Taking Bets | Week Two | One of Us Gets It

The weekly betting column returns as the season begins rolling and joining the boys this year is Mallory McCormack, host of The Staredown podcast which drops each Friday! Find both The Staredown podcast on Fridays and Takin' On Sports on Mondays -- both streaming here or in any podcast app of your preference. Now, on to the bets that could easily ruin your weekend!

2023 ATS Record
Blaine Duncan: 1-2 (Week One: 1-2)
TD Wood: 1-2 (Week One: 1-2)
Mallory McCormack: 2-1 (Week One: 2-1)

Blaine Duncan 
I prove my incompetence again with a 1-2 start. I'm telling you: bet against what I pick and thank me for telling you where not to go. Or even send me money. We could use some groceries at my house.

Texas A&M (-4) at Miami -- I'm no more excited about picking these weirdos than you are. Nor am I happy to pick two favorites on the road. But the Aggies surely win at Miami. And it's a touchdown win; that's my bet.

Texas at Alabama (OVER: 54) -- I really like this over. Even more than I like Sonic Blasts, and friends, that's a bulldozer of a pick. Which means don't bet it. But don't y'all see the Longhorns and Tide going back and forth a lot like last year? Why shouldn't it? I suppose Vegas knows that Alabama's defense is stout, but Texas can score. They pretty good.

Wisconsin (-6.5) at Washington State -- This type of cross-country travel will be the norm beginning next year. It's sort of sad, innit? The Badgers could very well win the Big Ten this year, and while it's not a conference game, do the Cougars stand a chance here? Shouldn't Wisconsin get a touchdown and extry point win?

NFL Game of the Week:
Eagles at Patriots (UNDER: 45) -- I didn't like any of the NFL lines in this opening week. I'm thinking that it's early, so some teams may have trouble moving the ball or getting in the end zone. I don't know. Defense could also be disjointed this early, too.

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TD Wood
As per tradition, a losing week out of the gates. Better than last season, I suppose, when I put up an 0-fer (but then went on to a winning season, so...) in the opening week. The games are a little more appealing this week, and we know a bit more about the teams now. Time to get back on track.

Nebraska at Colorado (-3) -- Looking back, we should've seen the Buffs upset win over TCU coming. The Horned Frogs lost a lot from last year's national runner-up squad, and Deion Sanders has the program hyped and a brand spanking new roster that had nothing to do with last year's abysmal record. Nebraska might be desperate after their opening loss to Minnesota, but they don't have the talent Coach Prime does, and Colorado loves to beat Nebraska. Boulder will be rocking for this one, and the Buffaloes should roll.

Houston (-9.5) at Rice -- The Owls had preseason hope with the arrival of former USC/Georgia/West Virginia QB J.T. Daniels, hoping he could help dynamic WR Luke McCaffrey. Unfortunately, it yielded poor results in their opener. They gained less than 200 total yards against Texas, and while Houston isn't as talented as the Longhorns, they opened their season with a hard-fought victory over a good UTSA team. They should be able to keep Rice in check in this one, while getting their offense going against a weaker defense. The only downside here is they won't be wearing those sweet Oilers-inspired uniforms.

Auburn at Cal (+6.5) -- At first glance, Auburn's week 1 victory over UMass was a breeze. While they certainly took care of business, the defense was a bit shaky, and you have to wonder how good the offense actually was considering the opponent. On paper, the Tigers are much more talented than Cal, and should win. But the Golden Bears had almost 700 yards of total offense in their win over North Texas, and Jaydn Ott looks like an absolute stud at tailback. This one could provide some PAC-12 After Dark fireworks.

NFL Game of the Week:
Jaguars (-5) at Colts -- The Jags are getting a lot of hype coming into this season, based on their strong finish last year. Maybe it's too much hype, but we could've said the same thing about the Lions -- and they went and beat the Chiefs in Kansas City to open the season on Thursday night. I'm not sold on Anthony Richardson as the next big thing, but I am sold on the amount of weapons Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawerence has at his disposal against what could be a pretty bad Colts defense.

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Mallory McCormack
Wow, week 1 was a doozy y'all! I shied away from some games because I thought no way in hades would some of these things happen but not only did they happen, they happened in epic proportions! If the chaos the football gods showed us in week 1 with Texas Tech losing to Wyoming, Colorado's offense looking like they can score 100 if need be, Clemson looking like they had never seen a football or end zone before, and the SEC USC laying an egg (who knew a rooster could do such a thing?!), continues to happen then we are in for a wild ride! So with that, let's hit week 2 with a little NFL action throw in (hopefully thrown by someone with a good arm like Josh Allen...)

Middle Tennessee @ Missouri (OVER: 48) - I'm taking over 48 here. Kinkead Dent, former backup at Ole Miss is the starting QB for MTSU. He's got an arm and a good eye for the game. Just because he wasn't quite the level of Dart doesn't mean he can't make some noise. I don't see either defense being able to stop the offense.

Texas A&M @ Miami (+4.0) -- I think Miami makes a statement and beats A&M. Not sure the Durkin defense at A&M can hold up to the Miami offense, especially in the insanely muggy Miami air. I may be surprised but I hope I'm not.

Nebraska @ Colorado (-3.0) -- Ok, I'll admit it. I doubted Coach Prime and his ability to have his team ready this early in the season after having only 10 players carry over from last year. But I bought into that narrative. He had more because he brought weapons from JSU with him. These kids are bought in and right now so am I. Do I think Travis Hunter can continue to play 117 snaps each game? Not for the whole season, but for this game, yeah. Colorado wins by more than 3.

NFL Game of the Week:
Packers @ Bears (-1.0) - What does an Aaron Rodgers less Packers team look like? I think it looks less like a Real Football Players of Green Bay show and more like a real football team. I just don't think Love is quite there yet. Give him some time to start clicking with his weapons and you'll know all their names soon enough. The Bears are gonna ride the wave confidence that Justin Fields brings in to year 2. Bears by more than 1 (please let it be at least 1.5 more ;) )

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Note: All games are Against the Spread. Odds are taken from the Caesar's Sportsbook.