College Football Betting Picks: Against The Spread 9/17 And Week 2 Results

September 16, 2021

Mike Marteny's CFB bettings picks against the spread for Week 2 He has every FBS college football game analyzed with his top wagers and NCAA best bets.

Week 2 is over, and the DVR is (mostly) cleared off. It's time to tally up the week 2 betting scores and see what we came away with. We'll get to that. First, we have three college football games before Saturday for a nice little pregame. All of those are FBS vs. FBS schools, so I need to pick those. We can make money before Saturday. It is possible! Let's see what we're dealing with in the Thursday and Friday pregame before another monster Saturday.

CFB Betting Picks 9/16 and 9/17:

Ohio at Louisiana(-20.5)

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1

The Cajuns nearly lost to Nicholls State. The Bobcats did them one better and lost to Duquesne. Louisiana does look like the better team, but considering Texas got curb stomped by Arkansas, I'm not sure what that means. I tend to think that neither team wins this by 20. That seems a little high. Give me Ohio, but I have no interest in betting this.

Central Florida(-6.5) at Louisville

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

This line opened as high as -9 in some places. UCF has the better offense overall. Louisville has the edge at defense and running back. Considering that the UCF run defense looks like a strength so far this year, I'm inclined to take them. Give me UCF.

Maryland(-7.5) at Illinois

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5

I'm not sure the Illini are any better with Brandon Peters under center. The offense will look different, but it doesn't matter. There's no way the Illinois corners can cover both Dontay Demus Jr. and Rakim Jarrett. Maryland wins BIG!

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CFB Betting Picks Week 2 Results:

I promised transparency this year, and you will get it, warts and all. I don't like to be wrong, but I will admit when I am. Here are the results from week 2. I picked 43 games and all 43 played. Winners against the spread will be in bold. My result will follow.

Kansas at (17)Coastal Carolina(-26.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

The Chanticleers made this interesting, but the offense was finally too much for Kansas down the stretch.

UTEP at Boise State(-25.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

The lack of a running game for the Broncos may be a problem at some point, but Khalil Shakir should be on the Biletnikoff list. He is that good.

Illinois at Virginia(-10.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1

There's a reason I didn't bet this. Hello Brennan Armstrong. I knew he had it in him, but now the Hoos need some consistency from him.

Western Kentucky at Army(-5.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

This counts as a bad beat since the Cadets were up by 21 in the fourth quarter and blew the big lead. WKU is going to be a force in Conference USA and could put a scare into Indiana this week.

(12)Oregon at (3)Ohio State(-14.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

I thought Oregon would give a fight, but I never thought they would win outright without Kayvon Thibodeaux. We really have to take a look at how good Oregon (and Fresno State, for that matter) is. The Pac 12 needed this one.

South Carolina(-1.5) at East Carolina: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

Those last second field goals get you every time.....

Pittsburgh(-3.5) at Tennessee: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

Orange Kool-Aid sucks!

Miami(OH) at Minnesota(-18.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

Treyson Potts looks like the next good Minnesota back (34 carries!!), but this team needs something from the passing game. They can't keep running their backs like this and expect to win in the Big Ten(14).

Tulsa at Oklahoma State(-12.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

This was a nice performance by Tulsa, but the play of Spencer Sanders and the lack of a feature back has the Cowboys looking a mess. I'm wondering if they'll win a spread this year right now.....

(13)Florida(-28.5) at South Florida: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

Unfortunately for us, Florida really let off the gas in this one. I guess I don't blame them, but how long is Florida going to keep pretending that Emory Jones is the better quarterback? If Richardson is okay, he needs to start and play the whole game against Aladamnbama.

Wyoming(-7.5) at Northern Illinois: HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

It wasn't outright and I'm glad I didn't bet the under. This was a fun game to watch! See what NIU can do without a turnover-prone quarterback? The Huskies scored more than 40 points for the first time since October 26 of 2019, but that was against Akron so it doesn't really count.

Middle Tennessee State at (19)Virginia Tech(-19.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

Where's the Hokie run game? That could become a problem. Bailey Hockman had a solid game, but his one interception was a big one and let the Hokies blow this open.

Rutgers(-2.5) at Syracuse: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

This game was scoreless at halftime. That means we've had at least one of those in each week so far. I was impressed with the Rutgers defense here. Syracuse's played well too, but the Orange never got anything going on offense. Rutgers did a little bit in the third quarter.

Toledo at (8)Notre Dame(-16.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

This was ugly, but not quite the way I expected. The Irish are in trouble. Toledo is a decent team, but Florida State, who tested them in week 1, lost outright to FCS Jacksonville State.

Purdue(-34.5) at Connecticut: HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

UConn spreads are about to get a lot more difficult. Just wait until they play UMass!

UAB at (2)Georgia(-24.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

Georgia showed off even without the services of JT Daniels. Imagine having Stetson Bennett as your backup. It's an embarrassment of riches at quarterback in Athens right now.

(5)Texas A&M(-16.5) at Colorado: HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

This was a spirited performance by the Ralphies, even though they ended up losing. A&M could have some problems without Haynes King. However, this was a strong Colorado team they ran into in Boulder. Jalen Wydermyer could be in for a monster season with Zach Calzada taking snaps now.

Ball State at (11)Penn State(-22.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

The Penn State defense, not the offense, got this out of hand. I still don't have much faith in that Penn State offense.

Georgia Southern at Florida Atlantic(-6.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1

FAU at home? Check. Big game from N'Kosi Perry? Check. I should get two for this one. I think I'm going to need it.

Boston College(-37.5) at Massachusetts: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

Would this game have been different if Phil Jurkovec didn't go down with an injury? Maybe, but it's not like Dennis Grosel played poorly. This is on the BC defense.

Buffalo at Nebraska(-13.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5

So Nebraska plays their best game under Scott Frost when I'm finally sure they're going to lose. Dickheads......

California at TCU(-11.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

I'm glad I reined in that under bet. Zach Evans could be a special back. This was a huge game for him and we finally saw a nice game from Cal quarterback Chase Garbers. It was a strong OOC performance for the Pac 12 this week for the most part. In-conference? Not so much. We'll get to that later.

Temple(-6.5) at Akron: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1

I guess Akron really is that bad. This game was ugly with the exception of Randle Jones.

Air Force(-5.5) at Navy: HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

This was option football at it's finest. For you nostalgic people or those of you wondering what a fullback is, tune in to Air Force's next game. Or Navy's. Even Army still runs an option most of the time. These teams are a dying breed.

South Alabama(-13.5) at Bowling Green: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

How in the world does a team that smokes Southern Miss almost lose to Bowling Green?

(10)Iowa at (9)Iowa State(-4.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

Easy money. Iowa State has jumped a bunch of hurdles in recent years, but the Hawkeyes are the one demon they can't seem to exorcise.

Houston(-8.5) at Rice: HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

I should have went more on this one. Rice is still getting favorable handicaps based on an overrated Nebraska transfer and thumping Marshall last year. The Owls can make us a lot of money by betting against them.

(15)Texas(-6.5) at Arkansas: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

Well, the silver lining is I'm pretty sure Texas wont win eight games this year. This game wasn't nearly as close as the score suggests.

Eastern Michigan at (18)Wisconsin(-26.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

I'm going to bitch about the half, but in reality, the Eagles had no business scoring in this game. This was complete domination by the Badgers.

Appalachian State at (22)Miami(FL)(-8.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

The Mountaineers had many chances to win this game. Credit the Miami defense for coming up with the big plays when they needed it, but the Mountaineers looked like the overall better team.

North Carolina State at Mississippi State(EVEN): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

The hallmark of a Mike Leach team when it's close to making the next step is when they start dominating in run defense. The Bulldogs clamped down on both Ricky Person and Zonovan Knight in this one. This was a clinic by the Bulldogs D. The offense isn't quite there yet, but it's getting close. There's a lot of talent there.

Texas State at Florida International(-1.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1

I knew better. I was leaning Texas State before I got that damn quarter involved.....

North Texas at SMU(-22.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

It's annoying being on the wrong side of a lot of halves, especially with strange numbers. If you loved Jaelon Darden, North Texas has another really good receiver in the same vein. Roderic Burns hauled in 12 passes in this one.

Liberty(-4.5) at Troy: HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

Troy needs the offense to catch up to the defense. They did a bang-up job on Malik Willis here.

Memphis(-5.5) at Arkansas State: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

Another stupid half! I knew when there were 30 first quarter points that my bet was in trouble. This Memphis offense is one of the better incarnations we've seen, but that defense is a disaster.

New Mexico State at New Mexico(-18.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1

The Aggies defense looked solid in this one. Bobby Cole is a very good back.

Georgia State at (24)North Carolina(-25.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1

Virginia Tech is a lot better than they were last year. Georgia State is not a bad team and they got absolutely whipped here. Sam Howell leading the team in rushing is not ideal though. The Tarheels need to find a back system that works, and they need to do it quickly.

Missouri at Kentucky(-5.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

I'll admit it. I'm a Kentucky fan. This team is a blast! They have four skill players on that offense (five if you count Will Levis) that should be playing on Sundays in a year or two.

Washington at Michigan(-6.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5

Michigan is a much better team when they have a horse in the backfield. I'm not really sure why Zach Charbonnet didn't work out here, but Blake Corum is a wrecking ball so far this year. The Wolverines finally have a back that takes the pressure off the quarterback.

Vanderbilt at Colorado State(-6.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

Every time I believe in Colorado State, they let me down. Allowing 24 points to Vanderbilt is like allowing 50 to a normal team. That defense is really struggling right now.

San Diego State at Arizona(-1.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

Okay, so the Aztecs threw 14 times. It was still a dominant ground performance and Jordon Brookshire completed ten of those passes. If the Aztecs finally have an efficient quarterback to go with that stable of backs, look out!

(21)Utah(-7.5) at BYU: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

I knew I didn't like that half. Not that I expected the Cougars to win outright, but you get the point....

Stanford at (14)USC(-17.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5

This USC team is almost as talented as that 2007 squad. The fact that they lost to a bad Cardinal team by double digits is just as unforgivable. My only regret is that USC didn't hire Clay Helton back so they could fire him again. He should have been fired more than once for this disaster. There's too much talent on that team to have a showing like that.

UNLV at (23)Arizona State(-34.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1

Yep. Sloppy Sun Devils. They have a lot to clean up before the conference season starts and very little time to do it.

Hawaii at Oregon State(-10.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

If the Beavers have their version of Jermar Jefferson this year in B.J. Baylor, they are a much better team.

College Football Betting Season Results:

Now is the time of the week when we tally up the scores. I was 29-21 coming into the week and 14 points to the black. I was a touch under .500 at 22-23 on the week, putting me at 51-44 on the season. I thought it might be worse since I was on the losing end of four halves and USC got thumped by the Tree again. I'm pretty sure I lost points though. Let's see how many.

The weekly totals follow the bet. Season totals are in parentheses.

1. 4-3 (9-7) = 2
2. 7-7 (18-15) = 6
3. 6-6 (18-10) = 24
4. 4-5 (4-8) = -16
5. 1-2 (2-4) = -10

I lost six points on the week. I'm still eight points to the good on the season. My bank is now at 36 points in a little more than four seasons. Come back tomorrow for the spread picks for this weekend! We've got another big weekend with 74 games. 52 of those are FBS vs. FBS tilts, so it's the biggest betting week of the season so far!

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