If you're looking to get your Week 2 of the college football season started with the Noon ET slate, you've come to the right place. I have two spots I'm tracking for the early window.
My primary goal of this piece is to simply share a few key angles, notable matchups and injury situations for each particular game that hopefully will make you a better bettor.
For full reference of all my spots for Week 2, here's the full piece. This is the first spots piece that I've completed this season.
- 2022-25: 223-178-3 (55.6%)
- 2026: 0-0
- Overall: 223-178-3 (55.6%)
Week 2 College Football Picks for Noon Slate
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12 p.m. | Michigan +6.5 |
  | 12 p.m. | Purdue +4.5 |
Michigan +6.5 vs. Oklahoma
12 p.m. ET ⋅ FOX
Michigan's offense looked absolutely dreadful last week in the clock-gate game vs. Western Michigan.
Bryce Underwood, in particular, had a disastrous outing in which he looked like he had regressed from a disappointing freshman season. He still had issues with his footwork and struggled to read the Broncos' defense.
Excluding the Hail Mary, he finished 11-of-22 for 123 yards with no big-time throws and a whopping five turnover-worthy plays.
That's a pitiful stat line at home vs. a MAC team that lost plenty of production (along with its coordinator) on the defensive side of the ball.
And now he has to go up against Brent Venables and a nasty Oklahoma defense that already game-planned for him last season.
So, we're betting Oklahoma, right?
You must be new here. I'm simply buying low on the Wolverines after a week-to-week adjustment of over a touchdown in a game where points should come at a premium with a total that has dropped to 43.5.
In fairness, the Wolverines did have a post-game win expectancy north of 95%. A -3 turnover margin didn't help matters, with two giveaways leading directly to WMU scores.
The quarterback play reeked, and the offensive line didn't get a great push, but the defense still dominated and held the Broncos to only 89 passing yards on 21 attempts, in addition to under three yards per rush.
Plus, the Sooners come into this game dealing with offensive line injuries.
I don't think starting left tackle Michael Fasusi will suit up, and we'll see on the status of starting center Jake Maikkula and Ryan Fodje (who may be forced to move to left tackle) after both missed the opener due to injury, which forced a true freshman into snapping duties.
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I believe they are trending in the right direction, but there's still injury uncertainty there against a very stout Michigan defense.
I'll be curious to see how much 12 personnel (two tight ends) runs this week after we saw the Sooners go with that grouping on a whopping 50-of-59 offensive snaps against UTEP. For context, they used 12 personnel on only 78 total snaps all of last season.
Michigan should match up well against those formations, and facing Western Michigan's offense will serve as valuable prep against heavier sets.
Underwood could just literally throw this game away against an Oklahoma defense that loads the box to take away the run at all costs, but I expect Michigan to come out with its hair on fire following last week's embarrassing performance in which it may have been caught peeking ahead a bit to this week.
I also expect some brand-new looks from the offense, and who knows how short the leash is on Underwood, so there's a chance we see Tommy Carr.
Regardless, I just can't get to this number even after downgrading Michigan a bunch after last week. It's not like Oklahoma wildly exceeded expectations against a bad UTEP team last week that missed three field goals.
If this line sat at +3.5 or even +4, I'd pass, but I jumped in at 6.5, assuming the market wouldn't ever (hopefully) get to 7.
I could end up with egg on my face, as sometimes you need to be more aggressive in these early-season adjustments in today's college football landscape.
With that said, I took the 6.5 in a likely rock fight where the quarterback on the other side could also easily cough up the ball a few times.
For what it's worth, the last three home 'dogs that failed to cover the previous week by more than 21 points as 21-plus point favorites (with a huge game on deck) all covered with ease:
- After losing to UAB as a -24 favorite, Memphis (+3.5) beat USF
- After beating Purdue by one in OT as a -24 favorite, Illinois (+6) beat Michigan
- After losing to New Mexico State as a -28 favorite, Auburn (+13.5) lost on a Hail Mary to Alabama
Michigan vs. Oklahoma Trend
Head coach Kyle Whittingham has gone 40-26-2 ATS (60.6%) as an underdog, covering by over 3.5 points per game on average.
Pick: Michigan +6.5 (Play to +6)
Purdue +4.5 vs. Wake Forest
12 p.m. ET ⋅ FS1
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.
Purdue vs. Wake Forest Trend
Purdue didn't cover to open the season, which added to its abysmal 52-83-1 ATS (38.5%) record in home games since 2005. The Boilermakers have been the least profitable home team to back over that span. Hopefully, they're due!
Pick: Purdue +4.5 (Play to +3.5)
