Last Week: 6-2
Overall:6-2
Week 1 went well in the Dragonās Lair, 6-2 record Iām happy with that start to the season. On paper it appears that week 2 is full of great games and hopefully itās still early enough in the year that Vegas has not caught up. Interesting sidebar, that is also my philosophy when dealing with the IRS.
As always, Dragonās College Football Picks are brought to you by our sponsors; Dragonās Lair Training - Breathe Fire. Stacy Adamās shoes, and Puppers beer.
San Jose St +3.5 vs. Air Force
Sorry @jazznutUVA but Iām picking against your fly boys here. Air Force looked pedestrian last week against Merrimack stumbling to score 21 points on 231 yards of offense. The Falcons lost a ton of talent from last yearās team and it showed last week with their lackluster performance. San Jose State opened the season with a solid win over Sac. State 42-24. The real reason I was attracted to this game is the coaches. In particular SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo aka the man who is Navyās all time winningest head coach. He is as well versed in the option as any coach on the Div 1 level since he coached it while he was at Navy. That factor will negate some of the surprise elements that programs like Air Force rely on when running that scheme. Coach Niumatalolo will have his boys ready to go Saturday night.
SJSU +3.5
Iowa State +3 vs Iowa Over 35
I already regret this and I have not hit publish yet but I have to do it. I am taking an over in an Iowa Hawkeyes game. The Hawkeyes looked very good in the second half last week when they unleashed their new look offense with quarterback Cade McNamara. Iowa is not going to light up the scoreboard against a Cyclones defense that ranked in the top 40 last season and returns 9 starters. But 35 is a tiny number knowing Iowa wants to throw the ball often. I like Iowa State to pull the upset thanks to them being an experienced team that returns 13 starters across both sides of the ball and are not adjusting to a new offense.
Iowa State +3 and Over 35
Colorado vs. Nebraska Over 56
The Coach Prime experiment rolls on, this time the Buffs will stop in Lincoln Nebraska to take on Matt Rhuleās Cornhuskers. There are plenty of Nebraska fans who remember the rivalry between these programs in the early 90ās and still hold grudges. I feel safe in saying this may be the most hostile environment the Coach Prime Buffs have played in and with 5 new offensive linemen having to convey audibles and calls in a roaring night game, that will play a factor. On the field, Nebraska is sneaky good. They brought back a ton of talent along their line and on the edges. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola played well in his first game last week against UTEP racking up 238 yards and 2 TDās with no picks. Heās as good of a prospect as weāve seen Nebraska have in 20 years. For me this comes down to Coloradoās inability to move the ball on the ground, so they end up playing at a sped up pace with more possessions. Compounding the issue is the defensive line is still suspect giving up 6.5 yards per place last week to NDSTU.
Over 56
Tennessee -7 vs. NC State
This is a game I wish I jumped on when the line opened. On Sunday the Vols were -4.5 which I would have bet the house on, it then jumped to 7.5 thanks to sharp money and has continue to be hammered and pushed to -10. But I aināt scared of that. The Vols looked amazing in week one against Chattanooga in a 69-3 win. Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava got off to a great start completing 22 of 28 passes for 314 and led 6 TD drive. The transfer portal was kind to the Vols with Tulane transfer Bru Mocoy, joining current Vols Chris Brazzell II and Dontāe Thornton in the 20-plus yards catch club. On the other side, the WolfPack took care of business knocking off Western Carolina, but it was in doubt until the fourth quarter when NC State pulled away for the 38-21 victory. Grayson McCall showed why he was the Sun Belt player of the year 3 years running, in his first start for NC State, racking up 318 yards in the air. Both teams played similar level opponents last week and they saw very different results. Tennessee is looking to bounce back after facing disappointment last year. A statement win against a top 40 ranked P5 team before heading into the SEC schedule will go a long way. I expect the Vols to get up early and pour it on.
Tennessee -7
Texas Tech vs Washington State -2.5 Over 66
Some Pac 12ish after dark. Honestly Texas Tech to the Pac 12 would make sense, lets make that happen. As for on the the field, last week Texas Tech vs Abilene Christian lit up the scoreboard for 103 total points. Wazzu vs Portland State was good for 100 total points. The two QBās combined for 11 TD passes last week! What makes those stats even gaudier is scoring and tempo is down so far this season (remember what I said in a comment about the new headsets?), but these two missed that memo. Strap it in, get a cold one cause this game will be fun.
Wazzu -2.5 Over 66
Virginia +1 vs. Wake Forest
Make-it-or-Break-It week for the Hoos. Going down to Winston Salem on a Saturday night will be a tough test for this yearās Virginia squad. Iāve seen all week where CTE is using language calling this a measuring stick game, and heās absolutely correct about that. If Virginia football has any hopes of climbing out of the ACCās basement it has to win these games and I like the Hoos in this spot. The line has gone down a touch since it opened at Wake -3. I wouldnāt be surprised if more money came in for the Hoos after people got a chance to examine last weekās game. This game will come down to the lines, which team can assert themselves upfront and dictate the tempo of the game. I do like the possibility of the Hoos being aggressive early and putting up some scores. Force Wake to become one dimensional and allow the Virginia secondary and LBās control the defense instead of relying on the DL to figure out the slow mesh. I am very tempted to take an under here but Iām need to see a little more from this team before I do that.
Hoos +1
