2019 – Week 2 Picks - Jacknife Sports

The first week of the season has passed and that can be tricky at times for picking games. You never know for sure how the new players will fit in to a scheme, or how rusty a unit might be. With that in mind, the picks weren't too bad last week. Travis is leading the way after the first week with a 13-2 record straight up and 10-5 record against the spread. Is he on a redemption tour for last year's dismal performance? Or is it just a first week mirage like Maryland? Allan went 10-5 SU, 7-8 ATS, while Kyle went 9-6 SU, 6-9 ATS.

This week has a couple of marquee games as Texas A&M-Clemson and LSU-Texas face off. These two games more than likely will have major implications in shaping the national title picture going forward. Texas A&M only lost by 2 points at home to Clemson last year. This time they have to go on the road, but what kind of tectonic shift in the national narrative will happen if Clemson goes down? LSU fancies itself a contender and is aiming to knock Alabama off its perch in the SEC west. Even if they lose this game, the SEC is still achievable. If you win the SEC you are in the Playoff. But lose this game and they will have a tough road to make the Playoff without winning the SEC. And Texas wants to prove that last year's Big XII title game appearance and Sugar Bowl win over Georgia were just the beginning of their resurgence to national prominence.

Other than those two games, there are quite a few intriguing games on the docket. Cincinnati travels to Ohio State. The Bearcats are a very solid AAC team with a defense that could slow down the Buckeyes' attack. It feels like one of those games that will be close early only to see Ohio State pull away. Or maybe Ohio State will have another 1st quarter blitz like they did against FAU. Army is traveling to Michigan in a game that many have had circled all offseason as a potential problem for the Wolverines. Army struggled against Rice last week. Is that just an aberration or will Army be more like the double digit win team of last year that took Oklahoma to overtime?

Stanford travels to USC in an early conference showdown. USC lost their promising true freshman quarterback for the season due to a knee injury. Will they be able to overcome that and start showing signs of the USC of old? Will Stanford's typical week 1 mediocre showing be like past years where they rip off win after win after the slow start?

Another early season week light on marquee matchups, but plenty of interesting storylines to follow.