Expert Picks
Iowa travels to Michigan in this Big 10 clash...
How will Utah handle their first road test of 2026?
No. 1 Texas, Arch Manning visit No. 14 Tennessee. ...
Is there value on a winless team at home this week?...
USC has given up 65 points in its last two games...
Purdue has allowed 90 points the last two weeks...
There are late starts for teams from the Eastern Time zone -- and there is this extreme one. Seriously, 11 p.m. (ET) in the Rose Bowl? The Boilermakers are behind the eight-ball before kickoff. UCLA has awakened late in its outings, pulling away from California and San Diego State after sleepy starts. Bruins QB Nico Iamaleava has been a subpar passer through two games but has atoned with his running to supplement an effective two-headed RB tandem. Purdue has shown hints of improvement but faces a lengthy road ahead from its two wins in 2025, neither against Power Four squads.
Montana is 3-0 and ranked in the top-3 of FCS polls this season. Oregon State is 0-2 with double-digit losses to ranked Big 12 teams. Surely, this spread should be closer to 10 than 17.5, right? The Grizzlies boast FCS preseason All-American running back Eli Gillman, who has rushed for 328 yards and seven scores in three games in 2026. They also have preseason second team All-Americans QB Keali'i Ah Yat and WR Brooks Davis - quite the trio on offense. Montana is also 16-2 since the beginning of 2025 with both losses to rival Montana State last year. Top-5 FCS teams are 3-1 straight up vs. FBS teams this year. Watch out Beavers - this one will be close. Oregon State 34, Montana 27.
Playing North Dakota State on the opener under 24 points. The Bison might be a wagon this year. NDSU dominated Air Force before running out of gas at altitude late. Sacramento State would still be an average FCS team. The Bison traditionally murder these teams and I think that trend continues here. Like them in a 52-13 kind of game.
I hate betting against my own team but a five touchdown blowout isn't necessary for Arizona. And no, this isn't simply a reaction to last week's poor second half at BYU. With a tricky trip at Washington State next week and the Big 12 season kicking in full gear after that, I'd be plenty content for the Wildcats to get up early and take star QB Noah Fifita out after the third quarter. Both of these teams are 0-2 ATS so something has to give. UofA wins easily, but calls off the dogs late. Arizona 41, Northern Illinois 13.
James Madison heads west feeling good about itself after mauling Wagner 87-3. Let's not forget the Dukes slid by Liberty by a TD the week before. JMU has taken the word ”rebuilding” to a new level, with 61 new players — 39 of them transfers. Only one offensive starter repped the Dukes a season ago. San Diego State shut out UCLA (and its slew of transfers from JMU) well into the third quarter last Saturday. Points will be vastly harder to come by for the visitors. The 10 p.m. (ET) kickoff offers an additional edge to the Aztecs, who have covered in six of the last seven at home.
Tulsa has played two low-scoring games thus far and will be without starting QB Baylor Hayes on Saturday due to injury. Seventh-year senior Dexter Williams will get the call. No doubt the Golden Hurricane look past this one anyways toward Sept. 26 at Arkansas when Hayes is expected back. None of East Texas A&M's three games have come close to topping this number and the Lions have totaled 22 points in two road games.
If there is a true sandwich game in September, it's this one. Texas must return from the clouds after a comeback for the ages against Ohio State, and Tennessee looms next week. The Longhorns failed to impress for three quarters against the Buckeyes, so they hardly are coming off a complete game. Visiting QB Owen (son of Josh) McCown will not be cowed by the scene; he has started 28 straight games. UTSA rolled into Austin in 2022 and played the Horns even into the third period before falling. The 'Runners can feast in ATS terms with this sandwick scenario.
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.
Pour one out for Northwestern's cozy lakeside temporary home, as it's the last time the Wildcats will host a game before moving into their new digs. Sadly, for those who choose to attend in the wind and rain, I don't believe it will be an exciting affair.