As mentioned in the previous article, we have a few games to complete this week before we have a complete breakdown of our Week 0 picks, so in our Week 2 article we will present results from Week 0 and Week 1.
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Well done guys! Not only did they give the Irish home crowd a competitive and fun game to watch, but they also beat a #10 ranked FSU team. It's fair to say things are looking good for the Jackets now. Now it's time to keep winning. Last year they had a bad habit of losing right after pulling off a major upset, but Key is hoping to change that and hopefully see a winning streak by the time they face VMI. If they play like they did last week, that's definitely possible.
The only thing to discuss last week is that SMU avoided a disastrous loss against Nevada. I'm sure most Tech fans didn't watch that game because of our big win earlier in the day, but from a points standpoint, Nevada beating SMU would have been a bigger upset than what the Jackets did to FSU. Luckily for the SMU Mustangs, Nevada crumbled and the Mustangs avoided the ACC's annual early upset against an unexpected opponent. This is going to be a fun season full of upsets and I can't wait.
recommendation:
Georgia State Panthers @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-21.5)
Logan: Yeah, last week was a great start to the season. Based on last year's game, Georgia Tech is going to disappoint us this time around after their amazing upset. I mentioned that this could be a big trap for Georgia State if they don't take the matchup seriously. Georgia Tech has the talent and experience to dominate their first home game after a tough Week 0, but that expectation may be why Georgia State will play a closer game than we expect. I still think Georgia Tech will win, especially with how Coach Key seems to be focusing his team on getting more focused each game, but there's a good chance the Panthers will make this matchup tougher than we expect. If I wasn't a Georgia Tech reporter, I'd bet the Panthers to keep it to within 3 points.
Logan Predicts: Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies (-13.5) @ Vanderbilt Commodores
Logan: It will remain to be seen if all the preseason talk about how good Virginia Tech is comes true. The Hokies open the season against Vanderbilt. Despite being in the strongest conference in college football, the Commodores are annually one of the worst teams in college football. I expect Virginia Tech will be nervous in their first game on the road, but I see no reason why the Hokies can't win this game by at least two touchdowns.
Logan's Choice: VT
FIU Panthers @ Indiana Hoosiers (-21.0)
Logan: There's been a lot of talk about FIU lately. Not because of the strength of their team, but because the Pit Bulls bought the naming rights to their stadium. Good for FIU, but unfortunately I don't think this purchase will help their performance on the field this year. Indiana and FIU both had pretty tough 2023 seasons, with FIU winning four games and Indiana only winning three. Indiana is in the BIG 10, so I'll give them a little more credit for talent, but a 21-point difference is big for a team that only managed three wins last year. I think Indiana will win this game, but I expect FIU to break the gap at least in this one.
Logan's Choice: FIU
Boise State Broncos (-11.5) @ Georgia Southern Eagles
Logan: I've been a Boise State fan since the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, so I'm always a little biased when the Broncos come on the field. Boise State has fallen a bit from their peak but is still a good team with the talent to challenge most P5 opponents. Georgia Southern is not a P5 team and comes into this game having lost five straight. I expect Georgia Southern to be ready to bounce back from how they finished last year, but given the difference in talent level between these two teams, I don't see why Boise State shouldn't win by 14 points.
Logan's prediction: Boise State
Boston College Eagles @ Florida State Seminoles (-17.0)
Logan: You can criticize FSU for last week's loss, but they weren't a terrible team. In Week 0 they looked like a talented team trying to figure things out. Tech has the talent to win and they played FSU at the perfect time on the schedule. The Noles can get even better as the season progresses, and who knows if GT will have the same success when they play the Noles again in the future. Tech will probably get better too, but I think the prospect of a team with as much talent as FSU is very scary. BC has a talented QB who can scramble, but the rest of the talent on the team is questionable to say the least. FSU should cover here. The Noles are fired up and have the talent to run through BC. If FSU doesn't win by a reasonable margin here, it's going to be a tough season in Tallahassee.
Logan's Choice: FSU
Ohio Bobcats @ Syracuse Orange (-17.0)
Logan: We will learn a lot about Syracuse in this game leading up to their matchup next week. Syracuse has a lot of talented players on their team, including a transferred QB who is expected to carry the offense. Ohio does not have as many talented players as Syracuse and only had one P5 game against Iowa State despite winning 10 games last year. In fairness, Ohio did win their game against Iowa State, but they lost most of their talented players to the transfer portal and their new players are not tested to the level expected heading into this game. Despite losing a fair bit of talent, I think Ohio is a competitive team. Even if Syracuse doesn't come together well in the first game, there is a good chance the Bobcats can at least hold them to within 17 points. I'm betting on the Bobcats.
Logan's Choice: Ohio
Wyoming Cowboys @ Arizona State Sun Devils (-6.5)
Logan: After last year's struggles at Nebraska, I thought this would be the last we'd see of Jeff Sims. Sims is currently a reserve at Arizona State, but there's a slim chance he'll play in this game. Wyoming had a great run last year and comes into this year looking to win the Mountain West. Arizona State is another team that should be more talented than their opponent, but their recent run has been pretty awful. This is one of the toughest choices this week because it could go either way. For now, I think Wyoming will win.
Logan's Picks: Wyoming
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-1.0) @ Texas A&M Aggies
Logan: Texas A&M has been a bit of a laughing stock ever since Jimbo decided to take the money and run. I think the Aggies still have a ton of talent, but they have an inexperienced coach and a lot to prove, so they'll be facing off against an experienced Notre Dame team. Talent alone won't win the Aggies in this game, and I don't have high hopes for the Aggies since they don't have much else to fall back on. I think Notre Dame will dominate the Aggies in this matchup.
Logan's Choice: Notre Dame
USC Trojans vs. LSU Tigers (-6.0) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
Logan: I'm not a USC expert, but last year's team was anchored by Caleb Williams, who is playing for the Chicago Bears this year, so USC won't get much from Caleb this year other than a donation (and probably not much). Despite being a neutral site near the West Coast, LSU has a good coaching staff and has shown they have multiple players they can rely on on offense and defense. I don't think this game will be very close.
Logan's prediction: LSU
Miami Hurricanes (-2.5) @ Florida Gators
Logan: This game seems pretty early this year. This year Florida plays Miami at home and it's hard to argue that Miami has the advantage in terms of talent and coaching at this point to win this game… I'm excited to see how Miami messes this up. I'm betting on the Gators because Miami will find a way to shoot themselves in the foot.
Logan's Choice: Florida
Clemson Tigers v UGA (-14.0) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta
Logan: I used to make jokes about picking UGA, but it's getting old and I'm going to stop this year. UGA is arguably one of the best teams in college football and a wall that most teams can't get over. Clemson is going to have one of their toughest seasons in recent memory in 2023 and will be put to the test right away against the Dowags in a “neutral” game. 14 points is a pretty fair spread, but unfortunately I think UGA has the talent to pull off a two-touchdown win, even against a Clemson team that will be the top ACC rival this year. I think I have no choice but to pick the Dowags.
Logan's Choice: Gargle (Garggg…that sounds bad)
