Missouri -6.5 over Kansas

Friday, Sept. 11 8:00 P.M.

Missouri had no issues with Arkansas-Pine Bluff to begin the season. Quarterback Austin Simmons, who transferred from Ole Miss, looked sharp in his Tiger debut, throwing four touchdown passes and over 250 yards before turning things over to the backups. The Jayhawks relied on a strong run game in their win against Long Island, rushing for 277 yards and five touchdowns as a team. Isaiah Marshall won the starting quarterback job this offseason and had a solid performance with two passing touchdowns and no turnovers. This game will be held in Lawrence, but Missouri’s program is simply on a different level than Kansas, who has not made a bowl game since 2023. Simmons and the Tigers get the road win by at least a touchdown before heading home to face Troy.

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Oklahoma -4.5 over Michigan

Saturday, Sept. 12 12:00 P.M.

Michigan pulled off an improbable last-second victory against Western Michigan to avoid what would have been one of football’s biggest upsets in recent memory. Even though the Wolverines were favored by nearly four touchdowns, a win of this fashion under new head coach Kyle Whittingham could set the tone for the rest of the season. Oklahoma had no trouble in week one with a 51-0 win over UTEP. Quarterback John Mateer looked very comfortable and Venables’ defense played to its standard ahead of a huge matchup in Ann Arbor. For the first time this season, we get to take the Big Ten-SEC debate to the field, but Michigan’s luck runs out as Mateer and the Sooners leave the Big House with a win.

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Arizona State +14.5 over Texas A&M

Saturday, Sept. 12 12:00 P.M.

The Aggies overcame a sluggish start to beat Missouri State 50-0 under the lights of Kyle Field. Heisman candidate Marcell Reed threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns, with one of those being thrown to Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton. The Sun Devils beat Morgan State 70-7, which was one of the biggest blowout wins of week one. Former Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley threw an impressive six touchdown passes in the win and helped three different players have over 100 receiving yards. Kyle Field is one of the most hostile environments in football, but Kenny Dillingham’s team has what it takes to make this an interesting game to watch in the early slate. Texas A&M will win this game, but not by two touchdowns.

‌Mississippi State -1.5 over Minnesota

Saturday, Sept. 12 3:30 P.M.

The Golden Gophers smoked Eastern Illinois 59-7 for an easy opening victory. Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey threw just five incompletions during his limited playing time while their defense allowed four first downs all game. For the Bulldogs, Kamario Taylor got his chance at QB1 and excelled with a five-touchdown performance and over 400 yards of total offense in a 62-13 win over UL-Monroe. Minnesota has been good at home under head coach P.J. Fleck, but Taylor’s playmaking ability alone is enough for Mississippi State to pull off a road win. Coach Lebby’s Bulldogs start the year 2-0 before heading to Columbia to face the Gamecocks.

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Tennessee -13.5 over Georgia Tech

Saturday, Sept. 12 7:00 P.M.

Georgia Tech had a 45-yard game-winning field goal blocked in the final seconds against Colorado to start the season 0-1. While their defense did all they could to keep the Jackets in the game, Alberto Mendoza and the offense failed to score an offensive touchdown. Meanwhile, Tennessee cruised to a 56-9 victory over Furman, with freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon accounting for five touchdowns and nearly 300 total yards. While this could be a bounce back game for Brent Key and the Jackets, I don’t see their offense being able to keep up with the Volunteers on the scoreboard to make things close. Coach Heupel gets another blowout win on The Flats to leave Tech wondering where this season is headed.

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Texas -1.5 over Ohio State

Saturday, Sept. 12 7:30 P.M.

After last year’s 14-7 win over Texas to begin the season, No. 1 Ohio State travels to Austin for a rematch against Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns. Many analysts across the country have one of these two teams winning the CFP National Championship in January, so this non-conference matchup still has huge postseason implications. With Texas being one of the last teams out of the CFP last season after their 0-1 start, Sark cannot afford to have his team lose another high-level game before conference play starts. Arch Manning has his Heisman moment and outduels Julian Sayin’s Buckeyes in one of the best games we will see this season.