College Football Best Bets for Week 2: Our Expert Picks, ATS Predictions & Player Props

This weekend’s college football slate doesn’t have the litany of top 10 matchups like last week had, but there are still plenty of intriguing games from which to comprise my college football best bets for Week 2.

My best college football picks include my best play in the only ranked vs. ranked matchup between Michigan and Oklahoma, and expects a big bounce-back game from Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

Don’t miss the rest of our college football predictions for Week 2, where we're breaking down every major matchup.

🏈 College football best bets & expert picks: Week 2

College football best bets made Friday; odds subject to change.

• NC State ML (-132 via FanDuel) vs. Virginia ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Texas A&M -17.5 first-half spread (-110 via BetMGM) vs. Utah State ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Miami (OH)-Rutgers Over 45 (-110 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐
• Oklahoma -4.5 (-115 via DraftKings) vs. Michigan ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Arch Manning Over 2.5 passing touchdowns (-115 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🔮 Best college football predictions: ATS, ML, O/U

Track the latest college football scores for line movement and matchup info.

🐺 NC State ML (-132) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

NC State and Virginia finished with identical 3-5 conference records last season. But based on returning production and quality of transfers who came in through the portal, SP+ projects the Wolfpack’s offense and defense to finish 54 and 16 spots better, respectively, this year than the Cavaliers’ two units.

NC State lost defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, who led the team to top-30 defenses in three straight seasons. But quarterback CJ Bailey should show progress from a freshman season in which he finished 65th in QBR, while Virginia is still breaking in North Texas transfer Chandler Morris as its signal-caller. 

Though NC State’s point spread is under a field goal, I am backing its moneyline odds, which give it a 56.90% chance of winning outright. A $10 winning wager at FanDuel’s -132 odds, which are a better value than the -140 odds at some other best sports betting sites, would net $7.58 in profits.

Bet $5, Win $300 in Bonus Bets

New customers only. Min. first deposit and wager of $5+. Bonus bets are awarded within 72 hours of winning your first wager. T&Cs apply.

Claim $300

🤠 Texas A&M -17.5 first-half spread (-110) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Texas A&M was only leading UTSA by four points late in the first half last week before a touchdown with under six minutes to go made it an 11-point game. But I expect the Aggies to play with more urgency this week, with the hopes of being able to rest starters with a big road game at Notre Dame on tap next week.

A&M will need to clean up its rush defense that allowed the Roadrunners to average 6.2 yards per carry on 33 rushing attempts. But Utah State was more successful passing the ball in its win over UTEP last week. And if Utah State commits another 11 penalties like it did in its home opener, it is not as likely to challenge the Aggies' defense by being behind the chains.

There is a big 1-point difference between the point spread of 17.5 at BetMGM and the several 18.5s at other competing shops. It is also the only best sports betting app offering -110 juice to lay the points, which would return $9.09 in profits on a winning $10 wager.

Up To $1,500 First Bet

Bonus bets will expire in 7 days. One new customer offer only. Additional terms and conditions apply.

Claim $1,500

⬇️ Miami (OH)-Rutgers Over 45 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐

The O/U for this Miami (OH) vs. Rutgers clash has plummeted from an opening number of 48.5, likely as a direct reaction to the RedHawks being shut out 17-0 by Wisconsin last week. But not only is the Badgers' defense light years better than the Scarlet Knights’, Wisconsin didn’t mind getting into a rock fight after losing quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. to an injury early in the game. 

Miami (OH) totaled just 34 rushing yards on 22 carries last week. It should find more running room against a Rutgers defense that allowed 6.5 yards per rush and was repeatedly gashed by Ohio in a 34-31 shootout victory.

This line has come down too far, leaving tremendous value on the Over at Caesars. It is one of the few college football betting sites charging the standard -110 juice to back the Over at 45 instead of 45.5 on the high end of the market. If the Over cashes, my $10 winning wager would net $9.09 in profits.

Bet $1, Get Twenty 100% Profit Boosts

New users only. Must use promo code. Min. $10 deposit. Max. bonus is twenty 100% Profit Boost tokens. Profit Boost tokens expire in 14 days. Void where prohibited. Full terms.    

Claim Boosts

🅾️ Oklahoma -4.5 (-115) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oklahoma was only a 1.5-point favorite over Michigan on the lookahead line over the summer. But even though this line rocketed to as high as -5.5 on the high end of the market this week, I am still buying this line movement based on trends and what we saw in Week 1.

The Sooners only led Illinois State out of the FCS 21-3 entering the fourth quarter. But the 35-3 margin of victory does not tell the whole story, as Oklahoma outgained the Redbirds 392-34 through the air.

Sooners head coach Brent Venables is 11-5 ATS as a home favorite, and his teams are 15-4 SU when playing in Norman. This road environment will be too much for Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood to handle in his second collegiate start and first road start.

DraftKings is the only top sports betting site where one can back Oklahoma as low as -4.5. The 53.49% implied probability through its -115 odds would net $8.70 in profits on a winning $10 wager.

Bet $5, Get $300 in Bonus Bets + Over $200 Off NFL Sunday Ticket

21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in OR/NH. 1 per customer. $5+ first-time bet req. Get promo code to redeem NFL Sunday Ticket sub and max. $300 issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets; 7 day expiry.

Claim $500

💰 Best college football player prop bets for Week 2

Our college football player prop odds tool shows the best odds for every market across legal sportsbooks in your area.

⬆️ Arch Manning Over 2.5 passing touchdowns (-115) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

With an abysmal Week 1 performance against Ohio State, Arch Manning plummeted from the favorite to sixth in the Heisman Trophy odds. He has received a lot of criticism from the media relative to how hyped he was coming into the season, and I expect head coach Steve Sarkisian will do what he can to quiet that noise and build his quarterback’s confidence.

San Jose State’s best cornerback from last year, DJ Harvey, is gone, and the strength of this year’s defense is its linebackers. Thus, I expect Texas to open the playbook and air it out with Manning more comfortable at home while torching a Spartans defense that was not tested, facing just 13 passes last week.

The Over on Manning’s passing touchdowns total has as high as a 54.13% implied probability based on -118 odds. Head to bet365 for the best value, where -115 odds would net $8.70 in profits on a winning $10 wager.

Bet $5, Get $300 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose*

*Deposit required. Mobile app only. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Referral Codes are used for marketing/tracking purposes only.

Claim Now

❓ College football betting FAQs

What are the best bets for college football Week 2?

My best bets for college football Week 2 include NC State to win outright, Texas A&M to cover the first-half spread, the Miami (OH) vs. Rutgers game to cash the Under, Oklahoma to cover as a home favorite, and Arch Manning to go Over his projected touchdown passes total. 

How do college football odds work?

When betting on college football odds, the point spread shows how many points the favorite needs to win by in order to cash the bet. For example, a favorite of -3 must win by more than 3 points to cover the spread, while an underdog at +3 must win outright or lose by fewer than 3 points to cover the spread.

Moneyline odds represent the payout for picking the outright winner (+200 means a $100 bet wins $200, while -200 means a $200 bet wins $100). Over/Unders let you wager on whether the combined total will be higher or lower than the set number.

You can determine the payouts and implied probabilities for any wager - or convert odds to different formats - with our odds converter.

(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission.