College football Week 2 best bets: 5 expert picks to back this week

It was a wild start to the 2022 season but we’re regrouping with our college football Week 2 best bets for a loaded slate with plenty of angles to take.

The college football season is up and rolling and now we move into Week 2. While the slate might not look as juicy as the season-opener from a week ago, that often means we’re in for a super entertaining Saturday at the office (you know, the classy fan’s term for the couch this time of year).

But as we look toward our college football Week 2 bets, we want to be transparent. Week 0 went horribly with an 0-3 mark on our wagers and then Week 1 was a scheduled week off to get a better lay of the land so to help better navigate the betting slate moving forward.

So where does that leave us? We’ve found five bets that stick out on Saturday as the ones that you should be investing in. These are the college football Week 2 best bets you can take to the bank.

Note: All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. For more betting content, check out BetSided.

College football Week 2 best bets: Against the spread picks, totals and more

Houston +3 (-110) vs. Texas Tech

Houston found itself in a triple-overtime thriller to get past UTSA in the opener, so there is some reasoning to the Cougars being three-point underdogs on the road in Lubbock. At the same time, though, I have far more faith in Clayton Tune and the Houston offense than Texas Tech’s and, most importantly, more belief in the Cougars defense to get occasional stops.

I also am peeking at the over for this game but Houston being the underdog is too good for me to pass up.

Syracuse -22.5 (-110) vs. UConn

Do I think that the Syracuse defense is as good as it looked in the opener against Louisville? Probably not. But with the arrival of former UVA offensive coordinator Robert Anae, we saw Garrett Schroeder and Sean Tucker light up the Cardinals defense last week and I don’t see UConn having any resistance either. Moreover, I don’t have enough faith in the Huskies offense to consistently keep up with that, making the Orange an obvious play for me.

Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt – Over 65.5 (-110)

I was already leaning over for this matchup given the style of play that Wake Forest has and how good Mike Wright and Vanderbilt have looked to start the season. But with the news that Sam Hartman is back in the fold, I’m all in on this number.

The Demon Deacons went over this total in seven games last season and five of those instances came against quarterbacks with the ability to be a plus asset in the rushing attack. That’s what Wright brings to the table for Vandy, so I think points are going to be plentiful in Nashville on Saturday.

Oklahoma -20.5 1H (-115) vs. Kent State

Because I don’t expect this game to be close, I’m only going with the first-half spread for Oklahoma here but still like the play quite a bit.

The Sooners looked just as dangerous as ever offensively with Dillon Gabriel working with a host of high-end weapons in the potent Jeff Lebby offense. Meanwhile, we saw Kent State really struggle to come up with stops against a Washington offense that runs with similar tempo but doesn’t have nearly the same caliber of players as OU does. The Oklahoma defense will need to do its part but I love this spot for the Sooners.

Alabama -6.5 1Q (-115) vs. Texas

Play Alabama on the spread any way you want in this game in my opinion because Texas isn’t back to the point of being in the same ballpark as the Crimson Tide. Bryce Young looked like a walking death machine in Week 1 — albeit against Utah State — and I don’t see the Longhorns having any answers when matched up against the likes of Will Anderson Jr. and company.

The first-quarter spread is my best bet, though, because I just don’t see Texas getting any stops nor do I think they continue to score. This feels like a game sitting at 14-7 in favor of Bama after 15 minutes of play, which would cash this ticket and give you a winner.

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