College Football

2023 College Football odds: Look for Colorado to win again, other Week 2 picks

Published Sep. 6, 2023 8:48 p.m. ET

After an exciting Week 1 that saw some major upsets, it's on to Week 2 of the college football season.

Last week, my TCU prediction didn't pan out as I had hoped. But Utah-Florida went Under, while Florida State pulled out the win against LSU.

So I'm going into this week feeling good about the best bets I have for you.

Let's dive into my picks for Week 2!

All times ET Saturday

Nebraska at No. 22 Colorado (noon, FOX and FOX Sports App)

Well … Deion Sanders and his Buffaloes proved all the doubters (including myself) wrong last weekend, after they defeated TCU 45-42.

Colorado’s offense was unstoppable, with Sanders’ son Shedeur Sanders throwing for a Colorado record 510 yards and four electrifying touchdowns. Four Colorado offensive weapons recorded over 100 receiving yards, including two-way superstar Travis Hunter.

The Buffaloes' offensive design was fantastic, taking advantage of their speed against a slower TCU defense while protecting their vulnerable offensive line. Defensively, Colorado did just enough, forcing two red-zone interceptions, or they’d have allowed 56 points to TCU.

Nebraska lost to Minnesota on Thursday night in only a way the Cornhuskers can lose. Up 10-3 late in the fourth quarter, they allowed 10 points in the final three minutes to lose.

The only Nebraska touchdown came on a trick play where quarterback Jeff Sims fumbled a backward pass before scooping up the ball to heave it downfield for a touchdown. Sims was 11-for-19 passing for 114 yards and added 91 yards on the ground. His best weapon right now is his legs, but Colorado is aware of this.

The Cornhuskers' defense played well against the Gophers, and it’s clear coach Matt Rhule has good personnel on that side of the ball. The most certain part of this game is the Buffaloes' offense and the ability of their playmakers to move the ball and score points. It’s wise to assume a bit of a pullback with film on them and a better defense in Nebraska, but the Buffs should get around 30 points.

I just do not trust Nebraska to keep pace, even though Colorado’s defense is still trying to find an identity. The need to score points continually to keep up with Colorado will force Nebraska’s offense to make plays that might not be there. Sims is bound to issue a few turnovers, so I like Colorado to cover.

PICK: Colorado (-2.5) to win by more than 2.5 points

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No. 13 Oregon at Texas Tech (7 p.m., FOX and FOX Sports App)

The Red Raiders are going to play better this weekend when they host their first home game of the season against the Ducks. Tech lost 35-33 in double overtime to Wyoming last week, after opening up an early 17-0 lead.

Tech scored 20 points in 60 minutes before the two overtime periods — 10 of those points were scored on a short field after forcing Wyoming turnovers. It’s fair to point out a few drops in critical situations cost Tech some points, but the offense did not look efficient.

Quarterback Tyler Shough, a transfer from Oregon starting his second season with the Red Raiders, was hit way too much and the Ducks' rushing attack was nonexistent. I understand Wyoming is a difficult venue to succeed in, but the Red Raiders did not play well.

Oregon is coming off an 81-7 drubbing of Portland State. While it’s just Portland State, what Oregon did is exactly what top tier teams do: dominate.

The Ducks' new look offensive line was outstanding and their long list of weapons on offense excelled. More importantly, the defense looked much improved from last season. It tackled. It rushed the passer and it generally played much tougher.

Oregon played more than 10 true freshman on defense and that trend will continue throughout the season. The Ducks are a more talented team than the Red Raiders.

Other than "Texas Tech is playing at home," I fail to see how the Red Raiders cover this game. I know that as an Oregon grad, that might seem arrogant, but the Ducks have playoff aspirations.

If they are going to reach their goals, they win this game by double digits. They are better than Tech at nearly every position. If they are not a playoff caliber team, then they either struggle to win a close game or lose this game.

Pretty simple to me. Ducks will cover.

PICK: Oregon (-6.5) to win by more than 6.5 points

Stanford at No. 6 USC (10:30 p.m., FOX and FOX Sports App)

Is Lincoln Riley still the coach at USC? Yes. Is Caleb Williams playing quarterback for a Lincoln Riley-led USC team? Yes.

With that said, take the Over when the Trojans take the field.

The Trojans have played 16 games with the duo of Riley and Williams, and they’ve gone Over in 13 of those games.

In the first two games of the 2023 season, USC has almost gone Over the game total by themselves. The Trojans scored 56 points against San Jose State and 66 against Nevada, which is impressive considering they pulled Williams when USC hit 49 points.

The Trojans' offense is unstoppable when playing defenses that can’t keep up with its speed and/or can’t overpower it at the line of scrimmage. Stanford’s defense can do neither well under first-year coach Troy Taylor. The Cardinal do not have enough difference makers on defense to stop the USC offense.

Yes, the USC offense is a major reason why the Over continually hits, but its defense also plays a big role. It allows points and Riley’s teams have always struggled to stop most competent offenses.

To my surprise, and maybe it shouldn’t be because Taylor can coach the heck out of an offense, the Stanford offense looked good against Hawaii last week. Yes, it’s Hawaii, but the Cardinal moved the ball with ease, using an uptempo approach to get easy yards.

This approach will be used against USC this weekend. Stanford is going to run the ball and use the tight end, its best weapon on offense. I like the Over in this game.

PICK: Over 69.5 points scored by both teams combined

Geoff Schwartz is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.