A new college football week is upon us, and we have an absolutely loaded Saturday slate. College football is structured into various conferences, including the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which plays a significant role in shaping the dynamics of the sport.
As always, it all starts with the noon kickoffs.
Our college football staff came through with four picks for Saturday’s early slate, including picks for Arkansas vs. Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse, Army vs. Florida Atlantic, and of course, Texas vs. Michigan.
So, whether you’re looking to root on a moneyline ‘dog that runs the triple option or cheer for an up-and-coming pass-catcher for the defending national champions, we have you covered.
Continue reading for all of our college football best bets, expert picks and predictionsfor Week 2 Noon games on Saturday, September 7 — and best sure to check out our best bets for the rest of the day’s action.
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College Football Best Bets: Noon Games
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Saturday's slate of noon college football games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 12 p.m. | |
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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. | ||
Arkansas vs. Oklahoma State Best Bet
I adore Oklahoma State’s offense. I’m very bullish on the Pokes, who I think could win 10 games this year.
With Doak Walker Award-winning back Ollie Gordon II leading the charge behind an insanely experienced offensive line (over 200 career starts with seven redshirt or super seniors), the Pokes can sustain drives on the ground.
In turn, Gordon’s dominance opens up play-action passes for the ever-improving Alan Bowman, who ranked 15th nationally in play-action passing yards last year (1,278).
I have some questions regarding the Cowboy defense, but the unit could improve with nine starters back from last season. They should be strong at defensive tackle, have plenty of linebacking depth (Nickolas Martin, Kendal Daniels and Collin Oliver all logged over 100 tackles last season), and return all four starters from last year’s secondary.
Overall, the Pokes returned 19 starters from last year’s Big 12 Championship runner-up squad. They rank tops nationally in Phil Steele’s experience chart and could make big strides this season.
Conversely, Arkansas ranks 88th in experience.
I’m worried about the offensive line (only 62 career starts) and linebacking corps (lost all four starters from last year). The Razorbacks are thin on defensive depth, especially after losing their top three linebackers from last year’s unit.
I’m also unsure how Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green will fare in the SEC after mucking it up in the Mountain West for three seasons.
Sure, the Hogs dropped 70 on Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Week 1, but I try not to overreact to Week 1 results. Although, it’s worth mentioning that the Pokes dropped 44 on a much better South Dakota State squad, winning by 24 after closing as 12.5-point favorites.
Ultimately, I always want to bet on more experienced over less in the early season, as the former teams are generally more game-ready for no-conference tilts.
I expect Gordon and the experienced Pokes to roll over a questionable, inexperienced Razorback defense that ranked 74th in EPA per Rush Allowed and 88th in Pro Football Focus’ Rush Defense grades last year.
Pick: Oklahoma State -10
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Georgia Tech vs. Syracuse Expert Pick
By Stuckey
After the initial market move, Syracuse catching a field goal at home caught my attention.
Coming into the season, I was lower than the market on the Orange; hence, the reason I bet their season win total under.
I also wasn't overly impressed with their effort last week. While they should've covered every number if not for a late phantom flag, they really struggled to defend the run, allowing Northwestern transfer Anthony Tyus to amass over 200 yards on the ground on just 16 carries.
The Syracuse defenders really struggled to set the edge against the Bobcats, which is certainly a bit alarming with the vaunted Georgia Tech rushing attack up next, especially since Cuse lost star linebacker Marlowe Wax for the next six weeks to injury.
However, I'd expect Syracuse to clean up some of the issues it had up front after the first real action under a brand new staff and scheme.
Kyle McCord is undoubtedly an upgrade at quarterback for what the Orange had under center in 2023. He got away with some throws in the opener (four turnover-worthy plays) but certainly has plenty of skill-position talent to work with across the board.
It has to be noted that Georgia Tech's season-opening win over Florida State doesn't look as impressive after seeing how poor the lifeless Noles looked during Monday night's loss to Boston College.
And while Tech did cover (barely) against Georgia State, the brand-new Panthers had terrible luck all night long.
Here are some highlights from just the first 30 minutes of gameplay:
- First Drive of the Game: No points from first-and-goal from the 1-yard line
- Second Drive of the Game: Fumbled snap at own 20, leading to a GT touchdown on fourth down
- Later in First Half: Settled for a field goal after first-and-goal from the 3-yard line
- Final Minute of First Half: GT fourth-down touchdown
Despite all of that misfortune, they still trailed by just 11 at the half — and then even failed to score again late in the game after another goal-to-go situation. Three total points on 12 plays inside the 10 across three separate drives. Yes, I'm still bitter.
Don't forget the Yellow Jackets were favored by only six at home last season when Cuse — with a less talented roster than this season — started a tight end at quarterback.
Lastly, Syracuse holds a situational edge, getting to start the season with its second straight home game. Conversely, Georgia Tech will play its third overall, having gone from Ireland to Atlanta to central New York at potentially the peak of its market value.
For what it's worth, since taking over as interim head coach for Georgia Tech in 2022, Brent Key owns a sparkling 12-3 ATS record as an underdog but has gone just 2-5 ATS as a favorite.
Pick: Syracuse +3 or Better
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Army vs. Florida Atlantic Prediction
Would it surprise you to find out that Army has the third-longest active winning streak in college football? The Black Knights have won five in a row dating back to early November.
This run coincided with a return to their true triple-option roots. Offensive coordinator Cody Worley is not only utilizing the Cadets’ traditional option scheme, but he’s also improved upon it by sprinkling in formational wrinkles.
Bryson Daily, Army’s starting quarterback, is now taking snaps from under center, out of the pistol and from the shotgun. This is giving teams more to prepare for and puts different defenders in conflict in both the run and pass games.
After scoring just 14 points per game through the first two months of 2023, Army’s offensive tweaks have noticeably changed its fate. During this five-game winning streak, Army is averaging over 25 points per game while dominating on the ground. Last week against FCS Lehigh, Army ran for 375 yards at a 6.7 yards-per-carry clip.
Florida Atlantic has an average run defense by G5 standards, having given up a hair under 150 a game on the ground last fall.
The Owls allowed 179 yards on the ground to Michigan State, but I do have to applaud their work in limiting explosives. Sparty managed just one run over 10 yards all game long.
The issue here isn’t their statistical résumé on defense — it’s their experience against this unique scheme. Florida Atlantic didn’t face an offense like this last year, and now it has just a week to prepare. Advantage, Army.
But if we’re in the trust tree and I’m being absolutely honest with myself, this play is purely a Cam Fancher fade. The Marshall transfer is one of the worst starting quarterbacks in FBS.
His 9.4 QBR doomed the Owls last week against Michigan State. He was running for his life for much of the game, carrying it 25 times for just 67 yards while avoiding pressure on nearly every dropback.
If he were an accurate downfield passer, there would be a chance that FAU could take advantage of a green Army secondary. In his past nine starts, however, Fancher has more turnover-worthy throws than big-time throws and has either turned it over multiple times or been sacked three-plus times in eight of those nine contests.
He's a major liability for FAU, to say the least.
Army’s Nate Woody, a former Broyles Award nominee, has more experience in his front seven to harass Fancher. And just like last week, Woody’s pressure generated a handful of turnover-worthy throws and two interceptions.
I foresee a similar outcome in Boca Raton on Saturday afternoon.
In a low-scoring game, I’ll take the moneyline value and bank on Army scoring its first conference win as a member of the AAC.
Pick: Army ML +135
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Texas vs. Michigan Pick
By Alex Hinton
With the departures of Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson, Tyler Morris steps into a prominent role in Michigan’s passing game this season.
However, the passing attack left much to be desired against Fresno State. The Wolverines passed for just 121 yards on 27 attempts.
Much of that was accounted for by tight end Colston Loveland, who had eight receptions for 87 yards. I would expect Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski to give Loveland a bit more attention and force others to beat them.
Morris is one player I expect to answer the bell.
Morris did have three receptions last week, but they went for just 15 yards. However, for 24 yards, he can hit this line with a catch or two.
Last season, Morris had four receptions of 20 yards or more. That includes a 38-yard touchdown in the CFP semifinal against Alabama, so he has already shown he can step up in big games.
While the stakes aren't quite as high this week, Michigan has another test against another SEC powerhouse.
With more expected volume this season, I also like the value for Morris to reach 40 and 50 receiving yards, which sit at +210 and +320, respectively, on FanDuel.
Pick: Tyler Morris Over 23.5 Receiving Yards (Play to 26.5)
