2018 NCAA Football Week 2 Odds & Expert Top Picks

Okay, MyBookie College Football betting enthusiasts, a wildly intriguing slate of Week 1 games is now in the books. Now, with NCAA Football Week 2 quickly approaching, let’s use some of the things we learned in Week 1 to handicap this coming weekend’s action. Can South Florida hold it down at home in a huge Week 2 matchup against a Georgia Tech team desperate to rebound from an agonizing 2017 campaign? Will South Carolina be able to get the big home upset over No. 3 Georgia in their SEC showdown? Last but not least, who’s the pick when Iowa and Iowa State square off in their annual in-state brawl for it all? Let’s find out the answer to all three questions right now.

2018 NCAA Football Week 2 Odds & Expert Top Picks

543 yards of total offense + shutout defense + our fans = VICTORY 🐝🏈💪#TogetherWeSwarm pic.twitter.com/aQxJM0bVni

— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) 2 de septiembre de 2018

No. 3 Georgia Tech (1-0) at South Florida (1-0)

• When: Saturday, Sept. 8 at 12:00 PM ET
• Where: Raymond James Stadium
• TV: ESPN2, ABC
• NCAA Football Week 2 Odds: Georgia Tech -3

Georgia Tech used its triple option to rush for a whopping 439 yards in a 41-0 season-opening win over Alcorn State on Saturday. New starting quarterback Blake Barnett was outstanding in his debut with South Florida on Saturday by going 24-for-34 for 305 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground in a 34-14 win over Elon. While Georgia Tech is trying to rebound from a discouraging 5-6 campaign in 2017, South Florida went 10-2 in Charlie Strong’s first season a year ago and reached a season-high national ranking of 16th. The Bulls averaged a stellar 38.2 points per game to rank 10th nationally in scoring. However, with star quarterback Quinton Flowers gone, Strong entered the offseason looking a solid replacement for his graduated former team leader. Apparently, he’s found one in Barnett, a graduate transfer who spent 2017 as an Arizona State backup after leaving Alabama the previous year. Barnett’s debut marked the first time a player not named Flowers started a game for the Bulls since Nov. 28, 2014. I like the way that Charlie Strong has quickly built his program at South Florida and I believe the Bulls are more than capable of holding down the fort at home if Blake Barnett continues to play like he did this past weekend. Georgia Tech is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games while South Florida is 11-1 SU in its last 12 home games. I like South Florida to get the outright win over Georgia Tech as a field goal home underdog. NCAA Football Week 2 Score Prediction: South Florida 28 – Georgia Tech 24

No. 3 Georgia at South Carolina

• When: Saturday, Sept. 8 at 2:30 PM ET
• Where: Williams-Brice Stadium
• TV: CBS
• NCAA Football Week 2 Odds: Georgia -9.5

Third-ranked Georgia overpowered overmatched Austin Peay en route to an emphatic 45-0 win in their regular season opener on Saturday. South Carolina throttled Coastal Carolina 49-15 in their opener on Saturday. Right now, upwards of 70 percent of the betting public is backing South Carolina to at least cover the chalk in their SEC battle against Georgia this coming weekend – and I agree. Not only did South Carolina post a very respectable 9-4 record last season, but for me, the Gamecocks now have the look and feel of a program on the rise under head coach Will Muschamp. Yes, I know Georgia reached the national championship game last season, but South Carolina was elite defensively in finishing 25th in points allowed in 2017 (20.7 ppg) and they look like they’re going to be dominant on that side of the ball again in 2018. More importantly, I think that junior quarterback Jake Bentley is set to improve in a big way after a roller-coaster campaign a year ago. Georgia is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against South Carolina and 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games when against South Carolina overall. I’m going with the Gamecocks to cover the spread in a closer-than-expected thriller. NCAA Football Week 2 Score Prediction: Georgia 24 – South Carolina 23

Iowa State at Iowa

• When: Saturday, Sept. 8 at 5:00 PM ET
• Where: Kinnick Stadium
• TV: FOX
• NCAA Football Week 2 Odds: Iowa -3.5

Iowa State’s regular-season opener against South Dakota State was canceled on Saturday night after a 2 ½ hour delay caused by lightning. Deshaunte Jones caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Kempt to give Iowa State a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter before the game was canceled. Iowa spanked Northern Illinois 33-7 in its regular-season opener as running back Toren Young rushed for 84 yards and one touchdown on eight carries and fellow back Ivory Kelly-Martin added 62 rushing yards and another score on 16 carries. The win helped head coach Kirk Ferentz become Iowa’s all-time leader in wins at the school. The Hawkeyes also held Northern Illinois to just 211 yards of total offense. Iowa has won three straight and seven of the last 10 meetings against Iowa State and recorded a thrilling 44-41 road win over the Cyclones a year ago. The Hawkeyes are just 5-4-1 ATS over the last 10 meetings in this in-state rivalry, but they’re also a near-perfect 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games while Iowa State has gone 6-16 SU in its last 22 road games and just 1-3-1 ATS in their last five dates against the Hawkeyes. I like Iowa to win and cover the manageable spread because they’re playing at home and Iowa State didn’t get a chance to work out their kinks or pick up a feel-good win in Week 1 because of their cancellation. NCAA Football Week 2 Score Prediction: Iowa 31 – Iowa State 24

Other NCAA Football Week 2 Week 2 matchups

• No. 1 Alabama is a -36.5-point home favorite against Arkansas State
• No. 11 Notre Dame is a 33.5-point home favorite against Ball State
• No. 2 Clemson is an 11.5-point road favorite over Texas A&M
• No. 9 Penn State is a 7.5-point road favorite at Pittsburgh
• No. 13 Stanford is a 4-point home favorite against No. 15 USC