Week 1 was just an appetizer.
Week 2 features real main-course-meal vibes, with Oklahoma vs. Michigan headlining the Noon slate.
Our experts have been scouring the betting markets all week for value, and we’ve compiled their top 5 College Football Picks and Predictions for the Noon slate on Saturday, September 12.
Check it out below.
College Football Picks, Predictions
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Oklahoma vs. Michigan Best Bet
Oklahoma and Michigan have been in the Game of the Year market for months, with a spread close to a pick'em.
Thanks to the Wolverines' near-loss to WMU in Week 1, this number reached as high as Oklahoma -6.5 before a buyback occurred in the market.
The biggest question in this game is if a one-game sample set is enough to move the number that far.
Action Network, SP+, and Sagarin all call for Oklahoma to be a minimum touchdown favorite in the Big House.
Underwood's five turnover-worthy plays could get Michigan in deep waters against an aggressive Oklahoma defense that should be a national leader in Success Rate allowed and Havoc by the end of the season.
If Bryce Underwood were to have a clean sheet at the end of the game, the remaining pieces of the Michigan offense must step up. Slot receiver JJ Buchanan may provide that relief, generating six targets from Underwood in Week 0.
Buchanan caught 3-of-4 contested throws from Underwood, signaling that Michigan may run some quick slants to the slot early in this game.
Michigan's rushing game was also subpar against Western Michigan. Running back Jordan Marshall tallied 44 yards on 11 carries. The fourth-year rusher forced only two missed tackles on the day while posting a horrid 1.8 yards after first contact.
There's reason to believe the Oklahoma defense will key in on Underwood's mobility while sitting in Brent Venables' Cover 3 schemes.
On the other side of the ball, Michigan's lack of Havoc might allow Mateer to execute outside the pocket. The Wolverines posted just two sacks on Western Michigan, and a much tougher offensive line and mobile quarterback await with Oklahoma.
The Broncos held the ball for more than 40 minutes of possession in Week 1, an advantage the Oklahoma offense can recreate through a deep running back stable.
There's justification in all areas for Oklahoma to leap the spread for this game.
First, the Michigan defense had no teeth in creating Havoc against Western Michigan. Second, the Oklahoma offense is a much more cohesive unit, with three players catching touchdown passes and four different rushers creating explosive runs.
Michigan won't get enough out of Marshall on the ground, while Buchanan is the only verified target for Underwood.
Finally, special teams goes to Oklahoma, as Isaiah Sategna III is a threat to score on any kickoff or punt return.
Check out more of Wilson's best bets for Week 2 here:
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Pick: Oklahoma -5.5 or Better
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Wake Forest vs. Purdue Best Bet
By Stuckey
This is potentially a tricky spot for the Demon Deacons, who have Miami on deck on a short week next Friday. They could get caught peeking ahead a bit and overlook a Purdue team that has lost 20 straight games to Power 4 opponents.
More importantly, I just couldn't get this number to over a field goal.
Coming into the season, I had this projected as Wake Forest -2. Did anything really change last week to make me want to move this through the key number of 3? Not really.
Wake Forest handled its business in a game it should have covered against Akron, but the Zips were forced to start a freshman quarterback following eligibility issues surrounding projected starter Reese Poffenbarger.
Meanwhile, Purdue was a bit sluggish out of the gate against an FCS opponent. That wasn't too surprising with another roster that dealt with heavy turnover in the offseason.
Plus, the Boilermakers looked a lot crisper as that game progressed. It's difficult to take much from an opener against Indiana State, but a few of the transfer additions that I liked coming into the season flashed, including:
- RB Fame Ijeboi (Minnesota)
- WR Asaad Waseem (FAU)
- Nickel Mister Clark (FIU; love him)
- CB Don Saunders (Utah)
The safety position does remain a major concern, though.
Lastly, Purdue should get its left tackle back this week in Joey Tanona — the only returning starter along the offensive line. His presence is even more critical with a true freshman left guard and Langston Hardy coming off the edge on the other side.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest's best receiver, Carlos Hernandez, got a bit banged up last week. While I expect him to suit up, it's worth mentioning.
Check out all of Stuckey's top situational spots for Week 2 here:
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Pick: Purdue +3.5 or Better
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Oregon vs. Oklahoma State Best Bet
By Greg Waddell
Oregon blitzed Mike Gundy’s last Oklahoma State team 69-3 last season, but will Eric Morris fare any better?
It shouldn’t be that bad, but a blowout in some form would not be a total surprise.
Oklahoma State’s core group of North Texas transfers looked in over their heads in Week 1 against Tulsa, and it won’t get any easier against a team with the talent across the board that Oregon owns.
Last season, Morris’ North Texas team played one top-25 opponent in the regular season — The Mean Green lost to South Florida, 63-36.
There’s a real chance that trying to match a Dan Lanning offense play for play results in a similar script — that is, if Oklahoma State can score more than they did in Week 1.
Expect Oregon at their best, and Oklahoma State to need more time.
Add in the motivational spot here for Oregon to get back in form after the disappointing showing against Boise, and it becomes hard to handicap anything but laying the number with the Ducks.
The public agrees — this line opened under three touchdowns, and it is rising quickly, but there’s still value.
Pick: Oregon -24 or Better
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Penn State vs. Temple Best Bet
Penn State opened its Matt Campbell era in dominant fashion, throttling Marshall 45-0 behind Iowa State transfer quarterback Rocco Becht, who completed 72% of his passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns in his Nittany Lions debut.
The defense was just as sharp, holding Marshall to 147 total yards, and Penn State enters this one ranked 7th nationally in third-down defense (8.3% allowed). This marks the Nittany Lions' first true road trip of the season, though Lincoln Financial Field sits well within range of Penn State's traveling fan base for what amounts to an in-state rivalry game.
The two programs haven't met since 2016, when Penn State won 34-27, and Temple actually pulled off a shocking 27-10 upset the last time these two played in Philadelphia, back in 2015.
Temple is also 1-0, having handled FCS Rhode Island 38-14 in Week 1 under new head coach K.C. Keeler. The Owls are breaking in an inexperienced quarterback rotation between Ajani Sheppard and former Penn State transfer Jaxon Smolik, who've combined for just 18 career pass attempts, and the offensive line is already dealing with injury concerns.
Temple went just 7-5 against the spread last season and failed to cover four of its last five games, including lopsided losses as a similarly sized underdog against Power Conference competition (a 42-3 defeat to Oklahoma as a 23.5-point dog, and a 45-24 loss at Georgia Tech as a 24.5-point dog).
This one lines up as a real trigger for a betting-market fade angle. Current splits on the game show 53% of bets on Penn State against 47% on Temple, a roughly even split among individual bettors, but the money tells a different story.
69% of the total dollars wagered is on Penn State, against just 31% on Temple. That's a 16-point gap between ticket share and handle share, the classic fingerprint of larger, more influential bets loading up disproportionately on one side while the general betting public is closer to split.
The system behind this pick treats that kind of gap with some skepticism rather than as gospel. In a market that's grown more efficient and more heavily trafficked by the general public in recent years, a lopsided money-to-ticket gap on a big favorite can just as easily reflect a handful of large public bettors piling onto the popular, nationally ranked team as it can reflect genuine informed positioning rather than late momentum dressed up as sharp action.
Fading that side is a contrarian bet that the market has over-read this signal, especially in a spot like this one, where the number of total bets appears to sit in a moderate range. It's enough volume to move perception and shape the number, but not enough depth to fully stress-test the price the way a marquee, high-liquidity game would.
There's a reasonable case on the field to go with the market signal, too. Temple is a true home underdog, actually leads the FBS in red zone offense at a perfect scoring rate on trips inside the 20, and a 23.5-point number is large enough that Penn State's motivation late in a running-clock second half tends to shift from padding the score to managing the roster.
The counterpoint is real and worth remembering. Temple's offensive line is banged up, the quarterback rotation is unproven, and the Owls were blown out in both of their most recent Power conference games as a similarly large underdog against quality competition.
This is a fade built more on the betting market's structure than on a fundamentals-first case for Temple, and it's worth weighing both pieces before leaning in.
Pick: Temple +23 or Better
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Arizona State vs. Texas A&M Best Bet
By Doug Ziefel
Omarion Miller wasted no time validating the hype in his Arizona State debut, hauling in 8 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in a 70-7 blowout of Morgan State. He was the Sun Devils' most-targeted receiver from the jump, opening the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown grab as Cutter Boley threw for 387 yards and six scores in one of the most efficient debuts in recent program history.
It was exactly the kind of workload Arizona State envisioned when it landed him as the highest-rated transfer addition in school history.
That kind of production is also just who Miller has been. Looking back at his 2025 season at Colorado, he cleared 46.5 receiving yards in 9 of 11 games — a roughly 82% hit rate that included big performances against quality competition like Auburn (127 yards) and Ole Miss (131 yards). This isn't a receiver who only pads his numbers against overmatched defenses; he's shown he can produce across a wide range of matchups.
Week 2 brings a real step up in competition as Arizona State travels to No. 8 Texas A&M, a defense that allowed just 30 passing yards in its own Week 1 shutout and is anchored by captains Marcus Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks. That's a legitimate test.
However, A&M's pass rush is still unproven, which could buy Boley the time he needs, and multiple beat writers previewing this game have specifically flagged that the Aggies' secondary will have its hands full with Miller and fellow transfer Reed Harris given their size and playmaking ability.
Between his early, heavy role in this new-look ASU passing attack and a near-90% track record of clearing this kind of number, Miller looks like a receiver built to produce even in a tougher road environment.
Pick: Omarion Miller Over 46.5 Receiving Yards or Better
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Duck's Full Action App Card for Saturday
Need more picks for Saturday's action? It's always wise to see what our guy Duck is betting on!
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