why. The game was an instant classic, but if you had money on the game, you better get your blood pressure checked. 3 touchdowns in the final 2 minutes of the game. Are you serious? Another thriller to add to the crazy Georgia vs. South Carolina and Auburn vs. Mississippi State games. What an awesome week of college football.

For the NFL games this Sunday, I’m going to pick 5.  Quick plug for our PICK ‘EM LEAGUE before we get to the games. Sign up for a chance to win a free NFL Shop t-shirt.

I like Cardinals -6.5 over Panthers. Expect Cam Newton to make a few rookie mistakes in his first NFL regular season start on the road. His preseason stats don’t really whoo me. His completion percentage and yards-per-attempt numbers are dismal. The Cardinals pass offense should be solid this year with Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald.

You may want to consider Titans +2 over Jaguars. With David Garrard cut five days before the season opener, the Jaguars may sputter on offense.

Chargers -8.5 over Minnesota. Chargers offense is always on fire at home. Their D is solid too. Minnesota will try to pound the rock with AP, but their offensive line has huge question marks and the Chargers ranked 5th against the run.  I don’t see the Vikings scoring more than 17 while the Chargers score about 27 points, their average (27.6) from last season.

Falcons -2.5 over Bears. The Bears are a little overrated going into this season and I feel that the Falcons are a top 5 football team. It will be a tough game for them to win on the road, but they should get the job done. Ray Edwards will boost the Falcons pass rush, so pressure should be on Cutler all day forcing him into mistakes. The addition of Julio Jones will really open up the Falcons offense as well. Could be a sucker play with a lot of people thinking Atlanta is easy money. A road win in Chicago won’t be easy, but I can’t help but not pick the Falcons here.

Chiefs -5 over Buffalo. The Chiefs were my top pick before, but I’ve lowered it to my 5th favorite pick this week. The Chiefs had a 7-1 record at home last year and Matt Cassel has the green line for the start after bruising his ribs in the last week of preseason. With Buffalo’s issues on defense, I think the Chiefs offense will pick up yards at ease. Apparently, a study found the Bills are the best looking team in the NFL though. Wait, not in the quality of their play, but an analysis of their facial structure by Ursinus College. In any event, the Bills defensive unit should improve with the addition of first-round pick DT Marcell Dareus, LB Nick Barnett and a healthy Shawn Merriman. When the Bills faced the Chiefs last year, the Chiefs won 13-10 in overtime so the Bills can keep this one close. The Chiefs offense didn’t really whoo me in the preseason, but Jamaal Charles has had a lot of success against the Bills in the past. In 3 games against them, he’s averaged 162 total yards. Charles should be let loose in this one, but has a tougher defensive test this year. Proceed how you wish, but I’m favoring the Chiefs at home.

If you want some more games where I like the points, look at Cowboys+4.5 over Jets and Redskins +3 over Giants.

Top 5 Week 1 Picks Against the Spread:

1. Cardinals -6.5 over Panthers
2. Chargers -8.5 over Vikings
3. Falcons -2.5 over Bears
4. Titans +2 over Jaguars
5. Chiefs -5 over Bills

Good luck gentlemen.