Following an exciting week 1 of college football, we start to look ahead to week 2. This can be an incredibly advantageous spot for bettors as the market will often overreact to what we saw in week 1. Like last week, I'm going to highlight a few contests where longshots have a strong edge on the spread or moneyline and provide a little analysis of my reasoning. Let's dive into this second-week slate.
Check out Thor Nystrom's Week 2 College Football Power Rankings >>
Both of these schools come into this non-conference matchup with victories over their week 1 opponents. Oklahoma State moved the ball with ease against a Central Michigan defense that will be outmatched by many opponents it plays this season. The concern with the Cowboys is the ease at which Central Michigan was able to move the ball as well. With the departure of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Ohio State, there is reason to think this may be more of a bomb than a blip. Competent offenses should be capable of keeping pace with the Cowboys this season.
Arizona State dominated their FCS opponent, Northern Arizona, to the tune of 40-3. The offense, after a slow start, got going and posted 34 points in just over 23 minutes of game time before taking the foot off the pedal in the 4th quarter. The defense started hot and stayed hot, holding Northern Arizona to 3.2 yards per pass attempt and 1.0 sack-adjusted yards per rush attempt. Oklahoma State will provide greater challenges on both sides of the ball, but the spread is more indicative of the teams' success, or lack thereof, from 2021 and not an indication of how much closer these teams are this year. If Oklahoma State isn't careful in this spot, they'll be on upset alert, and that is exactly where I see this game going.