It may not be betting Hawaii home games after a long day of NCAA football action but Pac-12 After Dark is still a great college football betting tradition.
This week we look at two contenders in the Pac-12 South who are laying some late-night points on the road after impressive starts to the season, as the USC Trojans visit the Stanford Cardinal while the Utah Utes head to Provo to take on the BYU Cougars in the latest edition of the Holy War.
The Triple Option returns with my best college football picks and predictions for Week 2.
College football picks and predictions for Week 2
Pittsburgh -3 (-110)
Talk about taking care of business. The Pittsburgh Panthers crushed UMass 51-7 in their season opener, covering the massive 38-point chalk in the process. Pat Narduzzi’s squad is a sleeper team in the ACC and could surprise a bunch of people, including their next opponent, the Tennessee Volunteers.
The Vols won Jeff Heupel’s first game as head coach, 38-6 over Bowling Green, but left much to be desired. Tennessee led just 14-6 at halftime and didn’t cover the 37-point spread. A big problem for the Vols was an offense that was one-sided. Former Michigan quarterback Joe Milton went just 11-23 for 140 yards. Against Bowling Green.
Narduzzi’s defense is aggressive and disruptive and is anchored by one of the best linebacking corps in the country. Those linebackers should be able to keep Milton in the pocket and force him to try and beat Pitt with his arm.
Meanwhile, Pitt’s offense is showing signs of breaking out this year. Fifth-year senior quarterback Kenny Pickett threw for 2,408 yards with a 61.1 percent completion percentage last season and opened the year going 27-37 for 272 yards and two scores in under three quarters of action, while the run game rumbled for 222 yards at 5.4 yards per carry.
The Tennessee defense was fine against Bowling Green but this unit allowed 407 yards and 30.1 points per game last season. Pitt should win and cover this one.
Utah -7 (-110)
Buckle up for the latest edition of the Holy War.
Utah is one of my favorite under-the-radar teams in college football this season. Head coach Kyle Whittingham has built a winning program and this year should be no different. The Utes return 19 starters this season and brought in former Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer to lead the offense.
Brewer is coming off a down year at Baylor, but the year before that he threw for 3,161 yards with 21 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions, leading the Bears to the Big 12 title game that season.
Brewer and the Utes got the season underway with a nothing-fancy 40-17 win over FCS Weber State. Utah had a balanced attack, with Brewer throwing for 233 yards and two touchdowns in three quarters of work while the run game rumbled for 6.1 yards per carry.
That doesn't bode well for a BYU team that is adjusting to life without Zach Wilson. The Cougars managed a 24-16 win over Arizona in their opener but didn’t cover the 13.5-point spread and allowed a sub-par Wildcats team to outgain them in total yards (426 total).
The last time Utah went into Provo for the Holy War, they came out as 30-12 victors and that’s when BYU had Wilson under center. The Utes are one of my sleeper teams in the Pac-12, possessing a veteran bunch and another elite defense. They might not win by that much this time around, but I’m fairly confident they’ll cover the touchdown.
USC -17 (-110)
Last week's season opener against the San Jose State Spartans is one of those games the Trojans are sometimes known for not showing up in. The Spartans went into that game off a win, are a strong Mountain West team with solid quarterback play, and were a live underdog. But USC took care of business, winning 30-7 and easily covering the 13.5-point spread.
That gives me confidence that this year might be a little different for the Trojans, and that laying the points with them against visiting Stanford isn’t so scary.
USC’s offense has a dynamic quarterback-wide receiver duo in Kedon Slovis and Drake London, and the two got their season off to a great start. Slovis went 24-36 for 256 yards with two touchdowns and no picks. Half of those completions went to London — who already has the look of an NFL wideout — for 137 yards.
The Trojans’ defense was nearly as impressive. They took away the Spartans' run game and, while they gave up a handful of big plays through the air, they held QB Nick Starkel to just a 50 percent completion rate and clamped down when it mattered, allowing just one touchdown.
That could mean some tough sledding for a Stanford team that struggled to get anything going against Kansas State last week. The Cardinal managed just seven points and 233 yards of total offense in a 24-7 loss as 3-point road dogs.
The Cardinal are making a switch at quarterback after Tanner McKee looked more effective than starter Jack West, but that was in garbage time when Stanford was trailing 24-0.
And while much can be made about Clay Helton’s team's performance as a favorite, Stanford hasn’t been great as a dog, going 3-8 ATS since 2019 when catching points and 2-5 ATS as double-digit dogs. And in those five ATS defeats, the Cardinal have lost by an average of 20.4 points. We’re betting that trend continues here.
Bonus Pick: Purdue -20.5 First Half (-110)
I just had to include a fade of Connecticut.
The Huskies are a dumpster fire of a program right now. After not playing in 2020, UConn opened its season by getting thumped 45-0 as 28-point underdogs at Fresno State. Then it followed it up by getting upset 38-28 by FCS Holy Cross last week.
Head coach Randy Edsall abruptly changed his end-of-season retirement to right now. And the Huskies benched their starting quarterback.
Purdue should have a potent offense this season and got off to a good start in a 30-21 win as 7-point favorites over Oregon State. Quarterback Jack Plummer went 29-41 for 313 yards and two scores while WRs David Bell and Payne Durham had dominating games, hauling in 15 of those passes for 254 yards and two TDs.
Now Purdue goes against a UConn team that trailed Fresno State 31-0 at the half and was behind Holy Cross 24-21 going into the break. Bet the Boilermakers on the first-half spread and don’t sweat it.
Week 2 odds overview
Air Force at Navy (+5.5, 40.5): Service academy Unders are the best trend going in college football, with the Under going 37-9 (80.4 percent) in these matchups since 2005. The total for this one is a low 40.5, which is six points lower than any meeting between these two in the last nine seasons.
Iowa at Iowa State (-4.5, 46): The Hawkeyes might be getting too many points here. They crushed Indiana in their opener and are 6-1 ATS during their seven-game winning streak. While the Cyclones likely ran a vanilla offense last week, they still almost lost to Northern Iowa. Again. I would be shocked if this one didn't come down to a field goal.
Appalachian State at Miami (-9, 54): The Mountaineers may be walking into a buzzsaw in this one. Miami was confident going into its game against Alabama and got throttled. But this is still a talented team and should be out for blood in this one. This line has already moved from -7.5 to -9. Jump on it before it gets to double digits.
Odds current at time of publish. Check out our college football odds screen to see live odds and to shop for the best prices.
Week 2 Triple Option betting card
- Pittsburgh -3 (-110)
- Utah -7 (-110)
- USC -17 (-110)
- Purdue -20.5 First Half (-110)
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