Week 1 is gone and now we have some data to work with. We were down 2 units last weekend but excited to get that back today. Just giving picks below but write up will be later. Headed to a tournament baseball game. Good luck and let’s win some cash today!
IOWA HAWKEYES +3.5 at IOWA STATE CYCLONES
A battle for bragging rights in Iowa takes place in Ames today as the Hawkeyes take on the Cyclones. It’s being advertised as the Cy-Hawk game as Fox will be broadcasting with it’s top team as part of the Big Noon Kickoff. Iowa State won last year’s game and looks to win two straight in this series for the first time since 2012.
But I’m backing the Hawkeyes here. First off, this game should be played in the 40’s, possibly 30’s, making the underdog points a premium. Both teams pride themselves on defense and will look to win the game in the trenches. Secondly, for the first time in years, it looks like Iowa has a semblance of a passing game. We saw Kansas State have success through the air against Iowa State in Week 0, and Iowa will have to do some of the same to stay connected in this game. Lastly, it’s a rivalry game and Iowa has revenge on its mind. Potential for an outright upset here.
BAYLOR BEARS +3.5 at SMU MUSTANGS
This is simply a play on numbers. Several of the power rankings I use have SMU as a significant favorite. Which makes sense as you have a playoff team from last year versus one that was tied for 5th in the Big 12 and finished with an 8-5 record. Add to that, Baylor is coming off a disappointing effort against Auburn where they lost by two scores. Yet, Vegas has kept this number under a touchdown. Finally, the money is split yet the line has shrank, as Vegas is looking to get more SMU money in. I’ll take the sharp side here and roll with the Bears to keep this one close, and maybe pull off the upset.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS -41.5 vs FIU
Penn State is considered one of the most talented teams in the nation. Which is represented by the preseason #2 ranking. And the Nittany Lions will assuredly stay there through the month of September as they didn’t challenge themselves with any quality competition coming out of the gates. First was Nevada, who they took care of last week by a score of 46 to 11. And next up is Florida International University who is ranked 115th out of 136 team in SP+ rankings. They will follow that up with a game against FCS Villanova Wildcats next week. Not an impressive set of out of conference games for a noted powerhouse.
But the reason I’m backing them today is because of the results from last week. Nevada scored a late touchdown to spoil a great defensive effort. That should provide plenty of motivation for James Franklin and his coaches to get his team up to play a substandard opponent today. The offense put up 46, showing their potential, so we just need the defense to keep FIU under 10 points to cover this big number.
OKLAHOMA SOONERS -4.5 vs MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (7pm)
I’m adding this one to the article as I don’t have time to put a full writeup together for the night games. But I love the Sooners in this spot tonight. QB John Mateer has been one of my favorites in DFS for years and now he gets to play in the national spotlight for a powerhouse team. I expect him to have a tremendous game tonight. Then there’s freshman QB Bryce Underwood starting his first big game against a defensive guru in Oklahoma HC Brent Venables. This just looks like a great spot for a hungry Sooners team to make a name for themselves this year.