ESPN College Football Challenge picks for week 2

For those of you that don’t know, ESPN College Football Challenge is the closest you can get to college fantasy football on ESPN.  You get to comprise a roster of two quarterbacks, two runnings backs, two wide receivers, a team kicker, and a team defense.  The scoring is very similar to NFL scoring.

More from College Football Odds

• Colorado football getting insane amount of bets to win 2024 National Championship
• College Football National Championship Odds on National Signing Day
• 3 college football teams that could beat Georgia in 2023 (Can Florida State break through?)
• College Football 2023 National Championship Odds (Georgia favored for three-peat)
• Best college football bowl game picks today (Best bets for Monday, January 2)

You can pick any players from any conference, and there is no salary cap.  You just need to pick the guys that you think will score the most points from week to week.  Simple, right?

Not quite.  It is very easy to out think yourself in this game.  I try to aim for guys that are maybe a little under the radar with a great matchup.  Because multiple people can have the same player, the only way to gain ground is to think outside the box.

Last week, my picks ranged from good (Dak Prescott, Justin Hardy) to bad (Mark Weisman, Shock Linwood). Hey, at least I didn’t recommend Antwan Goodley!

Here are my picks for this week:

Quarterbacks:

Connor Halliday, Washington State: Halliday was the third leading scorer last week, but is still just fifth in ownership. I like him over Mariota against Michigan State, and over Winston and Kenny Hill vs. 1-AA teams. There is a good chance that they either get pulled or don’t throw the ball at all. The Cougars have no running game, so they have to throw 50+ times. Which means lots and lots of yards for Halliday. The interceptions won’t hurt that much when he throws for 400 yards a week!

Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky: He was the leading scorer last week with 46 points, but still is not in the top ten of ownership. I don’t understand why. Illinois’ defense isn’t much better than the Bowling Green team that Doughty just chewed up.

Running Backs:

Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin: He had trouble getting separation against LSU. He won’t against Western Illinois. The Badgers will run early and often!

T.J. Yeldon, Alabama: Ameer Abdullah ran wild on the Owls. You can bet Yeldon will too!

Wide Receivers:

John Ross, Washington: Cyler Miles will start for the Huskies this week, and the Huskies will need to throw to keep up with Eastern Washington’s high flying attack. Ross is one of the safer picks this week.

Jared Dangerfield, Western Kentucky: Someone has to catch all of those passes from Doughty! Dangerfield is his number one option.

Kickers:

Oregon State: They were the highest scorers last week, going up against a Hawaii team that held Washington to field goals.  Seems like a safe choice!

Defense:

Louisville: There are so many good options this week, that it’s hard to pick. I’m going with Louisville against Murray State because the potential is there for lots and lots of sacks!