College Football Week 2 Betting Odds, Picks, and Trends

The first week of college football brought a solid amount of success for us in both betting and DFS plays. There’s some terrific value on the board as the majority of teams across the country continue their campaign in Week 2. We’re using every tool we can to start rolling our profits in 2021. 

Over the last three years, I’ve found veteran teams more reliable than their peers within the first three weeks of the college football season. Week 2 can’t be an overreaction to what happened last week but must consider the results too. We’re going to find balance in our picks

We’ve made our Week 2 picks based on the meaningful trends and best values on the board. Check out our breakdown of each of our top plays.

Washington Huskies at Michigan Wolverines (8 p.m. ET Saturday)

(Michigan -6, O/U 51, DraftKings Sportsbook)

Last week couldn’t have gone more differently for two storied programs. Washington was viewed as a dark horse to make the college football playoff but utterly failed to produce in the passing game. Dylan Morris tossed three picks against lowly Montana and the Huskies lost 13-7.

Meanwhile, Michigan faced a dangerous Western Michigan foe and discarded them with ease. The Wolverines finally had offensive balance and the defense looked ready to rip opponents to shreds. This team looked more legitimately prepared for big games.

Michigan has home field advantage and more playmakers than Washington. This will be a close game, but Michigan will win in the trenches and pull away for the cover. 

Best trends: Washington has failed to cover the spread in four of their last five games. They’ve also finished under the total in seven of their last nine games. 

Michigan has also struggled to cover the spread, failing to cover in five of six games. But the Wolverines have won 18 of their last 20 games in September.

These two teams have split their two previous matchups with an average score of Washington 26, Michigan 24.5.

Best play: Michigan -6 (-120)

N.C. State Wolfpack at Mississippi State Bulldogs (7 p.m. ET Saturday)

(N.C. State -2.5, O/U 55, DraftKings Sportsbook)

We don’t want to overreact to Mississippi State’s close win against Louisiana Tech last week, but it was a fair warning that Mike Leach still doesn’t have his team ready for big moments. The offense was predictably effective in his Air Raid attack, but the defense hemorrhaged big plays. They need to look like a completely different defense in Week 2.

The Wolfpack, meanwhile, looked absolutely dominant against a bad USF team. Quarterback Devin Leary created big passing plays, and the team produced two 100-yard rushers. And the veteran defense is already running hot.

I’ve been buying N.C. State all offseason and believe they can actually pull off the tough road win in Starkville.  

Best trends: N.C. State has covered eight of their last 11 games overall and have hit the over in each of their last seven road games. The Wolfpack are just 1-8 straight up against SEC foes.

The Bulldogs have failed to cover five of their last six games at home and have lost seven of their last 10 games Saturday.

Best play: N.C. State -2.5 (-115)

Texas Longhorns at Arkansas Razorbacks (7 p.m. ET Saturday)

(Texas -6.5, O/U 57, DraftKings Sportsbook)

Texas is back, baby! OK, maybe not yet, but Week 1 was a good sign the Steve Sarkisian era will go differently than the last few hires. Sark is a fantastic offensive mind and his freshman quarterback, Hudson Card, played lights out. Rusher Bijan Robinson is also one of the premier talents in the nation.

Meanwhile, Arkansas slapped Rice 38-17 in Week 1 thanks to a good rushing attack and solid defense. Things will get a lot tougher for the Razorbacks, who relied on big gains on the ground and interceptions to win. That recipe is unlikely to repeat itself in Week 2 against a much better opponent.

Best trends: The Longhorns have been hot, covering four of their last six and winning six of their last seven. They’ve also hit the over in four of their last five road games. 

Arkansas has dropped 16 of their last 20 but remain betting champs as they’ve covered 10 of their last 13 games. The Razorbacks have gone under in six of their last seven at home, and eight of 10 in September.

Best play: Texas -6.5 (-115)

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UNLV Rebels at Arizona State Sun Devils (10:30 p.m. ET Saturday)

(Arizona State -32.5, O/U 55, DraftKings Sportsbook)

The Arizona State Sun Devils are one of the strangest programs in the country. They’re a stout defensive team with a dual-threat quarterback in Jayden Daniels. Despite Daniels having a dynamic skill set, he’s often relegated to good but not great stat lines. This offense doesn’t win in the trenches like they should and seem to leave more on the field compared to expectations.

UNLV is a below-average team but a unique one because of their tremendous running game. Charles Williams ran for 172 yards and two scores last week, and the defense helped out by picking off two passes. The Rebels can’t win this matchup, but they’ll grind the clock and find success as Arizona State plays down to their competition once again. 

Best trends: UNLV have lost seven straight games but covered or pushed in five games of their last nine contests. They haven’t been bigger than 19-point underdogs in two years. 

Arizona State have hit five of their last 10 spreads but have won six of their last eight games. They’re 1-7 in their last eight against MWC foes. 

Best play: UNLV +32.5 (-110)