Week 2 College Football Picks Against the Spread

Sports Betting Dime

06 September 2023

Week 2 College Football Picks Against the Spread

Week 2 of the 2023 college football season features a marquee Alabam vs Texas showdown, plus several other games that offer ATS betting value. We’ve gathered our three top CFB picks against the spread to help you turn a profit.

Among our top college football picks against the spread this weekend is a play in Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns as they aim to upset the No.3 Crimson Tide. We’re also taking an intriguing Pac-12 underdog against a powerhouse they’ve historically performed well against.

Let’s dive into our expert college football picks against the spread for Week 2 (Saturday, September 9th).

Texas vs Alabama Odds

All odds as of September 6th, at DraftKings Sportsbook. Browse the top sports betting sites for college football against the spread betting. Bettors in the Bluegrass State should check out Kentucky sports betting ahead of the September 28th launch.

Pick #1: Texas +7.5 (vs Alabama)

Kicking off our Week 2 college football picks against the spread is a play on the Texas Longhorns as 7.5-point underdogs against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Texas only lost this matchup by a single point last season despite not having Quinn Ewers for most of the contest.

The early college football pubic betting splits show Texas a potential sharp play in this matchup, as the Longhorns are receiving 49% of the spread wagers with only 35% of bets. We see this game being close to a toss-up, with Bama having a slight edge due to home-field advantage.

If we go off the 247 Sports Talent Composite, #1 Alabama and #6 Texas are separated by just a few points in average skill. Of course, talent doesn’t always translate to results on the field, but the Longhorns proved last season they are more than capable of hanging with the Crimson Tide.

Quinn Ewers was excellent in his limited action against the Tide last season, and we projected him to have a huge game in the rematch throwing to his talented receivers. The key matchup here will be the struggling Bama run game facing a stout UT rush defense that finished second in the Big 12 last season.

Notre Dame vs North Carolina State Odds

Pick #2: North Carolina State (+7.5) vs Notre Dame

Notre Dame faces its first true road test of the season as it travels to Raleigh to face NC State in Week 2. We’re taking the Wolfpack to cover the spread in their home opener at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday. The Wolfpack are currently 7.5-point underdogs.

Both Notre Dame and NC State are undefeated in the early goings of the 2023 CFB season, with the Irish beating Navy and Tennessee State in blowout fashion, while the Wolfpack took down UConn by a 24-14 score. NC State’s defense ranked 1st in the ACC last season and should be a difference maker Saturday.

This is the first meeting between these two teams since 2016, but UND QB Sam Hartman is plenty familiar with the Wolfpack. The ex-Wake Forest QB has faced NC State three times in his career, going 1-2 and passing for just six TDs with six interceptions.

Meanwhile, the Irish defense hasn’t faced a dual-threat quarterback like NC State’s Brennan Armstrong yet this season. The sixth-year senior has rushed for 1,363 yards and 22 touchdowns while also passing for 9,189 yards and 58 touchdowns in his career.

With Hartman’s previous struggles against NC State, plus Amrmstrong’s dual-threat ability, NC State should keep this game within one score. Yes, the Wolfpack didn’t look all that impressive vs UConn, but they limited the big plays and could’ve scored more if it weren’t for several turnovers.

Pick: NC State +7.5 (-110)

Stanford vs USC Odds

Pick #3: Stanford +29.5 (vs USC)

Concluding our Week 2 college football picks against the spread is a play on the last game of the night this Saturday. The Stanford Cardinal are a great value bet as +29.5 underdogs against the USC Trojans. There’s only been one instance this decade in which USC has beaten Stanford by 20-plus points.

USC is clearly a more recognizable brand name than Stanford, but the Cardinal is being disrespected by this betting line. While he’s no Caleb Williams, Stanford sophomore pivot Ashton Daniels completed 69.4% of his passes for two TDs in the season opener vs Hawaii.

When you look at this matchup last season, the Cardinals were able to run the ball for over 200 yards against USC’s rush defense. Stanford should find more success on the ground in 2023 as they return their top two backs in Casey Filkins and E.J. Smith.

USC’s defense showed improvement in their Week 1 win over Nevada, but they still haven’t faced a Power 5 opponent. Stanford is 6-3 ATS in their last nine games against the Trojans, and they have the weapons to keep this matchup respectable once again.