Who is on upset alert?

Wait, this isn’t March Madness?

UCF takes on Villanova at home. 

In week two #PicksAllKnight went 2-3, and we find ourselves sitting at 10-5 on the season. If you like my picks (and more importantly like making money) subscribe to the Sons of UCF and give me a follow on X (Twitter) at _AllKnight_

Here’s a recap of my week 2 picks!

Iowa Hawkeyes @ Iowa State Cyclones

Wager: Total points over 36.

Final: Iowa 20, Iowa State 13.

Outcome: Loss

#20 Ole Miss Rebels @ #24 Tulane Green Wave

Wager: Ole Miss (-6).

Final: #20 Ole Miss 37, #24 Tulane 20.

Outcome: WIN!

UCF Knights @ Boise State Broncos

Wager: UCF (-2.5).

Final: UCF 18, Boise State 16. 

Outcome: Loss

#13 Oregon Ducks @ Texas Tech Red Raiders

Wager: #13 Oregon (-7).

Final: #13 Oregon 38, Texas Tech 30. 

Outcome: WIN!

#19 Wisconsin Badgers @ Washington State Cougars

Wager: #19 Wisconsin (-4.5).

Final: Washington State 31, #19 Wisconsin 22.

Outcome: Loss

Making Moves Picks Records

Overall:

Week 2: 2-3 (40%)

Season: 10-5 (66.7%)

Pool Tracker:

Week 2: 7-7 (50%)

Season: 14-14 (50%)

Week 3 Official Picks

#14 LSU Tigers @ Mississippi State Bulldogs

My Pick: Mississippi State (+10)

LSU heads down to Starkville, MS to open SEC play against division rival Mississippi State. Kickoff is set for 12 PM eastern and can be caught on ESPN. 

LSU is currently ranked #14 after an embarrassing week 1 loss to Florida State, and a week 2 72-10 beat down of… Grambling. Original opening line had LSU favored by 9 with 59% of tickets and 64% of the money quickly being laid on the Tigers. I’m not as optimistic about LSU as they rank 103rd in total team defense allowing 6.46 yards per play and 91st in rushing defense allowing 298 yards per game. 

On the other side, Mississippi State starts their season 2-0 with Zach Arnett at the helm after the tragic passing of coaching legend Mike Leach in 2022. The Bulldogs shift their focus from the air raid to a run first approach behind their leading rusher Jo’Quavious Marks. Marks has averaged 5.8 yards per carry on 45 attempts this season and proved to be dangerous in the running game. Additionally, Mississippi State is probably the most experienced team in the country, boasting 10 upperclassmen starting on both offense and defense. 

Ring those cowbells! I’m taking the Mississippi State Bulldogs (+10) points!

#15 Kansas State Wildcats @ Missouri Tigers

My Pick: Kansas State (-4.5)

The Missouri Tigers welcome the Kansas State Wildcats to Memorial Stadium in Columbia, MO this Saturday at Noon. The game can be watched on the SEC network or ESPN+. 

 This game is a tough pick as neither team has played a meaningful game. Kansas State opened their season against Troy and Southeast Missouri, and Missouri against Middle Tennessee State and South Dakota. What we do know is Kansas State looks more explosive on both sides of the ball winning by an average margin of 37 points, while Missouri’s average margin of victory sits at 14.5. 

Through the first two games, Kansas State ranks #1 in rushing defense allowing only 76 yards on the ground per game. Missouri however ranks #67 in rushing offense after two weeks. This looks to heavily favor Kansas State’s front seven over Missouri’s rushing attack. 

This matchup does feature two returning starters at QB in Kansas State’s Will Howard, and Missouri’s Brady Cook. 

This pick just means more.. Give me the Big XII over the SEC! Take the Wildcats (-4.5) points. 

#8 Washington Huskies @ Michigan State Spartans

My Pick: Washington State (-16)

Next we go to another out of conference P5 (for now) showdown, as the Washington Huskies of the PAC-12 travel to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans of the BIG 10. This game can be watched on NBCUniversal’s Peacock TV at 5 PM eastern. 

This game may be the lock of the week.. Michigan State welcomes in a top-10 Washington team, led by standout QB Michael Penix Jr. The hashtag “#TuckComin”, often used by Michigan State fans to describe head coach Mel Tucker, took a bit of an ironic twist this week amid sexual misconduct allegations. Tucker was suspended without pay earlier this week. 

Washington has looked very impressive the first two weeks, ranking #1 in passing offense, #6 in total offense, and nearly top 30 in scoring defense. Washington also enters Saturday on a 9-game winning streak dating back to last year. A stretch where they played teams that include Texas, Oregon, and Oregon State. 

I believe the distractions and uncertainty in the Spartans program leads to at least a 3 or 4 touchdown Washington wins. Go Huskies! Lay the 16 points. 

Villanova @ UCF

My Pick: Over total points, no matter how many.

The Villanova Wildcats travel down to the Bounce House to take on the UCF Knights this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM eastern, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

This will likely be the only UCF game this season where a line won’t be available until the day of the game, so let’s have a little fun on a blind bet! 

Considering UCF will be playing host to an FCS opponent, the spread will likely favor the Knights by multiple touchdowns. Although, Villanova is typically talked about more during March Madness, their football team is no slouch. Starting QB Connor Watkins led Villanova to a 42-19 victory over Colgate in week 2 and did so efficiently. Watkins threw for a career-high 310 passing yards on just eight completions – the fewest completions in a 300-yard passing game in Villanova history! 

UCF will also be bringing in backup QB Timmy McClain as John Rhys Plumlee will likely miss a few weeks for what Malzahn reports is “a leg”. McClain’s last time as a starter was in 2021 for the usf cows, where he ended the season with 5 TDs, 7 INTs, and a completion percent of 55.3%. While his time in Tampa did not showcase his talents, Timmy McClain is a true hometown hero hailing from Seminole High School in Sanford, FL. McClain led the Seminole’s to a Florida state championship, and posted career stats of 69 TDs, 11 INTs and 64.5% completion. I believe they will dial back the playbook a bit, get back to the basics, and let Timmy’s athleticism shine. 

Give me all of the points, I don’t care how many. 56, 66, 96, doesn’t matter. Take the over!

TCU Horned Frogs @ Houston Cougars

My Pick: TCU (-7)

We have a Texas-sized showdown as the TCU Horned Frogs travel down I-45 to take on the Houston Cougars! The game is set for an 8 PM eastern kick of Fox. 

Coach Dana Holgerson’s seat is hotter than a Houston summer right now, and the pressure is on. Houston is 1-1 against their former conference, winning a close game against UTSA in week 1 and losing in double overtime to Rice the following week. Houston hoped to capitalize on their early schedule, not having to leave the state of Texas until week 6, but like the rest of Holgerson’s tenure, things have not gone according to plan. 

The Horned Frogs also sit at 1-1 on the season, losing in the opening week to now ranked Colorado and Deion Sanders. They look to continue their bounce back after defeating Nicholls 41-6 last week. While they are not the same team that played for the national championship last season, returning only 11 starters, I feel they still heavily outmatch Houston. It will likely feel like a neutral site game as the Houston fanbase is already out on the season, and TCU fans make the short drive down. 

Give ‘em hell TCU! Give me the Frogs minus a touchdown (-7). 

Thank you for reading! Follow along on http://SonsofUCF.com and _AllKnight_ on X (twitter). I’ll be keeping track of my Son’s picks week to week. Let’s win together, and as always. #WagerWisely

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