College Football Week 2 Breakdown; Where is the Value?

Week 2 of the college football season is here! The ACC and Big 12 both kick off their seasons as Power 5 football gets underway. Although this week’s schedule is still not as full as a normal college football Saturday, there are still some interesting matchups across the board to watch. Let’s get into them!

Duke @ Notre Dame

Notre Dame -21, Over/Under 52.5

This game poses an intriguing matchup due to the turnover both teams will have in 2020. On top of that, a lack of preparation for this season throws in an extra wrench in handicapping.

Notre Dame still has one of the complete rosters in college football as they were a top-30 defense last season. On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Ian Book will look to secure a top draft position during the 2020 season. However, he does lose a few weapons from 2019, which could affect him early on with new chemistry.

Although Duke loses quarterback Quentin Harris from last season, they did bring in Clemson transfer Chase Brice to man the helm on offense. Brice should help the offense move the football, but they did add offensive line transfer that could affect the chemistry upfront, especially facing a top tier front seven like Notre Dame’s.

Pick: Notre Dame -21

Although there is a decent amount of turnover on both sides this season, Notre Dame is the overall better team in this matchup. By joining the ACC this year, they will want to come out and prove to the conference that they are the top dog joining. Ian Book and co. should do enough to get the job done today.

Georgia Tech @ Florida State

Florida State -12, Over/Under 51.5

Although the Seminoles have been underwhelming since Jimbo Fisher left, this season could change for Florida State. James Blackman will be the starting quarterback for FSU and will be running an up-tempo spread offense, which should give defenses fits to deal with. Their defense also should be improved after going back to a 4-3 base this offseason. Not to mention, Florida State still brings in some of the best recruits from around the country.

Although the Georgia Tech is top-5 in returning production this season, the talent level is still nowhere near the likes of Florida State. The Yellow Jackets went away from the triple-option in 2019 for the first time in school history, and the offense was ugly, ranking in last in the conference in offensive production. The defense returns quite a bit, but who knows that the production will be as the defense was one of the worst among Power 5 schools.

Pick: Florida State -12

Florida State is just an overall more talented team than Georgia Tech. Although the coaching turnover has been concerning, Blackman has the Senior presence to take control of the offense and put up points. The Seminoles should be fine slowing down a dismal Georgia Tech offense.

Clemson @ Wake Forest

Clemson -34, Over/Under 60

Clemson has steamrolled the ACC over the last few years, and nothing will probably change in 2020. Trevor Lawrence is back and will fine-tune his talents before heading to the NFL. However, the offensive line did have some turnover, which could cause some issues early on in the season. The Tigers is the defense is still one of the best in the country and should have no problems slowing down the Wake Forest offense.

As for the Demon Deacons, the offense might not be too pretty to watch early on. The turnover on the offensive side of the ball is one of the worst in the country. A lack of familiarity will play a factor in 2020, especially starting the season out against Clemson. Defensively, they have a very good front seven and could cause some havoc for a Clemson offense that is seeing inexperienced lineman take the field today.

Pick: 1H Under 34

Wake Forest’s offense is going to struggle to move the football today, especially trying to go up against the Clemson defense. As for the Tigers, they might struggle to move the ball at times against a Wake Forest defense that is underrated.

UTEP @ Texas

Texas -43, Over/Under 58.5

Is Texas back!? I guess we will find out today against UTEP. The Texas offense should be a bit more up-tempo this season, which will create more points if they are efficiently moving the football. Senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger should be able to lead the offense once again. Defensively, Texas returns a decent amount of starters and should cause havoc in 2020.

UTEP is one of the worst teams in college football, and also has one of the highest amounts of turnover from last season. This makes matters worse with inexperience and trying to practice in a pandemic. UTEP barely knocked off FCS Stephen F. Austin last week, and now they get to go play big bad Texas.

Pick: Texas 1H -27.5

Tom Herman is feeling his seat warm-up at Texas, as he has not had the success, he was hoping for. Herman is going to make sure this Longhorns team comes out dominating and should have not problems moving the football. I’ll stick with the first half bet as the Longhorns could call the dogs off in the second half of this gets ugly.

Coastal Carolina @ Kansas

Kansas -6.5, Over/Under 56

Last season, Coastal Carolina went to Lawrence and upset the Jayhawks 12-7. Now, they get to do it all over again. Tonight’s game will also feature a COVID-19 outbreak as the Chanticleers have four positive cases while the Jayhawks have 14 positives.

The biggest mismatch in this game is the turnover. Kansas has one of the highest turnover rates in college football on top of being one of the worst Power 5 schools in the country. Coastal Carolina returns a strong amount of its offense, so they should have no issues moving the football.

Pick: Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina already beat them once. Now, add in the returning production effects all with COVID-19 cases, and the Chanticleers might leave Lawrence with another victory over Kansas. Les Miles still has a lot of work to do at the school.