Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-9) @ Duke Blue Devils
Georgia Tech's defense remains stingy against a depleted Duke offense and is able to win by double-digits. More on this one tomorrow.
Georgia Tech covers 9.
Virginia Tech Hokies (-7) @ East Carolina Pirates
Believe it or not, this game will be a major test for Virginia Tech. They're going on the road and playing an East Carolina offense that has scored 52 and 31 in their first two games. Meanwhile, the Hokies' offense has been considerably impotent, and more from a fundamental level than a talent match up level.
Pirates cover 7, Hokies win a close one.
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-3.5)
Wake is a very weak team this year, but so are the Warhawks, whose offense was worse against Oklahoma's defense than Elon's was against defense. I'll take Wake at home, but this will be one of very few spreads they cover this year.
Wake Forest covers 3.5.
New Mexico Lobos @ Pittsburgh Panthers (-20.5)
Pitt lost their first game by 28 points, which sounds awful. However, consider that it was against top-10 competition and it sounds a little bit more reasonable. Meanwhile, New Mexico is coming off of a loss against UTSA and an overtime victory against UTEP -- two results that don't make me think they can hang with Pitt.
Panthers cover 20.5.
Boston College Eagles @ USC Trojans (-16)
USC is working its way towards full-on self-destruct mode. It's actually amusing for me, considering how little I think of Lane Kiffin as a coach and as a person. That said, they're still talented enough to beat Boston College handily and cover the spread.
Trojans cover 16.
Nevada Wolfpack @ (10) Florida State Seminoles (-31)
Let's clear this up -- Nevada has no business hanging with FSU. They got absolutely rolled by UCLA (58-20), and scored 36 last week on FCS team UC Davis (only 5 more points than this spread covers). Being such a large line, this is tempting, but I'm guessing Jameis Winston throws for 5 TD's, runs for another, and is on ESPN 25 hours a day for the next three weeks based on the performance.
Seminoles cover 31.
Maryland Terrapins (-8) @ Connecticut Huskies
UConn got whipped in week 1 by FCS team Towson, while Maryland has been firing on all cylinders in their first two games. Granted, those two games weren't against great competition, but neither is this one. This should serve as a nice warm-up to a wildly vulnerable West Virginia team next week.
Terrapins cover 8 on the road.
(21) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-21.5) @ Purdue Boilermakers
Notre Dame comes off of a rough loss to rival Michigan in which they were called "chickens" and outwardly mocked in every which way by the Wolverine fanbase. So far this season, the Boilermakers have gotten blown out by Cincinnati and barely beat FCS team Indiana State. You gotta know that Notre Dame is coming into this game with a chip on their shoulders the size of Mount Rushmore, and that Purdue is in for a slaughter.
Fighting Irish cover 21.5.
Your turn, readers. Take your picks!