RADIO
Mike's Week 2 college football betting picks against the spread for Thursday, September 17, and Friday, September 18, 2026. Free CFB betting predictions, odds analysis, and ATS picks from RotoBaller.
As if Week 1 wasn't crazy enough, Week 2 brought it as well. The Ohio State and Texas game was everything we thought it would be and more. Two more FCS teams won over FBS teams. The crazy part is that both of them were favored. A top-10 team fell to an unranked opponent, and we learned that Tulsa is the best team in Oklahoma.
We are down to 74 games this week. 57 of those games are FBS vs. FBS. We have a Thursday game this week and two more on Friday. We'll make those picks and then check out the week that was. I think I had another bad week, but I hope not. I do not pick FCS vs. FBS games, even though I hit on two of the three again last week.
If you have questions about those games, you can jump into our Discord channel, and I can try to help you out. You can also reach out to me on X at @mikemarteny. I will tell you a couple of games that I like, even though I will not assign a wager for them. I hit two of the three recommendations again last week, so I'll pick a couple more. I like Maine +37.5, Iowa-Northern Iowa under 49.5, and Montana +17.5
Featured Promo: Get any College Football Premium Pass for 50% off and win more using code SUMMER. Exclusive access to our industry-leading DFS Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheets and Premium Discord Chat rooms. Go Premium, Win More!
CFB Betting Picks for Week 3
I will pick every college football game every week. Not a top five. Not a top 10. All of them. Big deal, right? Lots of people make picks. Well, I do them all against the spread. I take the odds for each game, average them across all Vegas casinos, and round to the nearest half. There will be no ties here. Ties are for the other (European) football.
I think you should know who you're listening to. I've been doing this since 2014, and I have most of my record available for viewing here. This can help you determine which teams I usually pick correctly or incorrectly.
I've had trouble finding the articles from 2019 and 2020, so the page is still under construction. All of the picks from 2014-2018 and 2021-2025 are accurate and accounted for. The all-time totals are still under construction, but I will omit 2019 and 2020 for now.
I came out 26 points ahead last year. Any year that you come out ahead is a good one. Unfortunately, I think I gave all of that back in Week 0. Week 1 looked even worse. Week 2 was better, but still not good enough. We'll check that after the picks for Thursday, September 17, and Friday, September 18.
Syracuse at Pittsburgh (-10.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Syracuse was a comedy of errors against Cal, and would have lost by more if Cal was any better. Pitt is, as long as the weather cooperates. There's a chance of rain on Thursday, but it shouldn't be a deluge like Saturday was.
Pick: Pittsburgh -10.5
(5) Miami (FL) (-20.5) at Wake Forest
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Wake almost lost to a Purdue team that was the worst in the Big Ten last year. Miami rolls!
Pick: Miami -20.5
(22) Houston at (13) Texas Tech (-7.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Amare Thomas is going to absolutely nuke this secondary. Will it be enough to win? I'm not sure, but it should be enough for Houston to keep within one score.
Pick: Houston +7.5
CFB Betting Picks - Week 2 Results
I promised transparency, and you will get it, warts and all. I don't like to be wrong, but I will admit when I am. Why listen to someone if they won't admit the good or the bad?
You can track my wins and losses on this sheet. I have everything updated from 2014-18 and 2021-present. I'm still looking for missing articles from 2019 and 2020 to get a running total of all of my picks. Winners against the spread will be in bold. My result will follow.
Rutgers at Boston College (-3.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I switched this game on Friday afternoon after I decided that Boston College was not losing the Red Bandanna game. It's a good thing I did. I'm going to need the points.
As for the game, I feel really bad for KJ Duff. He returned to this mess for Rutgers. He deserves more, but likely won't get a bowl game to finish his career.
Missouri (-5.5) at Kansas: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Kansas hung around for a while, but the magic of Austin Simmons was just too much. There were all kinds of skirmishes in this one. That's the way a rivalry should be.
(6) Oregon (-18.5) at Oklahoma State: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Man, I wish I hadn't watched that Tulsa game. In my bold predictions piece back in July, I called this upset, but backed off after the Pokes got dominated on the lines by Tulsa.
This was a completely different team, especially on defense. It came out after the game that Oregon's Dante Moore had a tell that the Oklahoma State defense figured out. They were so confident in it by the end of the game that OSU knew exactly what was coming.
Drew Mestemaker had a moment that topped Fernando Mendoza's in the title game last year. The bad part was that ESPN moved the game to ESPN News, which many packages don't carry, for U.S. Open coverage. Epic fail! Most of us missed this:
ABSOLUTE STUNNER IN STILLWATER?
Oklahoma State shocks Oregon 39-31 and gets there first win verse a top 10 team in 3 years! They also snap a 12 game losing streak‼️
Drew Mestemaker have yourself a NIGHT? pic.twitter.com/V2pkf6C4n3
— Sports Shabang (@SportsShabang) September 12, 2026
Mestemaker went airborne for the winning score in the upset. We all know what happened next.
We do not condone taking down the goalposts but here is the full journey from BPS to Theta Pond for your enjoyment pic.twitter.com/TXtMBgZS9t
— Oklahoma State Athletics (@OSUAthletics) September 13, 2026
The people who complain about this kind of thing are NFL fans posing as college football fans. It's things like this that make college special. Even the Dean of the university got in on the action.
Good thing I already bought another goalpost yesterday! pic.twitter.com/9qhop53yCP
— Dr. Jim Hess (@okstatepres) September 12, 2026
Oklahoma State became the first team ever to snap a losing streak of at least 10 games by beating a top-10 team. The Pokes had a 12-game losing streak overall and a 21-game losing streak against FBS teams. The portal makes that possible.
Five of the last six top-10 teams that have visited Stillwater left with a loss. That predates the portal era.
Arizona State at (10) Texas A&M (-14.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Arizona State played very well in the first half, but lost control in the fourth quarter. 24 unanswered A&M points in the final stanza busted the spread.
(11) Oklahoma (-5.5) at Michigan: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
Sometimes I hate my team so much. The playcalling was horrendous. Michigan's defense absolutely dominated this game. The rest of the Michigan team was sloppy. They committed a lot of penalties.
Our defense was good. I was happy with the job they did. If the offense doesn't shape up, forget making the CFP again. The Sooners will be lucky to make a bowl game.
I figured Michigan would show up. I didn't figure we would stop running the ball. The game was close throughout. Why stop? Oklahoma had one good drive. Michigan took notes and prevented it from happening again when Oklahoma tried using Rocky Beers again.
That kind of in-game adjustment turns a good defense into a great one. Most teams can't do that in college.
(16) Penn State (-23.5) at Temple: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Temple played a solid game, but the Penn State offense didn't look nearly as good as the one that torched Marshall.
Washington State at Kansas State (-18.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Avery Johnson threw two interceptions. One of those was returned for Washington State's only score. The K-State defense was impressive. The offense did a lot more against Wazzu than the more heralded Washington offense did.
Old Dominion at Virginia Tech (-19.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This game wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated. It was 34-6 at halftime.
Wake Forest (-2.5) at Purdue: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
It doesn't get much closer than this ?
The call is under official review. pic.twitter.com/h3bsaSqo3G
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 12, 2026
Wake was really lucky not to lose this outright. In fact, the officials said that they didn't. Replay overturned it, and Wake scored on the next play. The winning two-point conversion wasn't enough for the cover.
South Florida at Army (-3.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
There's the Michael Van Buren Jr. that I thought I would get in Week 1...
Appalachian State at East Carolina (-7.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
An eight-game losing streak, many with high bets, is not the way to start a successful Saturday. Did App State turn me around?
Western Kentucky at (2) Georgia (-40.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This is not something that Georgia normally does. The 70 points were the most scored against an FBS team in school history. It was the first time Georgia hit 70 points in a game since 1994.
Georgia scored 60 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1915. We are seeing a generationally good Georgia offense. Gunner Stockton has twice as many touchdowns (8) as incompletions (4) through the first two games.
Rice at (3) Notre Dame (-44.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
Notre Dame scored 21 points in the first five minutes.
(12) Alabama (-10.5) at Kentucky: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Alabama finally got the run game going. Good things happen when Alabama runs the ball well.
Arizona at (15) BYU (-7.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Vegas underestimating BYU continues. I'm going to keep hammering the Cougars until I have a reason not to.
Utah State at (19) Washington (-26.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
McCae Hillstead was benched already. The results were instant. Grady Brosterhous led both teams in rushing.
Utah State could have won this game with better clock management. An experienced coach like Bronco Mendenhall should have done a better job. The Aggies could have gotten the ball back with an extra timeout.
I don't know if the extra time would have made a difference or not, but we can make the case that Utah State outplayed Washington. It's not a good look for the Huskies.
Mississippi State at Minnesota (-1.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Few of his top throws vs Minnesota ⬇️
*Multiple type of throws: deep, intermediate, on the run, designed roll out, scramble, etc
*Off Play Action: 9/14,172yds (of his 227yds), 3tds
*180yds thrown between numbers
*Excited to watch him vs Sellers next week pic.twitter.com/Ow6Li9yi3d
— QB Spotlight (@QBspotlight) September 13, 2026
Kamario Taylor's greatness transcends home-field advantage. This was an epic beatdown by the Bulldogs.
Central Florida at Pittsburgh (-7.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
I was going to back off of this because of the weather, but I figured that Pitt would be able to run the ball anyway. This was just an ugly game. Pitt's defense finally gave up a touchdown late in the game to blow the cover.
California at Syracuse (-3.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Syracuse had at least a dozen chances to win this game. Both teams made critical mistakes. Both teams are worse than they should be. That makes for a very interesting game.
Duke at Illinois (-5.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I talked myself into Duke when I was writing my DFS articles but never came back here to change it. The Illinois run defense is in for a very long season in a conference that loves to run the ball.
Eastern Michigan at Michigan State (-17.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I don't know what I was so afraid of. Cam Edwards dominated, as expected.
Maryland (-12.5) at Connecticut: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I should have known better. Mike Locksley is a beast in September.
UTSA at Texas State (-1.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
This is everything a rivalry game should be. Texas State was in control of this game until the Roadrunners hit a trick-play touchdown pass from David Amador II in the second half. What a game!
A little trickery from @UTSAFTBL!
Owen McCown to Mekhi Anderson to David Amador II for the 44-yard score. pic.twitter.com/u8hnzdVKMS
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) September 12, 2026
Louisiana-Monroe at UAB (-10.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I can't even with UAB right now. This should have been a gimme, but they had to come from behind to even win the game.
UNLV (-3.5) at North Texas: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
The North Texas defense dominated the game. The defense was a sore spot all of last season. They held the potent UNLV run game to 98 yards on 39 carries and forced five fumbles, recovering three.
Delaware at Vanderbilt (-20.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Jared Curtis looked good in this one and has earned the starting job going forward. This was a spirited effort by Delaware. They're still a force in Conference USA.
Memphis at Boise State (-8.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
The Boise run game is an underrated strength this year.
Dylan Riley vs Memphis:
? 19 carries
? 206 yards
? 10.8 yards per carry
? Longest run 71 yards https://t.co/JRs2brHhLL pic.twitter.com/LCLzrH4MLk— Top Tier Group of Six (@TopTierG6) September 16, 2026
Buffalo at Florida International (-10.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
JJ Kohl might be the best QB that FIU has ever had. Buffalo's Chance Morrow looks every bit as good as Victor Snow was for the Bulls.
Jacksonville State at Ohio (-2.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
I still hate the college overtime rules, but they saved me here. This was an epic game. It deserved better than a two-point conversion contest to end it.
(18) Tennessee (-11.5) at Georgia Tech: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
I knew better. Tennessee has a special one in Faizon Brandon.
Bowling Green at Nebraska (-29.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Anthony Colandrea won Big Ten Player of the Week honors in this one. He's the first Nebraska player to win that honor in 10 years. Emmett Johnson did win Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week last year.
Tulsa (-13.5) at Sam Houston: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Baylor Hayes leaving the game meant Tulsa wouldn't cover, but Sam Houston is miles better than last year.
South Alabama at Tulane (-9.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Bishop Davenport picked apart the Tulane secondary, but the Jags couldn't stop Jaylin Lucas.
Georgia State at Kennesaw State (-9.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
How sad are all of us that Amari Odom transferred out of Kennesaw to ride the bench at a Power 4 school?
Middle Tennessee State at Marshall (-13.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Yes, Virginia, Marshall may really be that bad...
San Diego State at UCLA (-12.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Wayne Knight is going to be a star for UCLA. Those of us who watched him at James Madison last year saw this coming.
(1) Ohio State at (4) Texas (-1.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Ohio State dominated for three quarters. Steve Sarkisian, with his back against the wall, went for it on fourth down in his own territory twice in the fourth quarter. Arch Manning converted both of them.
Arch gets his first "Manning Moment," and Ohio State fans are wondering what happened. It wasn't any one thing. The offense got too conservative. Star receiver Jeremiah Smith dropped a critical pass.
This was the first time Texas came back from 20 points down to win a game since 2007. Luckily for me, Texas didn't bust the spread even though they got the win.
Louisiana Tech at (8) LSU (-35.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Sam Leavitt has five rushing touchdowns but has thrown four interceptions. The one that he threw that was returned for a touchdown near the end of the first half blew the cover. Sooner or later, that is going to become a problem.
(13) Texas Tech (-26.5) at Oregon State: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This was another game where Texas Tech didn't look great. Jesse Legree cooked the TT secondary. This was brutal.
.@Braden_Atkinson throws an ABSOLUTE BOMB to @jlegree24 for a 75 yard TD?
? @CBS pic.twitter.com/6iKgbhr7xe
— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) September 13, 2026
Legree finished his day with eight receptions for 240 yards and a pair of scores. He's going to make a lot of money at a Power 4 school next year because the Group of 6 can't have nice things. The conglomerates said so.
Iowa State at (21) Iowa (-13.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I wish I hadn't chickened out on this. ¡El Assico! always delivers. Always. I did hammer the under to end up making money on the day even though most of my spread picks failed.
Yes …. YES ……. YES!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/kE48uAoGA6
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 13, 2026
Georgia Southern at Clemson (-20.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
No, your eyes didn't deceive you. That was Max Johnson, a former blue-chip prospect for LSU in 2020, starting at quarterback for the Eagles. If the Eagles weren't so inept on offense, they could have won this game.
Navy (-5.5) at Florida Atlantic: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Caden Veltkamp is much better than he was last year. Easton Messer would be a superstar if he played for a Power 4 team.
Charlotte at (9) Mississippi (-47.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
There's a reason that I didn't touch this. The starters were done early in the third quarter, and the Rebels didn't even score 48 points.
Southern Mississippi at Auburn (-33.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Byrum Brown played well while he was in there. Auburn will be fine.
North Dakota State (-2.5) at Air Force: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Do you guys think that the Mountain West wants to send the Bison back to FCS yet? They won't when the Bison make the CFP...
Arkansas at (20) Utah (-12.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
There is no way that there are 19 teams better than Utah right now.
Sacramento State at Fresno State (-18.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
I hope Sacramento State is at least having fun. Well, as much fun as you can have when losing by 46 points to a Central Valley rival.
Louisiana at (14) USC (-30.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Betting on USC is going to be a massive headache this season with the defense playing the way it is.
New Mexico State at Hawaii (-7.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Micah Alejado is getting the yards but not the touchdowns. Trey Hedden is getting the yards and the interceptions.
College Football Betting Season Results
My worst start since 2016 is still going strong. I finished a disappointing 20-29 on the week, putting me at 35-64 on the season. I know I lost points again this week, but how many?
The weekly totals follow the bet. Season totals are in parentheses.
1. 3-5 (5-9) = -4
2. 9-8 (16-21) = -10
3. 6-6 (12-13) = -3
4. 1-8 (1-15) = -56
5. 1-2 (2-6) = -20
I lost 33 more points this week. That's better than I thought I did. I'm down 93 points on the season, which makes this the worst start of my 12 years doing this.
I don't have an official running total, but I do know that I'm missing most of the 2019 stats, and that was my best season. I'll just have to make another!
More College Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
