Hello Thunder faithful! WELCOME BACK to the Funvee Tailgate BLOG, The THUNDERBLOG’s Weekly College Football Series. If you noticed the emphasis on “BLOG,” that is because we also have the Funvee Tailgate Podcast that ties into the blog series. Here’s the iTunes link to go subscribe. For those newer readers, the blog version of the Funvee Tailgate looks at the full slate of Top 25 FBS teams along with a few other selections. I make picks on games with less than a 20-point spread and try to make everyone some money. I also tweet out my seven “Degnerate Geordie” picks that are my surefire locks that I’m betting that day. Week 1 was a bit of a snooze fest aside from Auburn shocking Oregon and Tennessee losing to Georgia State. Week 2 will similarly have one matchup of ranked opponents but some more exciting games to watch. LET’S FIIIIRRRREEEE IT UP!
Last Week’s Picks:
Week 1 Blog Picks: 2-1-1, good look by me picking the ND line when it was still 18 points.
Degenerate Geordie Picks: 5-2, Greg gave me the appropriate shit for betting against Syracuse. Never again.
Friday Night Over Fest:
We have Marshall at #24 Boise State (O/U 57) and Wake Forrest at Rice (O/U 58.5) tonight on the college football slate. Wake Forrest/Rice is a defenseless special and Boise State showed they can score in bunches in their comeback at FSU last weekend. Bet both. Parlay it. Tease it. Maybe throw in UVA/William & Mary but be careful with that.
Saturday Slate:
A more exciting weekend with Week 2. We have some duds but we’ll have good football all day. #2 Alabama, #3 Georgia, #4 Oklahoma, #5 Ohio State, #7 Michigan, #11 Florida #13 Utah, #15 Penn State, #16 Oregon, and #22 Washington State are all MASSIVE favorites and should win. Let’s take a look at the rest of the slate:
- #21 Syracuse (+1.5) @ Maryland at noon on ESPN–I said it before: never again. Syracuse outright.
- Rutgers (+19.5) @ #20 Iowa at noon on FS1–Iowa barely qualifies for an actual pick and it’s because the Hawkeyes are typically a low-scoring team. But this is Rutgers we’re talking about. Iowa wins and covers.
- #12 Texas A&M (+17.5) @ #1 Clemson at 3:30 on ABC–A large spread for Clemson to cover at home. Travis Etienne looked like an unstoppable freight train and Trevor Lawrence still has plenty of room to rise. A&M is hopeful but this will get ugly quick. Clemson wins and covers. **A&M +17.5 was Third and Girl’s College pick on the podcast**
- #25 Nebraska (-4) @ Colorado at 3:30 on FOX–Nebraska didn’t look great against South Alabama last week. The Huskers won the game but it was sloppy. Colorado looked more sharp, especially on the ground, and that will make the difference. Colorado wins outright. **COL +4 was Matty D’s College pick on the podcast**
- #18 UCF (-10) @ Florida Atlantic at 7:00 on CBSSN–UCF did not skip a beat from returning to last year’s form, even with the interesting QB tandem they rolled with. FAU played Ohio State and did their best? I don’t see this being any different. UCF wins and covers.
- Western Michigan (+16) @ #19 Michigan State at 7:30 on Big Ten Network–WMU’s offense ran up and down the field against Monmouth of the FCS. Sparty’s defense looked great against Tulsa and should really stifle the Broncos here. They’ll barely do it but MSU wins and covers.
- Tulane (+17) @ #10 Auburn at 7:30 on ESPN2–Tulane’s rush attack was on full display last week while their passing game was nothing to write home about. Auburn started slow last week but they should be keying in on the Tulane running while stopped the air game. I like three touchdowns as the margin. Auburn wins and covers.
- #6 LSU (-6) @ #9 Texas at 7:30 on ABC–The game of the week. The 2019 College Football season could go in different directions depending on how this game goes. LSU could make a huge statement and put the SEC West on notice whereas Texas would be alllll the way BACK, FOLKS. Two great QBs facing challenging defenses. LSU’s defense is better than Texas’ but Joe Burrow will need to continue his stellar play from a week ago as we know Sam Ehlinger steps up under the lights. Gimme the Tiger defense. LSU wins and covers. **LSU -6 was my College pick on this week’s podcast**
- #23 Stanford (+3) @ USC at 10:30 on ESPN–Was JT Davis that impressive to give USC the nod for a home favorite or was Stanford’s defensive stand over NW not impressive at all? Either way, Stanford”s KJ Costello and Cam Scarlett QB/RB duo should run over the Trojans. Stanford wins outright.
- California (+13.5) @ #14 Washington at 10:30 on FS1–Another weird Pac-12 line. Washington was very impressive in Week 1 but it was against FCS juggernaut Eastern Washington. Still, Jacob Eason looked fantastic and he should this week as well. Washington wins and covers.
Lehigh made Sports Center last week! The result, however, was not too impressive as the Mountain Hawks blew a 13-0 lead to fall 14-13 to Saint Francis. The defense looked great but the offense was inconsistent. The good news (I guess?) is that no Patriot League team has won a game in 2019. Lehigh travels down to Villanova this Saturday. The Wildcats have an impressive offense that will really give the Lehigh defense a test. Nova should win but hopefully Lehigh slows them down a bit.
What do you guys think? Any picks I’m dead wrong on? Let me know in the comments and keep an eye out for my Degenerate Geordie picks on Twitter Saturday morning!
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