College Football Best Bets for Saturday Afternoon
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
| 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
College football Week 2 rolls on with an afternoon slate that features four top-25 teams, including No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 11 Utah hosting Baylor and a rivalry game in Iowa.
For the sake of this piece, our college football experts are honing in on two of those games mentioned above.
Here's our NCAAF best bets and predictions for the Week 2 afternoon games on Saturday, Sept. 7.
Iowa State vs. Iowa
By Greg Waddell
The important stat here: Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell is 1-6 against Iowa.
After missing the opening game of the season, Iowa has its own head coach back as Kirk Ferentz returns from his school-imposed suspension.
Ferentz owns Campbell, and there’s not much reason to expect that to change based on what we’ve seen so far this season.
Iowa State managed a measly 21 points against North Dakota in Week 1. The Iowa defense should shut the Clones down, and the Hawkeyes’ offense found some answers of their own after a 34-point second half in their 40-0 win last week.
Both Iowa State (No. 1) and Iowa (No. 10) rank in the top 10 in the country in terms of Returning Production rankings.
For anyone that’s been around either program for long, they’re only familiar with one-sided domination as Iowa has won four of the last five meetings (and six of the last seven for any eighth-year seniors in the locker room).
The Hawkeyes will be at home, with a group full of guys that have only owned this rivalry. They also get the emotional return of their head coach.
I love Iowa here.
Pick: Iowa -2.5
Iowa State vs. Iowa
I never thought this day would arrive, but here we are. Is the Iowa offense kind of a wagon?
Okay, no, but it’s much improved from last season (and the season before that, and the season before that…), and the market hasn’t quite caught up.
The Hawkeyes scored 40 points and recorded 492 yards of offense – a yardage total Iowa hasn’t touched since 2019 – against Illinois State. The Redbirds are an FCS team, but there were some takeaways to extrapolate from that game.
Cade McNamara passed for 251 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were thrown to receivers. That’s more receiving touchdowns than Iowa had all of last season.
Furthermore, the Hawkeyes look like they have something in freshman receiver Reece Vander Zee, who caught six passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1.
The Tim Lester offense is not your Iowa offense of old, and the Hawkeyes aren’t afraid to spread things out. The Hawkeyes even lined up with five wide at times.
But most importantly for this game is Iowa’s rushing success. Kaleb Johnson, who only played in the second half, had 119 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
The Cyclones, meanwhile surrendered 174 rushing yards to North Dakota to open their season and are struggling with linebacker depth. The Hawkeyes might not even need to tap into their passing game to have success moving the ball on Iowa State.
Toss in that this is a home rivalry game for the Hawkeyes with no big games on the immediate horizon, and it should be pedal to the metal for the Iowa offense.
Back this juggernaut before it’s too late.
Pick: Iowa TT Over 18.5
Northern Illinois vs. Notre Dame
By Joshua Nunn
Notre Dame is coming off of a very physical hard fought win against Texas A&M last Saturday night. The game was a defensive struggle, and Notre Dame made plays when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.
After this week, the Irish are on the road at Purdue in a lesser known – but still important – rivalry game. In between is a nice little NIU sandwich spot, and this is the perfect time to grab the Huskies catching all those points.
NIU is going to run the ball with a senior-led offensive line that returns 113 career starts. Antario Brown is an explosive game changer at running back, and I really like what I saw from Ethan Hampton at quarterback in the Huskies’ opener.
He went 18-of-20 for 328 yards and five touchdowns in a little over a half of work.
NIU feels really confident about its defense. The defensive line has great size for a MAC line and is experienced. The back seven has continuity, and NIU was really solid against the pass compared to its peers last season.
One thing that shouldn’t go unnoticed: The NIU roster is full of players from in and around the Chicago area, many of whom weren’t recruited at all by Notre Dame.
This is their one chance to play in the Cathedral of college football. This game will mean much more to NIU than it will to Notre Dame, and I can see a real spirited max effort from the Huskies in this one.
This is a spot where Notre Dame gets to exhale before going back on the road to face a Big Ten opponent, but I wouldn’t exhale too hard.
I fully expect NIU to bring their “A” game and keep this game close into the latter stages.
