Week 2 in college football is loaded with both marquee and under-the-radar great matchups. These are some bets to make for Saturday’s Week 2 college football slate on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Saturday Slate
Texas/Nebraska moneyline parlay (-114)
I wrote full previews on both of these games that you can read here: Texas vs. Michigan and Colorado vs. Nebraska.
The spread is right around a touchdown in both of these games. I expect both favorites to take care of business and win, but the line is in a dangerous backdoor territory in both games.
As such, it worked out perfectly to pair them together on the moneyline. Quinn Ewers and the Texas passing attack should be too much for the Michigan offense to keep up with. In the other game, Nebraska’s defense and coaching staff are superior to Colorado’s and that should be good enough to get them a win.
Arkansas (+7.5) vs. Oklahoma State
Arkansas put on an offensive showcase in Week 1. Granted, it was against an FCS opponent, but new Arkansas QB Taylen Green put on a show in his first game for the program. Offensive Coordinator Bobby Petrino is one of the best play-callers in the business and is loving the connection with his new quarterback.
Defensively, Oklahoma State had a lot of issues last season and it looks to have carried over to this season. South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski was pretty solid against Oklahoma State last week despite Oklahoma State having a big edge when it comes to athletes.
Oklahoma State just wants to run the ball with superstar RB Ollie Gordon. That should limit the amount of total possessions in this game and make it easier for the underdog, Arkansas, to stay close. Ultimately, both offenses will find some joy in this game. This game should be full of long sustained drives for both offenses that keep the clock going.
Arkansas will be able to hang around with Oklahoma State until the end and whoever has the ball last should win the game.
Georgia Tech/Syracuse o61
Georgia Tech is off to a strong 2-0 start, including their Week 0 win over Florida State. Last week, Syracuse got a good win over Ohio thanks to Kyle McCord and their new-look offense. McCord was really efficient and the Orange ended up scoring 38 points. However, they also gave up 22 points to an Ohio offense that was supposed to be rebuilding without Kurtis Rourke.
Georgia Tech has an explosive offense led by QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes. They should be able to move the ball up and down the field against Syracuse and get into the endzone when they get close. They have scored touchdowns on 100% of their red zone trips through two games this season and should keep finding success against Syracuse.
Both teams should score quickly and efficiently and push this game over the total.
Iowa State +3 vs. Iowa
Iowa State and Iowa both played FCS teams in Week 1. Both teams didn’t want to show too much before their big rivalry game this week. Iowa looked terrible offensively in the first half but turned it on for a pretty explosive second-half performance by Iowa standards. Iowa State managed the game well and held North Dakota to just three points.
This is a great matchup because both teams have really good defenses and both teams are very well-coached. There aren’t a lot of big edges in either direction in this game, but the biggest edge may just be at the quarterback position. Iowa QB Cade McNamara looked good in the second half of last week’s game, but that was against an FCS opponent. Iowa State has a great defense and they will punish McNamara for some of the throws that he got away with against Illinois State.
Meanwhile, Rocco Becht is a breakout candidate in college football this year. He had a nearly flawless Week 1 performance, despite Iowa State calling a very conservative game. Becht found out that he would be the 2023 starter for Iowa State just days before last year’s season opener.
Despite those circumstances, Becht had a great season and really improved as the season went on. He is ready to prove what he can do on a national stage and should have a big game against Iowa. The superior QB play should be the difference to get Iowa State a win in this rivalry game.
NC State +7.5 vs. Tennessee
Tennessee’s phenom QB Nico Iamaleava put on a big-time display last week. However, it was at home against lowly Chattanooga. A trip away from home to face NC State on a neutral field is a much tougher test for Tennessee’s young quarterback.
NC State is always one of the toughest teams to play under Head Coach Dave Doeren. In the past two seasons, they have beaten two top-ranked teams. In 2022, they beat #11 Florida State and in 2023, they beat #20 Clemson. Now Doeren is ready to take on the inexperienced quarterback that leads #14 Tennessee in 2024.
NC State did a great job in the transfer portal securing QB Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina. McCall will relish the opportunity to take on a ranked SEC opponent at his new school. NC State is an incredibly well-coached and disciplined team. They should muck this game up and make life really difficult for Nico Iamaleava in his first start away from home in college football.
Tennessee might squeak out a win in the end but NC State should be in this game from start to finish and cover the number.
App State-Clemson u53.5
Clemson has a tough Week 1 facing the best team in the country, Georgia. Georgia demolished them in the second half and Clemson never even found the endzone. Cade Klubink looked really shaky at quarterback for Clemson and the worrying signs around him from last season carried over to this season. Clemson should come into this game with a run-first mentality and just feed Phil Mafah.
Defensively, Clemson still has a really good unit. They were overwhelmed by Georgia in the second half because their offense couldn’t stay on the field, but they shut Georgia down in the first half. Clemson should look to prove a point in this game and completely shut down the App State offense.
A dominant Clemson defense and a run-heavy Clemson offense make me go to the under in this game. There should be limited possessions and I can’t see App State scoring more than 14 points.
Oregon -20 vs. Boise State, Oregon team total o41.5
Oregon played one of the stranger games of Week 1. The Ducks were highly touted entering the season, but a lot of people were concerned upon seeing they only beat Idaho 24-14 last week. That was an incredibly deceptive scoreline based on how the game played out. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel had 380 passing yards and RB Jordan James had 95 rushing yards. The Ducks just made some silly mistakes turning the ball over on downs, missing a field goal and giving up trick plays.
I am not worried about Oregon at all and in fact, they should want to make a statement in this game. Boise State looked horrible defensively in Week 1’s win over Georgia Southern. The Broncos gave up 45 points and over 300 yards through the air to Southern. Dillon Gabriel should shred this defense apart and score at will.
Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is arguably the best running back in college football and he proved it last week. However, this Oregon defense is much more up to the task than Georgia Southern was. Jeanty should still have some success but Oregon will load the box and try to smother Jeanty. They will force Boise State to throw the football which they absolutely do not want to do.
Ultimately, Oregon should try to make a statement and run the score up against Boise State in this matchup.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is blakekrass) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
