NCAA Football 2018 Week 2 picks

We ended last week with some dandy games, so let's see how many we can have this week.

Friday Sept 7
TCU Horned Frogs at SMU Mustangs:  Sure, TCU looked good last week, but practically any FBS team would against that opponent.  SMU is another story.  Not an especially well-structured story, however, so the Frogs shouldn't have much trouble here, either.  TCU

Saturday Sept 8
Top 25
Arkansas State Red Wolves at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide:  Gee, real tough opponent you have there, 'Bama. No real risk of losing that top spot.  ALABAMA

New Mexico Lobos at #2 Wisconsin Badgers:  The Badgers have a nice easy opponent, too. WISCONSIN

UCLA Bruins at #3 Oklahoma Sooners:  After the collapse suffered by the Bruins last week, I'm almost willing to say Oklahoma has a patsy for an opponent, too.  However, last week might have woken them up a bit, so there might be a little competition.  For a while in the first half, at least.  OKLAHOMA

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #4 Ohio State Buckeyes:  The Buckeyes get an early start on conference play, but face one of the weaker opponents.  With their offense, this will be decided early in the second quarter.  OHIO STATE

William and Mary (FCS) at #5 Virginia Tech Hokies:  This win won't help them move up in the rankings.  TECH

#8 USC Trojans at #6 Stanford Cardinal:  Now, THIS is a matchup!  Both teams impressed last week, so this Pac-12 opener should be a real thrill!  Bryce Love was a bit subdued last week, but this conference rivalry game should get his fire going.  USC has some strong offensive tools, too, but I'll give the edge to the home team.  STANFORD in a squeaker

Southeastern Louisiana (FCS) at #7 LSU Tigers:  This one is easy.  LSU

South Carolina State (FCS) at #9 UCF Golden Knights:  Ditto.  UCF

UConn Huskies at #10 Boise State Broncos:  The Huskies had #9 UCF last week and travel to the blue fields of #10 Boise State this week.  The scheduling gods are cruel!  BOISE STATE

#11 Colorado Buffaloes at Nebraska Cornhuskers:  The Cornhuskers cancelled their game against Akron last week, so we haven't seen them play.  Based on last year, though, I think the Buffaloes should run all over Nebraska.  COLORADO

Portland State (FCS) at #12 Oregon Ducks:  I think there are more FCS matchups with high ranked teams than there were last week.  OREGON

San Jose State Spartans at #13 Washington State Cougars:  Definitely not as thrilling as the Stanford game.  WASHINGTON STATE

Youngstown State (FCS) at #14 West Virginia Mountaineers:  Well, at least Youngstown State is a powerful FCS team.  They have actually beaten FBS teams in the past, although they won't this year.  WEST VIRGINIA

Ball State Cardinals at #15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  The Irish get a break after beating Michigan last week.  Ball State had an outstanding game last week, but they played Central Connecticut.  This one will be a lot tougher.  NOTRE DAME

Iowa State Cyclones at #16 Iowa Hawkeyes:  In-state rivals Iowa State can often give Iowa some trouble.  After what I witnessed last week, though, the Hawkeyes shouldn't have much trouble this year.  IOWA

Alabama State (FCS) at #17 Auburn Tigers:  Another patsy for the SEC to pulverize.  AUBURN

#18 Duke Blue Devils at #23 Northwestern Wildcats:  Here's where we determine if Duke is for real, and whether Purdue's offense was good last week or Northwestern's defense was weak.  Northwestern seems to play better in adversity, so I'll pick the upset, but this might be another close game for the Wildcats.  NORTHWESTERN

#19 Cincinnati Bearcats at Miami Ohio Redhawks:  Miami Ohio played Marshall tough last week, but Cincy was outstanding!  I think that will continue this week as the Bearcats show some teeth.  CINCY

Arizona Wildcats at #20 Houston Cougars:  Group of 5 doubters will immediate pick Arizona in this game, but I advise looking at this one closely.  Arizona looked a bit listless against BYU.  While Houston played Rice, not an especially strong team, they showed tremendous power on the road.  Arizona doesn't play so well in early games, and the 11am start (noon Eastern time) is 9am at home.  That should help the home team.  HOUSTON

#21 Maryland Terrapins at Bowling Green Falcons:  Bowling Green was completely blown out last week, so Maryland has a chance to show that their defeat of Texas wasn't a fluke and puff up their stats at the same time.  Maryland shook off the death of teammate Jordan McNair and the dismissal of coach DJ Durkin and had shining performances from QB Kasim Hill and WR Jeshaun Jones.  Those two should have another great game, as the Falcons defense seems fragile.  MARYLAND

Southern Illinois (FCS) at #22 Ole Miss Rebels:  Between this week and last week, I think every SEC team has played an FCS team.  How many will Big Ten teams play?  Two.  OLE MISS

#24 Fresno State Bulldogs at Minnesota Golden Gophers:  The Gophers trounced New Mexico State week, but the Bulldogs demolished Idaho.  The Bulldogs dominated on all sides of the ball.  While I'd love for the Gophers to pull off the upset, I don't think it'll happen.  FRESNO STATE

Michigan State Spartans at #25 Arizona State Sun Devils:  Prior to last week, I would have picked Michigan State with no hesitation.  However, I saw the Spartans collapse.  If they can get themselves together, they could win this game.  Unfortunately, the Spartans don't seem to know precisely what went wrong, and Big Ten teams have a history of struggling on the West Coast.  ARIZONA STATE

Big Ten
Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan Wolverines: How bad did the Wolverines play last week?  I'm thinking Western Michigan has a chance to win this game.  The Broncos didn't show up too well last week either, though, so I'll give a slight edge to the home team.  MICHIGAN

Eastern Michigan Eagles at Purdue Boilermakers:  Let's see how good that Purdue offense really is!  The Eagles offense flew last week, but the defense showed some holes.  If Purdue can exploit that, they will dominate.  PURDUE

Western Illinois (FCS) at Illinois Fighting Illini:  Western Illinois is a good FCS team, so the Illini could lose this, but I'll hold out hope my Alma Mater can win their second game in a row.  ILLINOIS

Virginia Cavaliers at Indiana Hoosiers: Virginia opened by stepping on the Richmond Spiders, but the Hoosiers will be a challenge.  The Hoosiers defense didn't look great last week, so Virginia will be able to score, but Indiana's big play ability will frustrate the Cavs.  INDIANA

Penn State Nittany Lions at Pittsburgh Panthers:  Pitt demolished UAlbany and its new QB, Vinny Testeverde Jr.  Penn State's defense looked anemic against Appalachian State, so Pitt will be able to score, but Trace McSorley and company will be a much tougher offense for the Panthers than UAlbany threw at them.  PENN STATE

Other Games of Interest
Georgia Bulldogs at South Carolina Gamecocks:  Now we'll see if Georgia's preseason ranking was pure hype, or a valid prediction.  This may be closer than Bulldog fans would like, but Georgia should prevail.  GEORGIA

Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators:  Florida demolished Charleston Southern, but most FCS teams do that, too.  This will truly determine if Florida has gotten their groove back.  Kentucky looked good last week, and I think they will make it tough for the Gators.  Florida should pull out the win, but it'll be too close for comfort.  FLORIDA

Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Texas Longhorns:  Can the Longhorns bounce back?  They had a great run in the third quarter, and that must serve as their example.  Tulsa was pretty good last season, and if they show that power again, Texas could lose two in a row.  I don't think so, but this won't be an easy game for the Longhorns.  TEXAS

California Golden Bears at BYU Cougars:  BYU beat one Pac-12 team last week.  Can they make it two?  Cal won, but they had a hard time against North Carolina.  BYU started slowly, but they picked up steam.  If that carries into this game, the Cougars will prevail.  BYU