Now that everyone has at least one game under their belts, we’ll have a little bit of data to help us make our Week 2 college football parlay picks as we look at a big slate of games on Saturday.
The Nevada Wolf Pack are coming off a win — something of a novelty over the last couple of years — and have a chance to continue exceeding expectations. The Iowa Hawkeyes actually scored points last week, but I’m not convinced they’re an offensive juggernaut just yet. And the Oregon Ducks will try to improve on a sluggish performance last week against an always dangerous Boise State Broncos team.
I’ll break down my parlay choices for these three games and look at a same-game parlay for one of the weekend’s biggest tilts in my free college football picks for Week 2 of the 2024 season.
Best college football parlays for Week 2
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Nevada moneyline
Nebraska -6.5
Iowa State vs. 
Iowa Under 35.5
Colorado vs. 
Boise State +19.5Best Week 2 parlay
Nevada moneyline
Iowa State vs. Iowa Under 35.5
Boise State +19.5
The Nevada Wolf Pack have won just two games in each of their last two seasons, but they appear to be off to a stronger start under new head coach Jeff Choate. Despite predictions that they would finish last in the Mountain West Conference, the Wolf Pack have looked good in their first two games, nearly springing a massive upset against the SMU Mustangs before pulling a more modest surprise last week against the Troy Trojans.
Those two results are enough for me to believe that oddsmakers and pundits have underestimated this Nevada team. They should do more damage in 2024 than in recent years.
The Georgia Southern Eagles didn’t look terrible in their opener either, staying marginally in the game against Boise State in a 56-45 loss. The Eagles had trouble stopping any offense with a modicum of talent last year, and after their Week 1 performance, I expect Nevada will be able to outscore them on Saturday as well.
One team that virtually never scores points is Iowa, the most reliable Under pick in the nation last season. The Hawkeyes put up 40 points last week against the Illinois State Redbirds, and while that was against FCS competition, it also nearly matched their best output of all of 2023.
Can they do something similar against an Iowa State Cyclones team that held a reasonably capable North Dakota Fighting Hawks offense to just three points last week? No, no they can’t. I’m taking the Under on the Hawkeyes until further notice.
Finally, I like the Boise State Broncos to cover a nearly three-touchdown spread against Oregon.
The Ducks struggled offensively against what should have been an overmatched Idaho Vandals squad, and the Oregon defense couldn’t shut down the Vandals on a couple of key second-half drives, either. Oregon survived, but it leaves me questioning how they’ll handle an explosive Boise State offense.
The Broncos are an early favorite to make the expanded College Football Playoff out of the Group of 5, and they’ll do enough to show why on Saturday.
Best Week 2 SGP
Nebraska -6.5
Under 57
Rahmir Johnson anytime TD
There was nothing embarrassing about the Colorado Buffaloes’ tight 31-26 win over the North Dakota State Bison, a team that is more than a match for much of the FBS ranks. Still, it gives us a reasonable impression of where the Buffaloes stand in 2024, and I’m not sure it’s all that much different than last year.
Colorado had little trouble with a poor Nebraska Cornhuskers team last season, but Nebraska looks much stronger in Matt Rhule’s second season. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola looked dynamic — and more importantly, ready for college football — in a 40-7 win over the UTEP Miners. I expect Nebraska to get its revenge at home on Saturday, though I’m buying the line down to under a touchdown, as I think that’s a much safer play for a same-game parlay.
Rhule’s Cornhuskers have developed a penchant for playing in tight, low-scoring affairs, with even the UTEP game coming in Under the total to start this year. In fact, Nebraska didn’t play a single game last year that went Over 50 points, let alone approaching the 57-point total that has been put on Saturday’s game. Colorado has developed a reputation for wild, high-scoring affairs under Deion Sanders, but even the Buffaloes played below Saturday’s total in six of their 12 games last year. I like the Under at this number.
Finally, I’m taking Cornhuskers running back Rahmir Johnson to score a touchdown. Nebraska has a variety of ground options, and Johnson didn’t find the endzone against the Miners last weekend. However, he did get the most carries of anyone and looks prepared to finally take on the No. 1 role in the backfield in his final year in Lincoln.
Not intended for use in MA.
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