Well, friends, the first full weekend of college football is here.
You remember college football, don’t you? It’s that festering, oozing ball of chaos that, on the one hand, becomes less lovable all the time and yet, on the other, beats a stick in the eye.
Players don’t stay on one campus long enough to unpack. Coaches spend more time poaching other schools’ Jimmys and Joes than they do drawing up winning X’s and O’s. And what does the word “conference” even mean anymore? Or the phrase “traditional rivalry”? Or the concept that any of it — anything at all — even matters outside of the soon-to-be-tripling-in-size playoff?
God bless it, now your old pal is aggravated.
Good thing he’s still — despite it all — hopelessly hooked on the college game. That means another season of “Big Game Hunting,” your weekly home for picks that might win you a few shekels but, then again, might not. Who could pass on a deal like that?
WEEK 1 PICKS
All games are Saturday unless otherwise noted:
Toledo (+9½) at Illinois (6:30 p.m., BTN, 890-AM): Know this going in, Illini fans — the Rockets are mighty confident they can win. Because that’s just what they do, you know? They won the Mid-American Conference last season. With 16 returning starters, most notably dual-threat quarterback Dequan Finn, they’re the favorites to do that again. It’s just the MAC, but winning is winning and Toledo has done a lot more of it in recent years than Illinois.
Still, Illinois is in Year 3 under Bret Bielema, and Bielema’s style of building teams from the weight room out is working. The Illini are physically impressive — for far too long, that just plain couldn’t be said — and there’s an attitude and edge that comes with it.
“We’ve got to keep not one chip on our shoulder, but two,” Bielema said, “and that’s how we’ve got to play.”
Last year’s team leaned on a lights-out defense. In this game, the difference is the offensive line leaning on the Rockets and wearing them out in the second half. Oskee Wow-Wow, 34-26.
Northern Illinois (+8½) at Boston College (11 a.m., ACC Network): The Huskies cratered to a 3-9 record last season, but their best two players — QB Rocky Lombardi and wideout/return man Trayvon Rudolph — missed most of the action. They’re back and, with better health, will make NIU a factor in the MAC again. But today? It’s a tough but encouraging “L” courtesy of the Eagles, 31-27.
Colorado (+20½) at No. 17 TCU (11 a.m., Fox-32): Perhaps you’ve heard of CU’s new coach, a gentleman by the name of Deion Sanders. He brought everything and everybody that wasn’t nailed down — including son Shedeur, his QB1 — from Jackson State to Boulder, and all eyes will be on the Buffs. And “Coach Prime” loves it.
“I never feel pressure,” Sanders said this week. “We apply pressure.”
No, that’ll be TCU applying the pressure. Run for your life, Shedeur! Horned Frogs, 38-14.
No. 3 Ohio State (-30) at Indiana (2:30 p.m., Ch. 2): Hoosiers coach Tom Allen has lost more than twice as many Big Ten games than he has won, yet here he is stumbling into Year 8 in Bloomington. It’s probably the best of all times to get the Buckeyes, who are breaking in a couple of QBs with zero high-leverage snaps under their belts. O-H! Uh-oh? Buckeyes sweat it out … by 21.
Northwestern (+6½) at Rutgers (11 a.m. Sunday, Ch. 2, 720-AM): Who’s the Wildcats’ QB1? Is it Brendan Sullivan, a tough runner with modest throwing ability? Or is it transfer Ben Bryant, more of a pocket passer? Interim coach David Braun chose to leave that revelation for game time. Whether or not it matters is another story.
“We have a confident football team right now,” Braun said.
Does that matter, either? Scarlet Knights, 24-14.
My favorite favorite: No. 5 LSU (-2½) vs. No. 8 Florida State (6:30 p.m. Sunday, Ch. 7): Last year, also on a neutral field, Brian Kelly’s Tigers lost their debut to the Seminoles in wild, shocking, down-to-the-wire fashion. By the end of the season, though, it would have been hard to argue that the Tigers — who beat Alabama along the way — weren’t the better team. Plus, dang it, it’s payback time. LSU by a touchdown.
My favorite underdog: West Virginia (+20½) at No. 7 Penn State (6:30 p.m., Ch. 5): Everybody is super high on the Nittany Lions, and that’s fine. This might be James Franklin’s most talented team yet. But the Mountaineers, with some athletes and tough guys of their own, are sick and tired of hearing they aren’t going to be any good. PSU by only 10.
Last season’s record: 83-46 straight-up, 66-62-1 against the spread.
