College Football Week 2 Best Bets: Saturday, September 12

Following the chaos and excitement of Week 1, the college football season kicks into another gear this weekend with an excellent slate on Saturday. With a jam-packed 12 hours of college football ahead of us, it’s time to get into the Week 2 slate with my weekly CFB best bets piece. We are off to a 7-1 start in the column on the young season, so let's keep the momentum going!

With the weeknight slate behind us, it's time to turn our attention to Saturday's massive 64-game card. Let’s take a look at my CFB best bets for Saturday, while you can also find all of our expert CFB picks for this weekend’s action and every FBS game throughout the year.

CFB Best Bet: Air Force Falcons ML over North Dakota State Bison (+115)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to +100.

While there are a number of marquee games within the Power 4 on Saturday, one of the biggest games of the weekend comes in Colorado Springs, where Air Force will host North Dakota State in a massive matchup in the Mountain West. North Dakota State was undoubtedly impressive in a dominant Week 0 showing over Jacksonville State and the Bison backed that up with a strong victory over Fordham, cementing their status as a team to be reckoned with in their first FBS season. However, this is the first true road game at the FBS level for the Bison, and a tough spot for Tim Polasek's group against an Air Force team that I'm very high on this season.

Air Force was very disappointing a season ago, but this was a team that was still competitive in the majority of its games -- with five of its eight losses coming by single-digits. The Falcons also dealt with bad injury luck on both sides of the ball, which is part of why their defense was so abysmal. While we won't know for sure until this game, it sure looked like the defense was fixed in the offseason -- as the Falcons pitched a shutout in Week 1 against Duquesne. Offensively, I have no questions about quarterback Liam Szarka, who was excellent when healthy last season and will be protected by one of the best offensive lines in the Mountain West in this game. North Dakota State is typically a team that looks to bully opponents in the trenches and control games in that fashion, but I don't think the Bison will hold an edge on that front in this game. With that in mind, even though this line has moved quite a bit, I still feel comfortable backing the Falcons as a short home underdog in this game.

Don't miss our expert's full analysis for our North Dakota State vs Air Force prediction

CFB Best Bet: Kentucky Wildcats +10.5 over Alabama Crimson Tide (-115)

Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to Kentucky +10.

There are bigger games involving SEC teams on Saturday, but the conference opener between Alabama and Kentucky is one of the most intriguing matchups on the entire slate. You could argue that the Crimson Tide were flying a bit under the radar heading into the season, but that might've changed following the debut of quarterback Keelon Russell. The redshirt freshman is a player that I've been very high on, and he certainly looked the part of a budding superstar in his first collegiate start against East Carolina. However, it’s safe to assume that this week will present a much stiffer challenge in his first true road start, and it doesn't help matters that there are plenty of questions about the very shaky Alabama offensive line and how it will hold up against a much stronger defensive line.

As for the hosts, Kenny Michey and the rest of Kentucky’s offense looked crisp in Will Stein’s first game against Youngstown State -- racking up more than 500 yards of offense while registering over eight yards per play against a top 10 FCS team. The Wildcats should empty the kitchen sink in this game, and they're also getting back a handful of starters on both sides of the ball for this matchup. There's also the fact that Kalen DeBoer hasn't fared well in these situations, posting a 1-5 record against the spread as a double digit favorite on the road, including four outright losses. In general, Alabama has really struggled against the number on the road in the DeBoer era, which makes grabbing the double digits with Kentucky a very enticing proposition. Don't be surprised if this one comes down to the wire in Lexington.

Be sure to check out our full Alabama vs Kentucky prediction for their matchup on Saturday

CFB Best Bet: Oregon State Beavers +26.5 over Texas Tech Red Raiders (-105)

Odds available at Fanatics Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to Oregon State +24.5

One of the best situational spots of the week comes in the Pacific Northwest, as we will see Oregon State host Texas Tech in a game that has the potential to be a lot closer than what the market projects. It flew under the radar, but the Beavers offense looked to be much improved with new quarterback Braden Atkinson at the controls. The Mercer transfer looked very confident in his first ever start at the FBS level, racking up 376 yards and a touchdown through the air against a Houston team that is expected to be a real contender in the Big 12 this season. As a whole, this unit looks a lot more confident and functional with Atkinson leading the way, and the sophomore was very impressive in leading his team to a wire-to-wire cover on the road to start the campaign.

On the other side, Texas Tech was expected to be head and shoulders above the rest of the Big 12 once again, but the Red Raiders certainly looked like a team that has a few things to iron out on offense early in the season. Will Hammond looked extremely pedestrian against Abilene Christian in his first start since returning from a torn ACL, and the offense as a whole appeared to be a step slow in its season opener. Even the vaunted Texas Tech defense wasn't overly imposing as the Red Raiders never sniffed a cover at home. Now, Texas Tech will have to make the long trek out west to Corvallis, before coming back home on a short week for a massive conference opener against Houston. Needless to say, head coach Joey McGuire's team will likely look to get out to an early lead and do just enough to maintain a comfortable advantage down the stretch. McGuire is just 2-6-1 when traveling to different time zones, so don't be surprised if this game finishes around a 17-21 point margin, compared to the nearly four touchdowns we're getting with the Beavers at home. 

Don't miss our expert's full analysis for our Texas Tech vs Oregon State prediction

College football Week 2 picks

Check out our expert college football predictions for the biggest games in Week 2 below:

• Ohio State vs Texas prediction
• Oklahoma vs Michigan prediction
• Oregon vs Oklahoma State prediction
• Arizona State vs Texas A&M prediction
• Penn State vs Temple prediction
• Howard vs Indiana prediction
• Western Kentucky vs Georgia prediction
• Alabama vs Kentucky prediction
• Duke vs Illinois prediction
• Rice vs Notre Dame prediction
• Eastern Michigan vs Michigan State prediction
• Memphis vs Boise State prediction
• Texas Tech vs Oregon State prediction
• Iowa State vs Iowa prediction
• Arkansas vs Utah prediction
• Louisiana vs USC prediction