LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Most of the exhibition games are over. We're not yet into wall-to-wall conference games, but the Week 3 college football schedule is quite juicy.
It was challenging to cut the list of games to five. Intriguing games like Boston College at Missouri, Oregon at Oregon State and West Virginia at Pittsburgh did not make the cut.
There will be upsets. In fact, there already have been upsets. Among the biggest?
After two weekends of games, neither Eric Crawford nor I are running a deficit from our initial imaginary $1,000 bankroll while picking five college football games against the spread each week.
Can we make it to Week 3?
Here is the season recap — and the picks for this weekend.
Wagering Stats:
- Crawford: 3-2 last week, 6-4 for the season. Won $50 last week, total bankroll $1,250 (started with $1,000).
- Bozich: 2-3 last week, 5-5 on the season. Lost $30 last week. Total bankroll $1,010 (started with $1,000).
1. Georgia (-24) at Kentucky, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Crawford: Take Georgia to cover for $100.
While I do expect Kentucky to play better, something feels a bit off with the Wildcats, and nothing is off with the Bulldogs.
Bozich: Take Georgia for $50.
I'm not a high-dollar player like my pal. I'm going directly against Jeff Sagarin's predictor ratings, which favor the Bulldogs by only 16.6 points. But I visited Kroger Field last week, so it's difficult to overlook how completely Kentucky struggled to pass protect, throw or run the football. And Georgia coach Kirby Smart has never been afraid to pack on style points.
2. Indiana (-2.5) at UCLA, Saturday, 7 p.m.
Crawford: Giving the points and taking IU for $25.
UCLA has been woeful in the passing game, and Indiana has faced woeful competition.
Bozich: Give me UCLA and the points for $50.
UCLA is a mystery team, slogging its way to an uninspiring three-point opening week win at Hawaii. They have a novice head coach. Their NIL is below Big Ten standards. But the Bruins have talent, they're playing at home (not three time zones away) and they had an extra week to prepare. And I'll confess: Indiana as a road favorite in a Big Ten game is weird.
3. LSU (-7) at South Carolina, Saturday, noon.
Crawford: Taking the Tigers to cover for $100.
South Carolina is coming off an impressive win at Kentucky, but LSU needs this one more.
Bozich: LSU giving points for $50.
Sagarin's numbers only like LSU by 4.3 points, but I'm not convinced the Gamecocks are as good as they looked in Lexington last week, especially at quarterback. LSU should have beaten USC. Didn't. So the Tigers can't afford to lose games like this or even have close calls if they expect to make the college football playoff.
4. Alabama (-15.5) at Wisconsin, Saturday, noon.
Crawford: Bama for $25 giving the points.
Taking the Crimson Tide to cover but not investing a great deal after last week's game against USF was close until the fourth quarter.
Bozich: Give me the Badgers and the points at home for $30.
Sagarin only liked the Crimson Tide by about 12.5, so, in this case, I'll follow along. Alabama rode the struggle bus for three quarters against USF. Giving more than two touchdowns on the road against a Luke Fickell team seems like an extra 1.5 points too many, even though Wisconsin has major quarterback issues.
5. Notre Dame (-10) at Purdue, 3:30 p.m.
Crawford: Taking Notre Dame for $50.
Again, a bit shaky on this one but Notre Dame needs to bounce back strong and if it does, the Irish should be able to put a number on Purdue to make a statement.
Bozich: Toughest call on the board. But give me Purdue for $30.
My initial pick was ND. Then I read that starting quarterback Riley Leonard had an injury to his non-throwing left shoulder. I also read conflicting reports about whether Leonard would play. There is little conflict about how he played against Northern Illinois -- ugly, especially that late interception. The backup is Steve Angeli, who actually completed more than three quarters of his throws with 7 TDs and only one pick last season. But the vibes around the Irish are not good.
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