Hey everyone - here we go again! Week 2! Brian went 2-1 last week (I didn't count the Thursday night game as I was too late with it #gamesmanship). Here we go for week 2...Hope y'all enjoy!!!!
MyPerctFranchise.Net’s Potentially Perfect Picks of the Week
Week 2
Each week of the football season, professional guest picker Brian Edwards will join us to give his analysis and picks on a few games he likes each week…enjoy and good luck!!!
Last week – 2-1
Pittsburgh +7 vs. Tennessee: Pat Narduzzi’s team has compiled an 8-4 against-the-spread record in its last 12 games as a home underdog. WynnBET had the Volunteers favored by seven late Wednesday night. If your number is 6.5, buy the half-point to the key number of seven. The Panthers might be without RB Rodney Hammond, who had 129 all-purpose yard and two TDs in last Thursday’s 38-31 home win over West Virginia. However, Pitt has two other veteran RBs in Israel Abanikanda and Vincent Davis), who combined for 1,244 rushing yards and 11 TDs last season.
Tennessee has only been a road favorite six times since 2016, limping to a 2-4 ATS mark.
Appalachian St. +19 at Texas A&M: This is Appalachian State’s first game as a double-digit underdog since its season opener in 2018 when it lost 45-38 at Penn St. in overtime as a 23.5-point ‘dog. The Mountaineers are 5-1 ATS in six contests as road ‘dogs since that heartbreaker in Happy Valley. Shawn Clark’s team went 2-0 ATS with one outright win in a pair of games as a ‘dog last year, beating 14th-ranked Coastal Carolina as a 4.5-point puppy and losing 25-23 at Miami as an eight-point ‘dog. The Hurricanes had to make a field goal on the game’s final play to escape with a victory.
I was surprised when Jimbo Fisher selected Haynes King as his starting QB over Max Johnson, the transfer from LSU who has a 35/7 career touchdown-to-interception ratio. We’ve now seen King play eight quarters (plus a few snaps at Colorado in Week 2 of 2021 before he sustained a season-ending injury) vs. Kent St. (last year) and Sam Houston St. He’s already thrown five interceptions in that small sample of playing time, which is nearly as many as Johnson over 14 career starts.
App St. has lost by more than 10 points only twice in its last 45 games and three times in its last 63 outings.
Alabama -11.5 in the first half at Texas: Steve Sarkisian’s team lost two offensive starters to season-ending injuries in August. Wyoming transfer WR Isaiah Neyor was expected to play a huge role after hauling in 44 receptions for 878 yards and 12 TDs in 2021. Also, junior offensive guard Junior Angilau went down last month. He was a fourth-team All-Big-12 selection last year with 34 career starts to his credit.
I expect Alabama to strike early and often offensively behind QB Bryce Young, the reigning Heiman Trophy winner. To avoid a potential backdoor cover in the second half when Nick Saban is known to take his foot off the accelerator, especially against former assistants of his, I believe ‘Bama in the first half is the best way to attack this game.
Wake Forest -13 at Vanderbilt: I took Wake Forest at -7 on Sunday night before the news of Sam Hartman’s return to the lineup was announced. But I feel just as confident about the Demon Deacons’ chances of cashing tickets at -13 with Hartman than at -7 without him. Hartman, who has started 33 times in his 36 career games, has a 72/29 touchdown-to-interception ratio with 727 rushing yards and 16 TDs. He is poised to pass Riley Skinner as the program’s all-time leader in career passing yards in the next 2-3 games.
Vandy is off to a 2-0 start with a 63-10 win at Hawaii and a Elon. But the Rainbow Warriors might be the nation’s worst FBS team and the Phoenix are an FCS school. Those wins by the Commodores have created outstanding line value for us here. I think Wake wins by three TDs.
Maryland Team Total ‘over’ 24.5 points in the first half at Charlotte: The 49ers have given up 43 and 41 points to Florida Atlantic and William & Mary, respectively, in their first two games. In last year’s regular-season finale, Charlotte gave up 56 points to Old Dominion. In the two games prior to the loss to ODU, Marshall and La. Tech scored 49 and 42 points against the 49ers, respectively. I think this play represents the best strategy in going against a defense that hasn’t showed a pulse in five straight contests dating back to 2021.
