College Football Week 2: Early Lines, Odds, & Predictions
Week 1 of the 2024 college football season gave us a highly entertaining slate to watch. The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff is here and the energy was palpable throughout the country, with a couple of big upsets taking place. Notre Dame went on the road and won outright as 3-point underdogs against Texas A&M, while Miller Moss and the USC Trojans delivered a clutch performance down the stretch to beat LSU 27-20 as +4.5 point underdogs during the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic on Sunday night.
We wound up 4-0 with our Week 1 best bets, so let’s try to replicate that feat by analyzing and predicting some of the biggest games on tap for Week 2.
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College Football Early Line Movement: Week 2
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
| Away | Home | Open Spread | Current Spread | Open Total | Current Total | Day | Spread +/- | Total +/- |
| Texas | Michigan | +5.5 | +7.0 | 44.5 | 44.0 | Monday | +1.5 | +0.5 |
| Tennessee | NC State | +5 | +7.5 | 59.5 | 60.5 | Monday | +2.5 | -1.0 |
| Iowa State | Iowa | -3 | -2.5 | 36.5 | 36.0 | Monday | +0.5 | +0.5 |
| Georgia Tech | Syracuse | +1 | +3.0 | 57.5 | 61.0 | Monday | +2.0 | -3.5 |
Texas (4) vs. Michigan (9)
Texas QB Quinn Ewers eased into his season with a 52-0 rout of Colorado State in Week 1. Him and the rest of the Longhorns will face a much stiffer challenge against Michigan on the road in Week 2. The Wolverines looked sluggish against Fresno State until later in the game but it’s to be expected without Jim Harbaugh and the slew of offensive talent lost from last year’s National Championship team.
The lines have moved in favor of Texas, going from -5.5 to -7.0 road favorites during this noon ET kickoff. The point total under has moved down from 44.5 to 44.0. Asking Texas to cover by a touchdown at the Big House is a lot, despite their continuity and playmakers rostered. However, I don’t feel comfortable backing Michigan’s offense to score points despite catching +7.0 at home. Let’s stake a unit on under 44.0 total points in a game that could wind up with the Longhorns winning 24-20 or 27-17.
Best Bet: Under 44.0 (-106)
Tennessee (15) vs. NC State (24)
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava shredded Chattanooga in Week 1, going 22-28 for 314 yards and three touchdowns. NC State’s QB, Grayson McCall, also enjoyed a strong outing against Western Carolina, going 26-40 for 318 yards and three touchdowns.
The Wolfpack host the Volunteers in this primetime interconference matchup on Saturday night and it should be a lot of fun to watch. Early line movement on Tennessee from -5 to -7.5 on the point spread has occurred despite playing a ranked opponent on the road in primetime. The point total also jumped from 59.5 to 60.5, implying we’re going to see plenty of offense.
Neither of these teams faced a strong opponent in Week 1 but Tennessee routed Chattanooga 69-3. NC State won 38-21 but allowed 6.3 YPC, which Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson can easily exploit. I think Tennessee is one of the best teams in the country and should be able to wind up covering an inflated point spread at -7.5 on the road against the Wolfpack on Saturday night.
Best Bet: Tennessee -7.5 (-110)
Iowa State vs. Iowa (25)
An in-state rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State may produce an extremely low-scoring affair in the Hawkeye State. We did watch Iowa blank Illinois State 40-0 but there were certainly some struggles early with QB Cade McNamara. The Cyclones beat North Dakota 21-3, completing 77 percent of pass attempts but averaging under 4.0 YPC on offense.
Expect points to be at a premium in this game on Saturday in Iowa City. The past two matchups have been 20-13 and 10-7, with each opponent recording an outright win. Let’s jump on the point total under before it moves any lower, as it’s already descended from 36.5 to 36.0. Iowa has also moved from -3.0 to -2.5 on the point spread, but I’d rather invest in the under between two great defensive teams.
Best Bet: Under 36.0 (-112)
Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse
Our last game in Week 2 is an ACC matchup between Georgia Tech and Syracuse. The Yellow Jackets shocked Florida State in Week 1 with a last-second field goal, playing smash-mouth football and controlling the line of scrimmage with a heavy run-game.
Kyle McCord, Ohio State’s former quarterback, is now under center for the Orange and he looked sharp against Ohio University, completing 27-of-39 pass attempts for 354 yards and four touchdowns. Haynes King’s mobility is an asset for Georgia Tech to use against the Syracuse defense, which gave up 6.5 YPC to an inexperienced Ohio roster in Week 1.
Early line movement has Syracuse moving from a +1 to a +3 home underdog and the point total has soared 3.5 points to 61.0. If there’s any side we need to bet in this ACC contest, it’s going to be laying the points with the road favorite. Georgia Tech’s confidence after shutting down Florida State cannot be overlooked and McCord will have his hands full against a much-improved defense, despite experience at Ohio State.
Let’s stake a unit on the Yellow Jackets to cover the point spread by a field goal at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday afternoon.
Best Bet: Georgia Tech -3 (-115)
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.