They’re back! My weekly against the spread picks are returning for a 15th consecutive season. Last year was definitely a down year for me (don’t ask what my record was), but all-time, I am 33 games over .500. These are in order from my most confident pick to least confident.  Lines are based on the current spreads according to the Caesar Sportsbook.

Boston College (-9.5) vs. Northern Illinois- 12:00– I am high on the Eagles and low on the Huskies this season so this definitely seems like a game BC should win by double-digits, especially at home.

San Diego State (-2.0) vs. Ohio- (Aug 26) 7:00– I think both of these teams will be good this year, but the Aztecs are the better team in the better conference and the Bobcats have to make the cross country trip to play them.

Clemson (-13.5) at Duke- (Mon) 8:00– The Blue Devils had an incredible season in year 1 under Mike Elko, and while I think they will be good again this year, this is one of those games where their relative lack of athleticism will get exposed.

UTEP (-1.5) at Jacksonville State- (Aug. 26) 5:30– The Miners are a sleeper team in the Conference USA this season, so I think they should be able to take care of team who is making their FBS debut.

Vanderbilt (-17.5) vs. Hawaii- (Aug 26) 7:30– I think the Rainbow Warriors will play well in their week 1 game against Stanford, but this week 0 clash against Vandy has beatdown written all over it. A less experienced Commodore team beat the Warriors by over 50 last year on the road.

Ohio State (-29.0) at Indiana- 3:30– These games against the Big Ten bottom dwellers are the ones that the Buckeyes tend to put the throttle down and demolish their opposition. In fact, OSU has been IU by more than 40 in three of the past four seasons.

Baylor (-26.5) vs. Texas State- 7:00– Baylor should be decent this year, but this pick is really based on the fact that the Bobcats will likely be one of the worst teams in all of FBS this season. I don’t see a way that Texas State keeps this within four touchdowns.

BYU (-20.0) vs. Sam Houston- 10:15– The Bearkats (spelled with a “k”) are making their FBS debut on the road against a decent power 5 team. The Cougs should win by at least three scores.

LSU (-2.5) vs. Florida State- (Sun) 7:30– This is a big revenge spot for LSU, who lost a hearbreaker against the Noles last year in the season opener.

New Mexico State (-7.0) vs. UMass- (Aug 26) 7:00– The Aggies were a bowl team last year, and while I think they take a slight step back this season, UMass is one of the worst teams in the country. I don’t see any way the Minutemen keep this game within a touchdown, especially on the road.