Year to Date: 3-3 (-0.37 units)

Welp…in last weeks article I told you all not to let me get hot, and boy did you hold up your end of the bargain! Last week was a tough one, I went 0-3, and two of those games had some disgusting back door covers by the opponent. Hand up, I was wrong about Minnesota, but those other two picks deserved much better. Alas, we go into week 3 with a .500 record, let’s get back to the drawing board.

Georgia 1st half spread -13.5 vs Arkansas -125

For all of the talk around the early struggles of a teams like Oregon and Michigan, or the successes of the Texas Longhorns, the Georgia Bulldogs are somehow slipping under the radar. Kirby Smart has his team clicking on al cylinders early, something Georgia doesn’t always do. In the past the Bulldogs have sleepwalked through early season non-conference games, not this year. Arkansas has looked brutal to start the season. New head coach Ryan Silverfield is trying to create a new culture in the program, it just hasn’t fully clicked yet. Their offense is one dimensional due to quarterback KJ Jackson’s inability to string together completed passes, and their defense has gotten gashed both on the ground and in the air. Bulldogs quarterback Gunnar Stockton and running back Nate Frazier have surely seen what Utah duo of Devon Dampier and Wayshawn Parker did on the ground last week and are licking their lips. I fully expect Georgia to assert dominance early in their first SEC game of the season, and be up multiple scores by the time halftime rolls around.

Virginia Tech -3 vs Maryland -110

James Franklin, I thought I could quit you. I somehow have come crawling back after ruining one of my favorite Penn State rosters on paper last season on his way to getting fired. If there’s one thing I know about Franklin, it’s that he absolutely dominates the University of Maryland and Mike Locksley. Against the Terrapins, Franklin has a career record of 9-2, and against Mike Locksley he has a stellar record of 6-1. Besides that, Virginia Tech has looked really solid so far this season, a big reason for that is new quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer who followed Franklin from Penn State. The junior has thrown for 551 yards and 4 TD’s through two weeks, and looks very comfortable after getting his feet wet as a starter late last season. Malik Washington is going to be an issue for the Hokies defense, the Maryland quarterback is back for his sophomore season after an electric freshman campaign. Washington has taken a step forward in the passing game. After an up and down first year, he looks much more comfortable in the pocket which will force Virginia Tech to think twice about stacking the box against a usually potent run game. The game is going to be close, but give me Big Game James in a matchup he usually walks away from successful.

North Dakota State over 38.5 points vs Sacramento State -115

To put it quite bluntly, Sacramento State is one of the worst teams in the FBS. Fresh off a drubbing against Fresno State where they were outscored 49-3, things don’t get any easier against a North Dakota State team fresh off a move up to the FBS. There’s no doubt the Bison want to prove they belong after dominating the FCS for the last number of years. That’s backed up by head coach Tim Polasek, who said during his weekly press conference that “we have to grow up, and we got to want to hurt people. We got to want to stay with blocks. We got to want to get after them”. That sounds like a coach ready for his team to make a statement and lay the hammer. I’m willing to back the Bison in this spot against a team not on the same level.

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