Everything I thought I knew about football is apparently wrong, indicated by my 1-6 mark last weekend. And in the interest of total honesty, the one positive result came on a technicality. My thoughts on the game were completely off base. I’d like to blame my ineptitude on the fact that I spent Saturday night in the ER at a local medical facility, but that only affected my viewing pleasure. Our picks were made a few days before that. Anyway, Zach has seized the season lead after a solid 5-2 outing.
My Season: 7-15
Zach’s Season: 10-12
Houston at Texas Tech (-7.5)
The 2-0 Cougars were a preseason Top Ten team in my eyes, and thus far they’ve not disappointed. The Red Raiders were #16 in that poll, and have also gotten out of the gate 2-0. It’s a matter of standing behind my convictions for me, so I’m pulling for the upset. Conversely, Zach likes the Red Raiders defense to get the job done late, following three quarters of a high scoring shootout.
My Pick: Houston
Zach’s Pick: Texas Tech
SMU at Louisville (-1.5)
The 1-1 Cardinals could’ve been 2-0 were it not for a walk-off field goal by Ole Miss in the season opener. The unbeaten Mustangs are right where I expected them to be. I understand the home field bump for the favorites, but I’m not buying it. SMU is clearly the better team, and I think they’ll prove it in convincing fashion. Zach believes it’ll be a bit tighter, but he also sees SMU as a legit playoff sleeper.
My Pick: SMU
Zach’s Pick: SMU
LSU (-2.5) at Ole Miss
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Gameday will be on the scene in Oxford to hype The Kiffin Bowl, featuring head coach Lane Kiffin’s current team vs. his old team in a battle of two undefeated Top Ten programs. Unfortunately, LSU starting QB Sam Leavitt is most likely not going to play due to a vague “upper body injury”. That, combined with the home field and the revenge factor, are enough to tip the scales in favor of the underdogs. Zach sees the Bayou Bengals as a more complete team and foresees a dominant victory.
My Pick: Ole Miss
Zach’s Pick: LSU
Las Vegas at LA Chargers (-7)
The Raiders beat Miami last weekend, which proves absolutely nothing. I do like the fact that they went against the prevailing “wisdom” of the day by NOT throwing rookie QB Fernando Mendoza to the wolves, instead choosing to start veteran Kirk Cousins under center. That’s how it used to be done, and it’s a wise decision in the long run. The Chargers lost to Arizona in the season opener, and now there are lots of questions. They’ll need to take care of business in convincing fashion to quell the noise, and I believe they’ll do that. Zach concurs.
My Pick: LA Chargers
Zach’s Pick: LA Chargers
Washington at Dallas (-3.5)
Once upon a time it was a fun rivalry replete with Cowboys vs. Indians imagery & references, but we can’t have nice things in America anymore, so we have to force ourselves to get pumped up based on the fact that they’re division foes and (allegedly) two good teams. Dallas fell to the Giants last weekend, and the old familiar questions about their defense (ranked 26th in the NFL last season) are being asked, despite significant offseason changes. The Commanders offseason was dominated by QB Jayden Daniels being a whiny little bitch, more concerned about his old college jersey # than being a leader for his current team. They also lost a divisional game last week, which means the loser of this one will begin the season 0-2. Since 1970, only 10% of teams that were 0-2 have made the playoffs. Conversely, the odds for 1-1 teams increase to 42%. Calling this a pivotal game isn’t an understatement. My respect for Daniels has plummeted, but my disdain for the Cowboys is much deeper & more established. I think Washington wins by double digits. Zach believes in Washington’s long term potential, but he’s riding with Dak Prescott to ball out and lead his Cowboys to an important win.
So, we both broke even last week, and to be honest the slate of games turned out to be underwhelming at best, soul crushingly fraudulent at worst. As a lifelong sports fan I have to wonder if anything we’ve EVER seen is real. Perhaps the 1919 Black Sox scandal has always been the norm and all of Belichick’s cheating with the Patriots was business as usual. As a longtime pro wrestling enthusiast I’ve received plenty of grief from people who view it as “not a real sport” because it is scripted and the outcomes are predetermined, but maybe the wrestling industry deserves credit for admitting that fact, while other sports are laughing at all the morons who’ve been convinced the games we watch are legitimate competition. Anyway, the entertainment value of college football will improve once all of these cupcake matchups, in which a clearly inferior opponent gladly accepts millions of dollars in exchange for getting their ass whipped, are done and conference play begins. This week though, we have different fish to fry. The NFL enters the chat on Wednesday night (an odd choice 🤔), and of course every team in the league begins with cockeyed optimism. Isn’t it interesting to consider that there are teams that see themselves as legit Super Bowl contenders in the latter days of summer who will end up with Top 5 picks in the NFL Draft in eight months?? All the while, perhaps there are people at the top of the food chain who already know how the season will end.
My Season: 6-9
Zach’s Season: 5-10
Arizona State at Texas A&M (-14)
I ventured out on a limb, ranking the Sun Devils in the preseason despite a bunch of changes, most notably at quarterback. I don’t know how much we can glean from their nine TD destruction of FBS opponent Morgan St. in the season opener. Ditto for the Aggies fifty point victory over an FBS foe. The “12th Man” home field in College Station is legendary, and obviously the oddsmakers are feeling a certain way. However, I don’t shy away from debatable decisions. I don’t know if ASU has the juice for an outright upset, but I believe they’ll make things interesting. Conversely, Zach foresees A&M pulling away in the fourth quarter to secure a comfortable two TD victory.
My Pick: Arizona St.
Zach’s Pick: Texas A&M
Ohio State at Texas (-1.5)
A year ago Texas was the predominant preseason #1, but the Buckeyes defended their home field in a hard fought battle. Now the roles have reversed, with Ohio St. being the top ranked team and the Longhorns enjoying home field advantage. Three players…OSU quarterback Julian Sayin & WR Jeremiah Smith and Texas QB Arch Manning…are serious Heisman contenders who could all end up being first round draft picks next spring. They’ll get their stats, which means the defense that kicks it up a notch and makes a big play or two in the 4th quarter will make the difference. Notorious Buckeye hater Zach obviously disagrees.
My Pick: Ohio St.
Zach’s Pick: Texas
New England at Seattle (-3.5)
It’s a Super Bowl rematch. You’ll recall that the Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, led by one of the best defenses in the NFL. However, in the offseason Seattle lost a few starters from that defense, as well as Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. The Patriots have had some roster turnover as well, but their offseason was dominated by head coach Mike Vrabel’s…personal drama. I will forever be a Pats hater for a variety of reasons, but just don’t believe Seattle can sustain last year’s success. Very few Super Bowl champions do. Conversely, no matter how one may feel about Vrabel, none of that mishigas will matter on the field. Zach has much more faith in Seattle’s ability to repeat, and believes they’ll win the opener by ten points. It’s an 8pm Wednesday kickoff on NBC, which is cool because Wednesday nights are usually so damn tedious.
My Pick: New England
Zach’s Pick: Seattle
San Francisco at LA Rams (-2.5)
The Rams enter the season as heavy Super Bowl favorites, but they’ll need to prove it on the field. Last season they had a Top Ten defense, then traded for Myles Garrett and convinced Aaron Donald to unretire. Can 38 year old QB Matthew Stafford approach last year’s 46 TDs & 4700 passing yards?? Expectations are high indeed. Meanwhile, the Niners are coming off a 12-5 season and a second round playoff loss to the eventual champion Seahawks. They added veterans Mike Evans & Christian Kirk to the receiving corps, and procured young depth pieces in the draft. ‘Frisco’s issue seems to be remaining healthy, and they’ve already lost receiver Ricky Pearsall to a knee injury. It’s a Thursday night kickoff from Melbourne, Australia, airing on Netflix. I don’t believe the game will be particularly close, and though Zach thinks it’ll be more competitive than I do, he agrees on the outcome.
My Pick: LA Rams
Zach’s Pick: LA Rams
Baltimore (-3.5) at Indianapolis
There’s been a coaching change in Baltimore, with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter taking the reins. Let’s not forget that Minter previously served as the Ravens DB coach a few years ago. The roster retained key pieces like QB Lamar Jackson, RB Derrick Henry, and a veteran secondary while adding defensive tackle Trey Hendrickson and tweaking the offensive line a bit. The Colts got off to a hot start a season ago before falling apart down the stretch. Can QB Daniel Jones rebound from an Achilles injury and return to the form he showed in the first half of last season?? Will a defense in transition rise from the bottom third of the league?? I believe both teams will struggle this year, but Indy will prevail this week. Conversely, Zach thinks Jackson will have a huge day against that mediocre Colts defense.
My Pick: Indianapolis
Zach’s Pick: Baltimore
Buffalo (-1.5) at Houston
The Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott after a string of playoff disappointments, despite winning 66% of his games in nine seasons. Time will tell if that was a wise decision. They made some sneaky good roster moves, and as long as their Top Ten defense holds up and QB Josh Allen is behind center there is reason for optimism. Meanwhile, the Texans had the best defense in the league last year but struggled in the first half of the season, ultimately losing in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Quarterback CJ Stroud seemed to regress a bit and needs a great rebound season. I believe Buffalo will take a step back this year, while Houston shows incremental improvement. I like the underdogs to defend their home turf. Zach doesn’t see Buffalo’s coaching change as negative and has faith in Allen to keep the train rolling.
My Pick: Houston
Zach’s Pick: Buffalo
Denver at Kansas City (-2.5)
Monday Night Football begins their season with a banger. The Broncos won the AFC West last year and might have played in the Super Bowl if QB Bo Nix hadn’t suffered a broken ankle at the end of a playoff victory. Conversely, the once mighty Chiefs missed the postseason for the first time in a decade, and QB Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL. However, let’s not lose sight of the fact that KC was 6-7 before Mahomes’ injury. I’m no doctor, but have doubts about the prudence of returning from knee surgery in less than nine months. It’s not that I think the home favorites will be a bad team, but I believe the visiting underdogs are clearly better right now. Zach concurs.
Perhaps picking “Week Zero” games was a bad idea. Neither of us fared well, but I do want to emphasize that is NOT why we’re doing extra picks this week. After all, digging an even bigger hole at the outset will just make things worse. That being said, this is the first full weekend of college football, so why not celebrate?? Normally I would be torn between attending our local Italian Heritage Festival and staying home glued to the television, but this year I don’t have a choice, which is fine. There are games from Thursday all the way thru Monday night, and I’m here for all of it. In the midst of the long weekend, please take a moment to reflect on the holiday itself. Labor Day was created in 1882 to recognize the work & contributions of laborers in the United States, which is certainly worthy of celebration.
My Season: 1-4
Zach’s Season: 0-5
Fresno State at Southern Cal (-22.5)
The Trojans handled San Jose St. rather easily last week, with QB Jayden Maiava throwing for 286 yards & two TDs. Not bad, but he’ll need to kick it up a notch to impress Heisman voters. Fresno finished last season 9-4 with a bowl victory after getting stomped in their opening game. History may repeat itself. Zach doesn’t believe we learned anything important about USC last weekend, and believes Fresno is a slightly tougher foe…atleast good enough to cover the points.
My Pick: USC
Zach’s Pick: Fresno St.
Liberty at James Madison (-6.5)
It wasn’t that long ago that these teams were receiving alot of buzz. The Flames won thirteen games in 2023, going undefeated in the regular season before falling to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. Just two seasons later they finished 4-8. The Dukes were 12-2 a season ago, coincidentally losing to Oregon in a first round playoff game. However, head coach Bob Chesney has moved on to UCLA, with former Florida coach Billy Napier taking over the program. JMU brings back just 27% of its total production from last year’s CFP team, which is among the lowest in FBS. That’s why I feel an upset brewing. Zach feels comfortable with the home favorites.
My Pick: Liberty
Zach’s Pick: James Madison
Oregon State at Houston (-20.5)
It’s a new day for the Beavers, both in terms of the revived Pac 12 and the fact that they’ve hired their fifth head coach in a decade. A fresh start is certainly needed after two consecutive losing seasons. Conversely, the Cougars enter 2026 with high expectations following a ten win season and finishing third in the competitive Big 12. Zach predicts Oregon St. will improve, which isn’t hard to imagine given they were 2-10. He isn’t crazy enough to pick the outright upset, but does believe it’ll be closer than expected.
My Pick: Houston
Zach’s Pick: Oregon St.
North Texas at Indiana (-40.5)
There is no shortage of people who give the defending National Champions a legit chance to repeat. I am not one of them, although I do believe they’ll still be really good. The Mean Green are coming off a twelve win season, but that success led to Oklahoma St. poaching their head coach. In steps former WVU coach Neal Brown to lead the charge in Denton, TX, which is amusing to those of us in the Mountain State. No one with a functioning brain thinks we’ll see an upset here, but the points are a bit much for me. I foresee something like 42-13, which is still a dominant victory, but not anything wacky. Zach shares my concern that Indiana will take their foot off the gas in the second half and seize the opportunity to give their backups valuable game experience…but he’s feeling frisky and riding with the home favorites to cover that massive spread.
My Pick: North Texas
Zach’s Pick: Indiana
Boise State at Oregon (-24.5)
Boise St. finally made it to the Pac 12…after all the top teams went elsewhere. One of them was Oregon, who has been settling into the Big Ten these last couple of years. The Ducks have big dreams after falling short in the CFP semis last season, with the catalyst for that optimism being the unexpected return of junior QB Dante Moore, who would’ve been a first round pick in the NFL Draft this past spring. The Broncos will likely have another solid season and seem to be favorites to win a conference title, but they’re not winning the opener. Can they keep it close?? Also no…atleast in my opinion. Zach thinks Boise can hang and keep things respectably competitive.
My Pick: Oregon
Zach’s Pick: Boise St.
Baylor at Auburn (-7.5)
It could be the sneaky best game of the weekend. The Bears were 5-7 a season ago, but did a total rebuild on offense thru the portal. The Tigers were also 5-7 and hired former South Florida coach Alex Golesh to replace Hugh Freeze, whose tenure was an unmitigated disaster. I think we have to dig deeper though, and understand that Baylor won twelve games as recently as 2021, while Auburn has intermittently had some good years as well, with their last double digit win coming less than a decade ago. These are not terrible programs, and they will figure things out. As far as this particular game goes, I think the underdogs might make things really interesting. Zach likes the changes Auburn made and foresees a solid victory.
My Pick: Baylor
Zach’s Pick: Auburn
Clemson at LSU (-10.5)
We’re going to learn alot from this game. After consistently having double digit wins and being in national championship contention for a decade & a half the Tigers were a very average 7-6 last season, even losing a bowl game. It’s too quick to push the panic button, but Dabo Swinney needs a good rebound season. On the other side of the field we’re all very aware of the drama. New head coach Lane Kiffin was not hired to win nine games & be invited to a meaningless bowl. If that was good enough they’d have kept Brian Kelly. There’s alot on the line and a ton to prove for two head coaches under a microscope. Night games in Baton Rouge are a BIG event. ESPN Gameday will be on the scene, so the hype will be full throttle. I don’t have a vibe…yet…on whether Clemson can right the ship, but I am certain that LSU will be hellbent on getting the Kiffin Era off to a memorable start. Zach concurs.
My Pick: LSU
Zach’s Pick: LSU
Washington State at Washington (-23.5)
The Apple Cup as a season opener is evidence of how much college football has changed in recent years. This is now an out of conference game for both teams. The Cougars will be breaking in a new head coach after their old one bolted for Iowa St. They haven’t had a double digit win season since 2018. The Huskies enter their third year with Jedd Fisch at the helm, and they improved dramatically from Season 1 to Season 2. They lost some significant talent to the NFL, so we’ll see if they can reload or must rebuild. I don’t believe the home field is that significant in this case, but I do think the home team is simply better. Three TDs better?? Okay, sure. Zach agrees. It’s a 4pm Sunday kickoff, so put a reminder in your phone.
My Pick: Washington
Zach’s Pick: Washington
Louisville at Ole Miss (-7)
Pete Golding takes over in Oxford, although it isn’t actually his first game as head coach after he led them to a 2-1 mark in the CFP, ultimately losing in the semifinals. I don’t believe the coaching transition is as big of a deal as the loss of five players to the NFL. However, they did retain the services of QB Trinidad Chambliss after a litigious offseason, and he’ll be joined by junior RB Kewan Lacy. Both young men will be part of early Heisman discussions. Meanwhile, the Cardinals were 9-4 last season, but underwent a significant rebuild afterward. They’ve been consistent the past few years under head coach Jeff Brohm, usually coming out of the gate strong against lesser opponents. This is different, and I don’t think it’ll work out well for them. Zach doesn’t believe the Rebels will miss a beat post-Kiffin, and won’t be surprised if they are playoff contenders once again. It’s a Sunday evening game, which sounds like fun.
My Pick: Ole Miss
Zach’s Pick: Ole Miss
Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame (-20.5)
With the influx of powerhouse west coast teams into the Big Ten it seems like the Badgers have gotten lost in the shuffle. They’ve had two straight losing seasons, and the two seasons before that were just mediocre. Head coach Luke Fickell’s fourth year feels like a pivotal one, and it sure doesn’t look like an easy path. The Irish lost their first two games last season before winning all the rest, but that slow start cost them a playoff berth. The good news is they lead the nation in returning production, including junior quarterback CJ Carr. Replacing six players drafted into the NFL, including running backs Jeremiyah Love & Jadarian Price as well as receiver Malachi Fields, may prove challenging, but Notre Dame might have one of the best defenses in the country. This is a neutral site game at Lambeau Field, which obviously won’t be a frozen tundra in September. It’s also on Sunday evening, making it the most excitement I’ve anticipated for a Sunday night in several months. Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll be treated to a competitive contest, and neither does Zach.
The Manofesto 