Week 2 of the college football season is here.
For the eighth straight season on our college football betting podcast, Big Bets on Campus, Collin Wilson and Stuckey pick their two favorite moneyline underdogs for each week's slate.
For Week 2 of the season, they rolled with two Power 4 home 'dogs.
We'll get things started Saturday afternoon up in Durham and finish up with a night game in SEC Country. If you're feeling lucky, a parlay of both pups pays out north of 5-1 at the time of writing.
Let's dive into our college football moneyline underdogs for Week 2.
College Football Moneyline Underdogs for Week 2
Collin Wilson: Duke ML +130 vs. Illinois
| Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -115 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | -155 |
| Duke Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -105 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | +130 |
I don't think we know what the ceiling is for Duke quarterback Darian Mensah.
He went 27-for-34 for 389 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions against Elon. I know that's Elon, but he put up an adjusted completion percentage of 88%, and two receiver drops weren't on him.
It’s not like Mensah didn't produce at Tulane either. There's a reason Duke wrote him a check and brought him in.
What really stands out is that half of Duke’s drives were explosive, meaning they gained 10-plus yards per play during those drives.
On the other side, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer didn’t have as many big-time throws as touchdowns, but he had a clean day, completing 17-of-22 attempts.
Hank Beatty, playing out of the slot, was clearly the go-to guy with five catches on five targets. Then there’s the tight end, Justin Bowick, who scored two touchdowns, but what’s interesting is he was only on the field for eight passing snaps, mainly as a red-zone weapon.
Defensively, Duke had a strong showing with 10 tackles for loss and three sacks, which speaks to Manny Diaz’s aggressive approach. I expect the Blue Devils will keep the pressure up and really look to get after Altmyer.
Altmyer's passing attack isn’t as sharp as it used to be, and he doesn’t have the same caliber of weapons around him anymore. That makes the quarterback’s job tougher.
I also think Mensah is going to create some real movement against Illinois’ defense, which is notable because the Illini have a very strong defense.
I like Duke in this matchup. Mensah’s ceiling hasn’t been reached yet, and I’m curious to see just how far he can go.
Stuckey: Mississippi State ML +200 vs. Arizona State
| Arizona State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 58.5 -115o / -105u | -245 |
| Mississippi State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 58.5 -115o / -105u | +200 |
Arizona State didn’t look great last week, and now its situation might be even tougher this week.
The Sun Devils could be without their starting right tackle and wide receiver Jalen Moss, which would leave just Jordyn Tyson — one of the top receivers in the country — to carry the offense.
What really caught my eye was how much they struggled without Cam Skattebo in the backfield. The offensive line looked much rougher than I expected, and losing a veteran right tackle to a redshirt freshman won’t help.
On the other side, Mississippi State impressed me.
The Bulldogs seem bigger and stronger, and they have some solid four-star talent in the secondary. Kelley Jones, who’ll probably be matched up with Tyson, stands out in particular. Can he hold his own?
Arizona State’s effort was sloppy, and Mississippi State looks ready to capitalize on that. If these teams face off as they look now, ASU could be in real trouble. I’m leaning toward the cow bells here.
