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SALT LAKE CITY — Week 1 of KSL.com Sports' College Football Pick'em saw upsets and perfect scores. BYU fans scored a 27.9 fan accuracy, Utah fans with 27.7, and Utah State with 27.3. Which fan base will be on top this week?
Get your picks in here before the first game on Friday.
BYU at SMU
Friday, Sept. 6 (5 p.m. MDT, ESPN2)
SMU's Week 0 game versus Nevada had some people questioning if the Mustangs would be ACC competitors or not. Their 55-7 win over Houston Baptist, however, put some more hope in the Mustangs. BYU took care of Southern Illinois in a somewhat surprising 41-13 domination of the Salukis.
Why BYU will win:
Jake Retzlaff looks to be the quarterback BYU was hoping he'd be, and was efficient against Southern Illinois with 348 passing yards and three touchdowns. He had zero turnover-worthy plays, per PFF, and graded an 89.0 passer rating, which finished fifth in the Big 12.
The offensive line looked positive as BYU rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns, and only gave up one sack.
BYU's run defense was solid, despite a good rushing game from DJ Williams. SMU quarterback Preston Stone is more of a passing threat than a rushing threat, and BYU's pass defense held SIU to 13-of-26 passing.
The Cougars looked a lot better than expected and the momentum could keep them hot heading into Dallas.
Why SMU will win:
Stone looks to be a potential NFL prospect for next season after the junior threw for nearly 3,200 yards last season. He was 6-of-9 for 78 yards and two touchdowns in his three drives against Houston Christian.
Barshard Smith has had a great start to the year, rushing for 175 total yards and three touchdowns in the two games he's played. RJ Maryland has caught nine passes for 175 yards and a touchdown — 162 of the yards came in the first game of the year against Nevada.
The home crowd, plus exceptional pass play, will be hard for the Cougars to overcome as BYU went 1-5 on the road last year and scored an average of 17 points per game in those losses.
Line: SMU -10-5
Over/Under: 55.5
Texas at Michigan
Saturday, Sept. 7 (10 a.m. MDT, FOX)
This is expected to be the game of the week for college football fans. It features two top-15 teams and the reigning national champions.
Why Texas will win:
Quinn Ewers was dominant against Colorado State, going 20-of-27 for 260 yards and three touchdowns. The running back tandem of Jerrick Gibson and Jaydon Blue also combined for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Freshman receiver Ryan Wingo had a solid debut, as well, catching four passes for 70 yards, with his counterpart Isaiah Bond catching five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown.
The Texas defense looked good in the 52-0 shutout, forcing two interceptions and five tackles for loss.
Why Michigan will win:
Defensive tackle Mason Graham is a projected top-five pick, and defensive back Will Johnson — who had a pick six last week — is an expected first-rounder. The Wolverines' defense is talented, garnering three sacks and six tackles for loss in a victory over Fresno State.
Fresno State rushed for just 9 yards — thanks to sacks and tackles for loss — and held Malik Sherrod to just 24 yards rushing, one of the lowest rushing totals of his career.
The Big House will be rocking, and is always a tough environment to play in for opposing teams. Michigan has the help of over 100,000 people at their disposal.
Line: Texas -7.5
Over/Under: 42.5
Baylor at Utah
Saturday, Sept. 7 (1:30 p.m. MDT, FOX)
Utah will face their first Big 12 opponent as members of the Big 12, though it will not count for conference purposes since the game was scheduled previously and Baylor is honoring the home-and-home contract that started last year when Utah traveled to Waco.
Why Utah will win:
The Utes shut out the Thunderbirds last week 49-0, and Cam Rising looked like the Cam Rising of old. Rising played most of the first half and threw 10-of-15 for 254 yards and five touchdowns.
Brant Kuithe is also back and showed off with four receptions for 69 yards and three touchdowns.
This Utah team is as good as advertised, and beating them in general is difficult. But it's even harder to do when playing at Rice-Eccles Stadium where Utah has not lost a home game with Rising in his two fulls seasons at Utah.
Without Rising, Utah is still a phenomenal 19-2 since 2020 when playing at RES. Those losses came to No. 8 Oregon last year and No. 20 USC in 2020.
Why Baylor will win:
Dequan Finn, who spent the previous three seasons at Toledo where he totaled 1,589 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns over the three seasons, is a solid dual-threat QB. In his time in Toledo, Finn had 63 touchdowns and 23 interceptions with the Rockets.
Finn could give the Utes fits with his dual-threat game and keep them on their toes. Utah has a great defense, but they will be given a big test with a versatile offense like Baylor.
Line: Utah -14
Over/Under: 54.5
Colorado at Nebraska
Saturday, Sept. 7 (5:30 p.m. MDT, NBC)
Former Big 12 rivals will face off for the second consecutive year after Colorado defeated the Cornhuskers 36-14 in Boulder last year. Coach Prime versus Matt Rhule is a coaching matchup worth paying attention to this year.
Why Colorado will win:
Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter showed why they are both prospective Heisman candidates and some of the best players in the country last week against North Dakota State.
Sanders was 26-of-34 for 445 yards and four touchdowns, while Hunter had seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns. Hunter was fantastic and there is no way around it. His counterpart, Jimmy Horn Jr., had seven catches for 198 yards and a touchdown.
Between Horn and Hunter, opposing teams will have a test with these two wideouts.
It's tough to score on Nebraska, but even a decent offensive game for the Buffaloes will give them a strong chance to pull out a win.
Why Nebraska will win:
Nebraska smothered UTEP 40-7 last week and allowed only 205 yards. They forced two interceptions and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game.
Five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola looked the part, and threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns in his 2.5 quarters of play for the Cornhuskers.
The rushing attack was strong, with the team collecting 223 rushing yards on 47 attempts and three touchdowns, which was one of the best rushing attacks of the week in college football.
A good defensive effort should stifle any sort of Buffaloes offense.
Line: Nebraska -7.5
Over/Under: 58.5
Utah State at USC
Saturday, Sept. 7 (9 p.m. MDT, BTN)
Utah State and USC have faced off six times in the past, with the most recent coming in 2016 when USC won 45-7. The Trojans are coming off a big victory over LSU, while Utah State took care of Robert Morris.
Why USC will win:
Miller Moss is the future. He was 27-of-36 for 378 yards over LSU, thanks to two impressive catches by Kyron Hudson.
Utah State gave up a blistering 362 yards to Robert Morris, which is just too many for an FCS opponent at home.
Though the USC defense has had its struggles, it has the talent to take care of a heavy-passing attack by the Utah State offense.
Why Utah State will win:
Utah State does have a heavy air-raid offense, which is a great matchup given that USC gave up 308 yards of passing to the Tigers last week.
Spencer Petras was injured in the game against Robert Morris, and Bryson Barnes came in to lead the Aggies to victory. Barnes had a 63-yard touchdown run and threw two through the air. Petras is listed as day-to-day and it's unknown if he will start the game or if Barnes will get the nod.
Petras was 10-of-15 for 145 yards, but he had two picks, while Barnes was 11-of-21 for 198 yards and one interception.
In the past, USC has struggled on defensive, though Week 1 was a different showing. The Aggies have a high-powered offense with Jalen Royals as a Biletnikoff candidate and Kyrese White totaling 131 yards of offense for the Aggies.
Utah State had some of the better offensive numbers by any team last year, and they return a lot of that same talent.
Do not count the Aggies out.
Line: USC -28.5
Over/Under: 63.5
