The Week 2 board has a heavyweight feel to it, and the Saturday Down South crew wasted no time diving into the biggest spreads of the weekend. Ohio State-Texas sits at the center of the conversation, but there are plenty of other games with enough juice to split opinions, from Mizzou’s trip to Kansas to Alabama’s visit to Kentucky.
The group’s season records entering the weekend show some clear separation early on. Spenser Davis is 6-2, Andy Olson sits at 1-7, Adam Spencer is 3-5, and Ethan Stone is also 6-2.
The first rivalry on the list is Mizzou (-5.5) at Kansas, and the picks were mixed in a way that fit the game’s tension. Davis called Kansas underrated, pointed to Isaiah Marshall’s Week 1 showing, and noted that offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is back in Lawrence after a stint at Penn State.
He said Kansas is live to win outright and took the points. Olson went the other way, backing Mizzou by a touchdown and Austin “Muck Vick” Simmons to make the Jayhawks sad.
Spencer was as blunt as ever, refusing to pick Kansas at all and riding with “Super Bowl champion Drew Lock” while also tossing in his own anti-Kansas rant. Stone leaned Mizzou as well, calling it a fierce rivalry and saying the Tigers are the superior program and will probably win by two possessions again.
Oklahoma (-5.5) at Michigan brought out a different kind of debate, mostly centered on whether the Week 1 reaction to Michigan was too extreme. Davis pointed out that Michigan had been favored as much as 2.5 points in summer Game of the Year markets and had still been a slight underdog recently, arguing that one bad data point should not swing the line so hard.
He took Michigan plus the points. Olson agreed, saying people may be overreacting and noting that Western Michigan is not Florida State-level bad.
He liked the Wolverines to find some juice at home. Spencer, though, saw the situation much differently, citing the low vibes around Michigan after Kyle Whittingham’s comments on quarterback Bryce Underwood and Underwood’s response.
He said he doesn’t think Underwood will be the starter much longer and took Oklahoma to stomp the Wolverines.
At Alabama (-10.5) at Kentucky, the crew split between respect for the Tide and suspicion that this number may be a little rich for early September. Davis said Alabama would likely run away with it if this game were in November, but in Week 2 he expects Kentucky to keep it close at home while Will Stein and Kenny Minchey remain harder to prepare for.
He took Kentucky plus the points. Olson didn’t overthink it, simply saying Alabama heard him loud and clear after his Week 1 East Carolina pick and laying the number with the Tide.
Spencer backed Alabama too, saying he likes Stein long term at Kentucky but is low on the Wildcats this season and believes the Tide are a Playoff team in 2026. Stone also went with Alabama, saying sportsbooks are baiting bettors into Kentucky, even while acknowledging Minchey’s Week 1 performance.
Still, he said he trusts Alabama’s defense more and doesn’t have the same confidence in Kentucky against a shifty Keelon Russell.
Tennessee (-12.5) at Georgia Tech produced another split, this time over whether the Vols’ talent gap is enough to cover on the road. Davis leaned into Georgia Tech’s track record under Brent Key, noting the Yellow Jackets are 13-6 against the spread since 2023 with nine outright wins.
He said Tennessee is relying on a true freshman quarterback and is still in just its second game under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, so he grabbed Georgia Tech plus the points. Olson took the opposite side, saying Georgia Tech wishes Buster Faulkner and Aaron Philo were still in Atlanta for this one and backing Tennessee to get it done.
Spencer also took Georgia Tech, calling the spread too big and expecting Tennessee to win but not by enough, especially with a true freshman making his first road start against a Power 4 opponent. Stone, meanwhile, backed Tennessee and said the path to a competitive game is the Georgia Tech crowd getting to freshman Faizon Brandon, whom he called a seasoned vet after his first college start.
The nightcap of the picks was the one everyone had circled: Ohio State at Texas (-1.5). Davis liked Texas at home, citing the Longhorns’ offensive skill talent and what he expects to be an elite defense.
He said he had some offseason questions about the hiring of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, but that this game will answer a lot. He also noted that Julian Sayin is not nearly as effective when Texas’s front seven can get after him.
Olson, “Against my better judgement,” also took Texas, leaning into the Arch Manning Year 4 buzz, the NIL-powered roster, and Muschamp’s return on defense. Spencer made it three for Texas, saying he liked the way Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo played together last week and believing that tandem will be tough for any defense, even one led by Matt Patricia.
He acknowledged Jeremiah Smith will get his yards and catches, but still backed the Longhorns in Austin.
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Alabama enters with a fresh face under center in Keelon Russell, and his first start gave the Crimson Tide plenty to build on. Kentucky will have to sort through that on the fly while trying to keep the game from getting away from it early, which is where the market has already started to lean in one direction. The numbers will matter, of course, but for Kentucky the bigger question is whether this is the kind of spot where it can hang around long enough to make the afternoon interesting deep into the fourth quarter. [Read more 🡒]