The Chargers need some juice...

The Packers have been ugly too...

The Giants won last week, beating the Cowboys, and I'm sure everybody's going to like them this week. Also, the Rams struggled in Week 1 against the 49ers in Australia. But me liking the Giants has everything to do with what John Harbaugh has done for the Giants, merging all their early-round draft picks with key free agents, like his former Ravens at fullback and tight end. Jaxson Dart looked the best I've ever seen him as a quarterback. He was in control. He knew where to go with the football, and every time he was right in his choice. The Giants play in Hollywood, which is a perfect backdrop for Dart and Cam Skattebo. The Giants Super Bowl run makes a statement in LA.

The Colts have lost eight straight games, and they started the new season by getting blitzkrieged at home against the Ravens. The Chiefs come off an impressive 31-10 win over the Broncos, where their running game led the way with a strong defensive effort. Kenneth Walker had 173 yards, and he set the tone for the entire game early on. In Week 1, both teams were at their extreme opposites. The Chiefs played it smart on offense, where Patrick Mahomes got rid of the ball as soon as he got it. No worries about the left tackle situation and no worries about Mahomes' ACL injury. I think the Colts will play them tight and cover as they have in the last three meetings.

The Cowboys have covered five of the last six meetings against Washington. Dak Prescott is 7-0 in his last seven meetings against Washington in Dallas, and he's been flawless as a passer, with 20 touchdown passes and no picks. Dallas was on the road last week against a fired-up Giants squad, and we didn't get to really see the Dallas passing game shine. I think they showed who they are against Washington, who lost to a Philadelphia squad last week that had only 10 first downs. Cowboys at home get the cover.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt has thrown two touchdown passes for LSU this season while also tossing four interceptions. It's just two games, but it's funny to see Leavitt on the injury report as questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss, the team that Lane Kiffin used to coach. Apparently, that's what Lane Kiffin did regularly at Ole Miss, and everyone involved is brushing it off with a "nothing" statement. When Las Vegas heard about the news, they didn't blink, and the point spread stayed the same. Ole Miss to cover.

UTEP had a practice game last week against Texas Southern and won 51-10, with sophomore QB EJ Moore finding his way after stops at UCF and Incarnate Word. He showed everyone his skills with 4 TD passes and no picks, along with 49 rushing yards and 1 score. Michigan has been walking a tightrope their first two games, with a 13-12 win over Western Michigan that they probably should have lost after getting hosed on two Hail Marys, and then shaping up and beating Oklahoma 17-10 as an underdog. Both games have gone under, and I think that's going to be what Michigan does the rest of the year. Play it slow and conservative, making things simple for Bryce Underwood. UTEP to cover.

Rutgers started last year off 3-0 and gave us all grand illusions of what could be in Greg Schiano's immediate future. They would lose seven of nine in Big Ten conference play. Schiano started the 2026 season with great hopes but then lost to UMass 37-21 as 29.5 favorites. They lost last week to Boston College 28-21, and now they get USC, who is 3-0 but only 1-2 against the spread. It's a long road trip for USC, but they need to show extreme strength in their Big Ten opener to gain more confidence. One goal for USC. It's playoffs or bust. USC to cover.

Georgia has won and covered the last three meetings with Arkansas, which has a new head coach this year in Ryan Silverfield. Arkansas lost their last 10 games in a row last season, and while they snapped the losing streak against North Alabama, they got back to their losing ways at Utah, losing 43-10. Georgia looks better than ever, putting up 63 and 70 points in their first two games, and they're playing with eight starters on defense back from last season, as well as six returning starters on offense, including quarterback Gunner Stockton, running back Nate Frazier, and three offensive linemen. Everybody's talking about another team to win the championship while leaving Georgia out of the mix. That's a mistake. Georgia to cover.

Texas Tech has won and covered seven straight meetings with Houston, including last year’s 35-11 win, and I like them Friday night. I really like Houston’s 5th-year senior quarterback Connor Weigman. I remember him at Texas A&M, but the strength of this Houston offense is their running game so far in the season, and that's also the strength of Texas Tech, which only allows 65 yards per game rushing. Texas Tech has last year's backup at QB, junior Will Hammond, learning on the job, and he’s doing quite well. Texas Tech to win.

We've got ideal football weather in Buffalo on Thursday night at 68° with 4 mph winds and only a 3% chance of rain. It's a new stadium for the Bills; welcome to Highmark Stadium, but it's the same defenses for both teams. The Lions allowed 30 points to the Saints last week, as the Bills allowed 31 points to the Texans. I think this is a back-and-forth game with both offenses doing pretty much everything they set out to do. It'll be an entertaining first game for Buffalo's new stadium. Over is the best play.

I'm expecting a high-scoring game, and I think the Lions are going to attack Buffalo's defense with the ground game. The Texans had a lot of success with it last week and held the ball for 36:17 minutes in the game and only 23:43 minutes for the Bills. The Texans rushed the ball 30 times for 124 yards. The Lions have a great running back in Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed 29 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-30 win over the Saints. I think Gibbs gets over 90 yards. Over the total is the play.

I can get excited about my bet, knowing I have an edge: Patrick Mahomes is playing his first game back since the ACL injury, and he's got his left tackle, Josh Simmons, out for the game, and rookie Kahlil Benson moves over from right tackle to make his first start at left tackle. All this happens against the NFL's No. 1 sack team last season with 68 sacks. A new guy with little experience protecting Mahomes blind side vs. a fierce pass rush? That's an edge that gets me pumped about my bet, and I'm getting points on top of it against a team that went 6-11 and missed the playoffs last year. Broncos to win.

The AFC West has seen a change of guard, and the biggest reason is Bo Nix's maturation as the Broncos' quarterback. The Chiefs had won 16 straight games against the Broncos until Denver won four of the last five, including the last three. In last year's game at Kansas City, he rushed 9 times for 42 yards and a TD, and I like him to score a touchdown here. He broke his ankle last season, and I don't expect him to be his normal self running the ball, but with a touchdown on the line, he’ll do the unexpected for a player coming off an injury. He scored five touchdowns last year, including one at Kansas City.

The Cowboys give plenty of reasons to bet them against the Giants, such as being 16-2 in the last 18 meetings. You've also got the Giants saddled with a 3-17 record in their last 20 prime time games, and this is the first Sunday night game of the season. But the positives with the Giants are that they’re not the old Giants. They've got John Harbaugh as their new head coach, and he's all business. The Giants haven't had a no-nonsense head coach since Tom Coughlin. Jaxson Dart starts his second year, and as a rookie, he showed he’s got moxie. In his last start of the season last year, he beat the Cowboys, throwing two touchdowns and no picks. Giants to win.