College Football Picks 9/1 Part 1

Here is part 1 of my Saturday picks. Will be back with the late afternoon/evening games.

Top Picks:

Northwestern +1 vs Syracuse
Illinois -9.5 vs W. Michigan
Nebraska/S. Miss over 53.5

Leans:
Colorado -6 vs Colorado St

Writeups:

Northwestern- Lot of action on this game and it probably will come down to the end. Last year was a bit of lost season for both teams and there is pressure on both coaches to have better seasons. NU is better prepared to get off to a quick start as they have their offense pretty much in place while Syracuse will need to work some new players in.

Defensively, NU is still not a strong team but Syracuse does not have the weapons ready to exploit their weaknesses.

Illinois- I debated whether to make this a 5 star play. Illinois' new head coach is in a good spot. Ron Zook left a talented roster and if he can get his system in place, the Illini will be dangerous this year. The only question for me on this one is how well has Illinois acclimated so far. If they have the new offense and defensive in place then this game could be a blow out as their is a pretty big talent differential between the two teams.

Nebraska/S. Miss- These teams in their recent history have been defensive oriented however that has begun to change recently. Nebraska has a pretty dynamic offense and has gotten off to fast offensive starts the last few years. S. Miss under their new coach is a bit of a wild card but defense alone is no longer their calling card.

I think this game will hit the over pretty easily as Nebraska's offense in particular should be effective.

Colorado- Although Colorado is in rebuilding mode, Colo St is in a deep rebuilding mode as their talent level has dropped and they have a new coach who is bringing a new philosophy. Don't expect a stellar game from either side and Colorado is in the 2nd year of their coach and over the course of the game, they will eventually pull away and cover the number.