Well, that was fun. The opening-weekend slate a week ago didn’t appear to have much going for it on paper, but it certainly delivered. I mean, where do we even start? Both NC State and Rutgers unexpectedly got trounced to open things on Thursday – the same night we also watched Colorado go into Georgia Tech and come out with an exciting one-point victory. Friday was a bit of a snoozefest, but man, oh, man did the remaining days make up for it.

Oregon and Michigan survived Week 1 scares against Boise St. and Western Michigan, respectively, on Saturday, and Sunday saw Ole Miss and Louisville battle to the very end before the Rebels came away with the victory. Labor Day played out similarly between SMU and Florida St., where the Mustangs left with the win.

The Week 2 schedule appears better on paper, but still not great. But if last week showed us anything, it’s that these kinds of slates still make for some fun CFB predictions! Let's kick things off with the Friday matchups. As below, I’ll lay out my top CFB best bets today.

CFB Week 2 Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 9/11

As good as Week 1 turned out to be, last Friday’s games, as we previously touched on, were nothing to write home about. Unfortunately, when looking ahead to make CFB best bets today, this Friday’s schedule might provide much of the same. Just two of the five games set to be played have a spread in the single digits. In fact, the remaining three all have spreads of at least 30 points.

Does that make the watching experience any tougher? Of course. Does it make it harder to find CFB picks? Yes to that, too. But does it mean any of our CFB best bets today will be less profitable than any other week? Absolutely not! Regardless of the slate, there’s always CFB predictions and, more importantly, money to be made!

 

 

 

Best Matchups & Players To Watch Today

We already mentioned the rough-looking schedule set for tonight. Before we make any official CFB best bets today, here it is in full:

  • Villanova vs. #24 Louisville — 7:00 PM ET | L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, Louisville, KY
  • Norfolk State vs. #25 Virginia — 7:00 PM ET | Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, VA
  • Richmond vs, NC State — 7:00 PM ET | Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC
  • Rutgers vs. Boston College — 7:30 PM ET | Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA
  • #23 Missouri vs. Kansas — 8:00 PM ET | David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KS

So, yeah, not the best when looking to make any CFB predictions. Even though we have three ranked teams playing, only Missouri faces a true test. That said, Rutgers vs. Boston College could be a fun one to get some action on as the only other matchup with a tight spread. We’ll also have players like Isaac Brown (Louisville), Beau Pribula (Virginia), CJ Bailey (NC State), and other exciting players in action.

We’ll lay out some player props below too, but interestingly enough, it won’t involve any of those guys just referenced. First, though, how about a game prediction to kick off this Friday’s version of CFB picks?

Rutgers vs. Boston College Prediction: Friday, September 11th

The Scarlet Knights and Eagles both approach Week 2 with the aim of recovering from disappointing losses. So why exactly do our CFB best bets today involve them? Well, the nature of those defeats varies significantly.

Boston College struggled against Cincinnati, but Rutgers experienced the most unexpected setback of the opening week. This is a big reason why Eagles -3.5 (-105 at BetMGM Sportsbook) is an attractive option, particularly as they’ll be competing on their home turf.

Despite Boston College's 34-15 defeat to Cincinnati, there were some encouraging signs, as the score doesn’t fully reflect their performance. They actually looked alright offensively, and they somehow even managed to outgain the Bearcats in their loss.

Quarterback Mason McKenzie had a respectable outing, completing 18 of 35 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown, in addition to contributing 78 rushing yards on 20 attempts.

The main reason for this wager lies with Rutgers, which suffered a surprising defeat at home, losing 37-21 to UMass despite being favored by 30 points. This loss is particularly alarming given UMass's recent struggles, making it hard to just dismiss the outcome.

Plus, Rutgers' offense was extremely ineffective, managing only 1.2 yards per carry against a UMass defense that had previously allowed over five yards per attempt last season.

Quarterback Dylan Lonergan threw three interceptions and completed just 55% of his passes before being replaced by AJ Surace. This quarterback situation warrants close attention as BC prepares for the matchup, especially since they’re already familiar with Lonergan from his tenure with the Eagles.

Boston College allowed 254 rushing yards and conceded four sacks in Week 1, indicating weaknesses in the trenches on both sides of the ball. However, there were enough encouraging signs offensively to suggest that the team can improve beyond their first performance of the season.

McKenzie's agility may pose additional challenges for a Rutgers defense that struggled against mobile quarterbacks last season, while Evan Dickens, a transfer from Liberty, adds another dimension to BC's rushing attack.

Add in the fact that the upcoming Red Bandana Game at Alumni Stadium, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of 9/11, is expected to create a highly charged atmosphere, and I’m all in on the Eagles. With Rutgers' recent poor performance and the travel they face, our expert CFB picks believe that Boston College is likely to capitalize on this opportunity.

 

 

 

Best CFB Player Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 9/11