For all the sicko’s out there, this Saturday is going to feel like Christmas morning. Yes, we got a small taste of football being back last week, I know. With a full slate of games really kicking things off in a few days, this is when it gets real. I for one am pumped to park myself on the couch, escape any responsibilities and sweat out all of my bets with the rest of America.

As for my fellow blogger Mike Sheerin, I’m down for a competition this year. I give out my three best bets every week, I don’t like to spread myself thin and only give the best of the best. I’ll challenge you to do the same, just specify which of your bets are for the competition weekly and to the victor goes the spoils by seasons end.

James Madison -6.5 vs Liberty -115

The JMU Dukes were the darlings of college football last year, but times have certainly changed. Head coach Bob Chesney has left for the sunshine of California, taking on the tall task of rebuilding UCLA’s program. Replacing him is Billy Napier, fresh off of a total faceplant as the head coach of Florida. Even with such a massive downgrade I still see the Dukes rolling in this game in large part to new starting quarterback JC Evans. The coaching staff has called Evans “generational” when talking about his talent, and when seeing his rocket arm and game breaking speed, it’s easy to see why. JMU also boasts one of the best offensive lines in the Sun Belt and should be able to keep a very questionable Liberty defense away from their signal caller.

As for Liberty, they have a ton of unanswered questions. The Flames are going to be giving playing time to FOUR (yes, you read that right) different quarterbacks to try and find out who they trust most. After Liberty’s struggles on the road last season, I don’t know if they have made the proper adjustments to fix a massive problem. Expect those issues to roll over into at least the early portion of 2026 and back the Dukes at home to cover.

Texas vs Texas State Over 59.5 -112

This may be my favorite play of the week. After a very uneven start to the 2025 season, Arch Manning needs to prove to a lot of people that he is worth all of the hype that surrounds him. He’s obviously shown flashes, but he needs to put it all together, and it starts by being able to dominate lower level competition. With two huge acquisitions out of the transfer portal in Cam Coleman and Hollywood Smothers, the Longhorns offensive unit looks like one of the most dangerous in the sport.

I fully expect Texas to do most of the heavy lifting in this matchup, but the Texas State Bobcats aren’t slouches. Brad Jackson is back for another season under center, and if he can build on his success in 2025, he may turn some heads in his second year as a starter. He’s a threat using his arm (3,224 pass yards, 21 pass TD’s) and his legs (744 rush yards, 17 rush TD’s) and will be able to keep the Longhorns defense on their toes. Expect Texas to put up points quickly and Texas State needing to air it out when playing from behind.

Louisville +7 vs Ole Miss -115

After all of the drama surrounding the Ole Miss Rebels at the end of last season going into the offseason, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility for them to start off a bit slow this year. Lane Kiffin took a large chunk of both the roster and the coaching staff with him to LSU, will Pete Golding be able to rally the troops like he did going into last years playoffs? I have some questions. Yes, Trinidad Chambliss is a star that should be able to put up points in bunches, but the Louisville defense may be able to get him out of the pocket and into some uncomfortable situations. Clev Lubin (8.5 sacks in 2025) is back to lead the Cardinals defensive line and should find some success against an Ole Miss offensive line that has had some turnover.

The Cardinals also find themselves with one of the more intriguing quarterback situations in the country. Former five start recruit Lincoln Kienholz joins the squad after narrowly losing a quarterback battle to Julian Sayin at Ohio State last year. Isaac Brown also returns to lead the Cardinals rushing attack and looks to build off of a strong Sophomore campaign where he ran for 884 yards and 7 touchdowns. Head coach Jeff Brohm is known for being one of the most profitable coaches to tail when he is an underdog, with a Louisville team looking like a real danger in the ACC, I’ll ride the hype and take the Cardinals to keep this game close.

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