College Football Results Against The Spread Week 1 2017

College Football Results Against The Spread Week 1 2017

We had 44 FBS vs. FBS games in the first week of the college football season. It was a wild weekend! Some things were surprising. Some things, not so much. At any rate, we should be lining up for a very interesting season.

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I only had 45 out of 55 points in ESPN College Pick Em this week, so I think it may have been a little rough against the spread as well.

The leader in the Fantasy CPR reader’s group racked up 53 points this week. The only game that he missed was the Maryland-Texas game. I missed that one as well, I just had a lot more points on it! The other game that I missed was Cal vs. North Carolina.

Here we will recap my picks against the spread. The winner against the spread will be in BOLD. My result will follow. Let’s get to it!

In case you want to follow along:
Opening Week
Thursday
Friday
Early Saturday
Late Saturday
Sunday-Monday

Oregon State at Colorado State(-3.5): HIT! This game was never really close. However, we found out the next weekend that this was more a product of Oregon State being bad than Colorado State being good. That said, with the Rams’ schedule, they could easily win nine games.

Hawaii at Massachusetts(-2.5): MISS! When will I learn?

South Florida(-21.5) at San Jose State: MISS! The Bulls came out sloppy in both games. That defense is going to prevent them from having a truly great season.

Stanford(-30.5) vs. Rice at Sydney: MISS! Wow….so…..how is the supposed to promote American football? A blowout that wasn’t exciting for anyone but Stanford fans?

Florida International at Central Florida(-16.5): MISS! Ouch. This game is usually pretty close, but UCF blew them off the field. McKenzie Milton looks like a really good quarterback for the Knights.

Buffalo at Minnesota(-24.5): MISS! We knew that the Minnesota defense was going to be really good. They were as advertised. The offense was awful after the first quarter. The problem was not replacing Mitch Leidner or Drew Wolitarsky – Tyler Johnson had a really nice game – the problem was not being able to get the running game going, which was a bit shocking.

Tulsa at Oklahoma State(-17.5): HIT! Tulsa is not a bad team. I promise. But they sure looked like it against Oklahoma State. There is nothing pokey about the Cowboys this year. They established themselves as a Big 12 contender. Bedlam could happen twice this year.

Ohio State(-21.5) at Indiana: MISS! My pick was looking pretty good up until the third quarter when they fell apart midway through. Then the Hoosiers gave up in the fourth. That isn’t something you want to see from your team. This loss is going to sting for a while, especially with as well as Indiana played in the first half.

Louisiana-Monroe at Memphis(-25.5): MISS! Forget covering this massive spread, Memphis was lucky to win outright!

New Mexico State at Arizona State(-22.5): MISS! This was ugly. The Arizona State offense was pretty good, but that defense…..man, that defense. Tyler Rogers threw for 398 yards on 40-57 passing. Jaleel Scott hauled in eight catches for 149 yards. Arizona State needs to shore up that defense, or they have no chance in the Pac 12.

Charlotte at Eastern Michigan(-13.5): HIT! Honestly, this game was closer than I thought it would be. Charlotte is getting better, and could likely beat UMass at this point.

Washington(-27.5) at Rutgers: MISS! Washington followed up an unlikely trip to the College Football Playoff with a truly uninspired first half, and a second half that wasn’t much better. Jake Browning was solid. Dante Pettis was as well, but Myles Gaskin never got going, and the young Husky defense had some issues. What it comes down to is that Rutgers isn’t nearly as bad, especially on defense, as they were last year.

Navy(-9.5) at Florida Atlantic: HIT! Easy money! This was one of the few I did bet, and I wish I would have went for more.

Colorado State vs. Colorado(-3.5) at Denver: HIT! There are a few things to take away from this one. First off, Colorado State’s biggest improvement wasn’t Nick Stevens or the offense. It is the defense. The Rams D looked very good against a really good Colorado offense. The Buffalo D looked outstanding as well. There is a chance that Colorado State doesn’t lose another game. There is also a chance that Colorado pulls a Washington and takes the Pac 12 by storm.

Utah State at Wisconsin(-27.5): MISS! This was what I expected from Washington. However, I was liking my pick since this game was tied at halftime. The Aggies never returned to the field as the Badgers scored 49 second half points and shut out Utah State.

Boston College(-3.5) at Northern Illinois: HIT! The half to the rescue! This should have been a loss for me. The Eagles outplayed NIU more than the three point victory indicates.

Kent State at Clemson(-40.5): MISS! There is a reason that I usually never bet games with this large of a spread. I will give credit where it is due. Clemson looked like a well-oiled machine from the opening kickoff.

Akron at Penn State(-30.5): MISS! Here’s the thing…Akron isn’t that bad of a team. They will likely go to a bowl in a few months. This was a dominating performance by a team that is good enough to win the Big 10(14). Not all contenders put on a show like this.

Maryland at Texas(-23.5): HIT! As you know, I picked Texas in Pick Em, so you know I didn’t expect the Terps to go in there and wipe the field with them. Maryland’s defense was once again an issue, but Tyrrell Pigrome was impressive. He gouged the Texas defense on the ground and a couple of times through the air. Don’t expect to see a huge improvement for Maryland record-wise due to the strength of their division, but they could pull off an upset or two. Texas got a defensive touchdown and two special teams touchdowns at home and still lost. Think about that.

Ball State at Illinois(-6.5): MISS! This was just an ugly game for both sides. Illinois’ offense was bland and average. So much for the big step forward.

Wyoming at Iowa(-12.5): MISS! Akrum Wadley looks like he can carry this team, and the Iowa defense locked down Josh Allen. This is likely the best team that the Cowboys will face all year. Iowa is good enough to contend in the Big Ten(14) West.

Bowling Green at Michigan State(-17.5): HIT! The Spartans were mostly methodical and boring, but that is the type of football that had them at the top of the conference just a few years ago. However, when your quarterback leads the team in rushing against a team with an average run defense, that could be a huge issue once conference play takes hold.

California at North Carolina(-12.5): MISS! North Carolina’s defensive resurgence last year had as much to do with their success as the play of QB Mitch Trubisky. Where was that defense? Ross Bowers threw for 363 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate start. Vic Wharton had 156 yards on just five catches. The Gene Chizik magic seems to have worn off already.

North Carolina State(-4.5) vs. South Carolina at Charlotte: HIT! I told you this was easy money! Jake Bentley isn’t even as good as he will be yet. However, the Wolfpack exposed a big weakness for the Gamecocks. They ran for just 31 yards. They need a running back that can take some pressure off of Bentley. Ryan Finley is going to have a really good year in Raleigh, but he needs some help around him.

UTEP at Oklahoma(-43.5): MISS! Okay, I’ll take being wrong here. Baker Mayfield only had one incompletion, and didn’t play in the second half. And we still covered! Kyler Murray is going to be a good one when his time comes, and I am really impressed with Kentucky transfer Jeff Badet. It’s hard to really tell anything by this game, but Oklahoma looks like they are picking up where they left off last year.

Michigan(-4.5) vs. Florida at Jerry World: MISS! I knew better. Florida’s defense was solid, but MIchigan’s was better. Florida got a field goal on their first drive, and their offense did nothing else. The other two touchdowns were both defensive touchdowns. Michigan would likely be better off with John O’Korn under center, but that likely wont happen. The offense is not as good as last year, but that defense can stop anyone.

Temple at Notre Dame(-16.5): MISS! I don’t know that this is so much Notre Dame being a very much improved team as much as Temple just not being a good team. However, Josh Adams is a man among boys. You can tell that he is quite a bit better than he was last year, and Brandon Wimbush is capable of running this offense. How hard is it to hand off to Adams anyway?

Nevada at Northwestern(-24.5): HIT! Northwestern’s offense could be really good if they can get out of their own way. A lot of the problems in the first half were self inflicted. If they get some of the issues figured out, they could play spoiler in the Big Ten(14) West.

Troy at Boise State(-9.5): HIT! This was a lot closer than I expected. Brett Rypien seems to have not improved at all since last year. The offense ran better under Kansas transfer Montell Cozart, who was one of the few bright spots for the Jayhawks last year. The Mountain West is going to be very interesting this year because it doesn’t seem as though Boise is clearly the best team anymore.

Kentucky(-10.5) at Southern Mississippi: HIT! It’s only thanks to the good sportsmanship of Kentucky. That last turnover had the Wildcats on the doorstep of the end zone.

Western Michigan at USC(-27.5): MISS! I knew better. Jarvion Franklin is a very good back, and I underestimated the Broncos’ ability to keep continuity even after P.J. Fleck left. This is for you, WMU:

Appalachian State at Georgia(-14.5): HIT! I was also surprised that the Bulldogs offense took off after Jacob Eason left the game with an injury. I still think Georgia would have covered this anyway. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel can take this team far no matter who the quarterback is.

Miami(OH) at Marshall(-1.5): MISS! Well, at least it was a good game. Honestly, the Redhawks played well everywhere except for special teams. Marshall returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and added another interception return for a touchdown. Their offense only netted ten points.

Massachusetts(-2.5) at Coastal Carolina: HIT! The Chanticleers enter the win column in their first ever FBS game. A lot of teams don’t.

Georgia Southern at Auburn(-33.5): MISS! The half taketh away here. The scary part is that Auburn didn’t even play that well on offense. Just wait until they get Kamryn Pettway back.

Louisville(-26.5) at Purdue: HIT! This was a solid game by the Purdue offense and defense. The big thing to take away from here though was the maturation of Lamar Jackson. He was more patient in the pocket and looked more comfortable throwing the ball. Another story: the Purdue defense held Jackson to 107 yards rushing and kept him out of the end zone on 21 carries. Just ask Florida State how hard that is to do.

South Alabama at Mississippi(-23.5): HIT! It’s good thing for me that Ole Miss took out some of their first team defense. They had this well in hand.

Florida State vs. Alabama at Atlanta: MISS! The Tide had already turned by the time Deondre Francois went down, but Alabama might have taken this season away from Florida State. I thought went Francois went down that he was done for the year. Unfortunately, I was right. That was with nine minutes left in the game. The Seminoles never threw another pass.

Arkansas State at Nebraska(-14.5): HIT! So, Nebraska gives up nearly 500 yards of total offense, and new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco said they played like they were supposed to? Not in this state. Tanner Lee wasn’t the problem. Tre Bryant had an outstanding game, and was likely the reason Nebraska won. That defense did pick off Oklahoma transfer Justice Hansen twice, but he also threw for 415 yards. By the way, Oregon racked up 77 points in the opener…..

Vanderbilt(-3.5) at Middle Tennessee State: MISS!  Kyle Shurmur looked the part this year, and the Vanderbilt offense moved the ball with ease in the first half. They need to find a way to get Ralph Webb loose to really unlock the potential of this offense, but this was a  good start.

BYU vs. LSU(-14.5) at New Orleans: HIT! It seems like Tanner Mangum has been at BYU for about eight years. No matter what kind of experience he has, he had never seen a defense like this one. LSU completely dominated this game.

The postponed game between UTSA and Houston has been canceled by the Cougars. What a shame. This could have been a good game!

Texas A&M at UCLA(-4.5): MISS! This game looked like the rout was on early….by the Aggies! A&M led 38-10 at the half, and were up 44-10 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Then Jos Rosen threw four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter alone! This was a monumental collapse by the Texas A&M defense. It was the largest comeback in FBS since 2006, when Michigan State came back from 35 down to beat Northwestern. It was UCLA’s largest comeback since 2005, also against Northwestern in the Sun Bowl. The Bruins trailed 22-0 in the first half of that one.

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech(-4.5) at Landover, MD: HIT! This is about what you could ask for here. We have a fine rivalry brewing between these two if they decide to keep it going. Josh Jackson looked good for the Hokies starting as a true freshman. With Florida State losing Francois, the ACC could be wide open.

Tennessee(-3.5) vs. Georgia Tech at Atlanta: HIT! You couldn’t ask for a better game to close out the opening weekend of college football. A two overtime thriller in Atlanta’s new football palace. This is a tough loss for Georgia Tech, but the thing to take away from this is that Tennessee finally completed a comeback. Have they turned a corner?

I was hoping for a better start than 20-24, but it is a better start than last year. The first week is often the hardest, so I can take this. I will have plenty of time to make it up before the end of the season.

Did my point system do any better? I am 43 points down after two seasons of this. My goal for September is to get back to zero. Totals this week follow the bet. The season totals are in parentheses.

1. 3-4 (3-4) = -1
2. 6-9 (6-9) = -6
3. 6-6 (6-6) = 0
4. 3-4 (3-4) = -4
5. 2-1 (2-1) = 5

That puts me at -6 for he opening week. I did finish above .500 on my five point picks, which was a huge problem last year.

I will be back with the picks for an action packed week two before those games get under way. We also have all of your DFS needs covered for Week 1 of the NFL and our daily MLB picks and weekly PGA and EPL picks. We have something for everyone!