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Week 1 was fun, but it only gets more difficult from here. Everyone got off to a strong start, and we almost finished perfect to start the year. Brandon Wimbush and the UCF Knights got everyone points for lock picks and blowout picks, and UConn survived Wagner. So everyone can forget about the Huskies for another few weeks. Week 2 presents some interesting matchups, and could make the picks more difficult. Tulane heads to Auburn to try and pull off a stunner, while Cincinnati heads to Columbus to do the same against Ohio State. In state battles like FAU-UCF and North Texas-SMU will also provide intrigue. As for the picks, they’ll get tougher as the weeks go on, and the standings will be tight.
Standings
Mike: 10 points
Joe B: 10
Joe S: 10
Eric: 7
Lock (1 point): You pick anyone you want (within the AAC games). Even if it’s a non-conference game, you can pick the opposing team. This is a pick you’re extremely confident in, and likely won’t lose.
Blowout (2 points): This is just AAC teams. You will pick which AAC team will win by the most points. It’ll most likely be a blowout, but even if that team only wins by 10, it counts in this category.
Upset (3 points): We’re counting this as any team that’s not favored. It could be their +1 or +35, doesn’t matter. You’re picking a team that’s not the favorite to win that particular game, not cover the spread.
Use ‘Em and Lose ‘Em (4 points): There are 12 teams in the AAC. You get to pick one team per week, and then you cannot pick them again. So, if you pick UCF, you lose them. Your list of teams to pick from will obviously decrease as the season progresses.
**NOTE: ALL GAMES PICKED ARE AAC GAMES ONLY
FOR OUR FANS/READERS: All of your picks are decided by a vote. The option in each category with the most votes will be your selection each week.
Lock
Mike: Let me go ahead and lock up Illinois to beat UConn. Badly. I know I’m so brave. The fightin Lovie Smith’s scored a ton last week and expect it to continue against the huskies.
Joe B: Houston gets to bounce back after a tough loss against Oklahoma. D’Eriq King should have a big game against Prairie View A&M.
Joe S: Memphis draws a FCS foe a week after beating a SEC team. I could have gone with them in the blowout section of this piece as well.
Eric: My lock for a W is Ohio State. I’m a huge fan of what Luke Fickell is doing with the Cincy program. But they’re not quite there yet as far as this level of competition.
Fans:
Poll
Who’s your Week 2 Lock team?
This poll is closed
-
0%
Cincinnati Bearcats
(0 votes) -
17%
Ohio State Buckeyes
(5 votes) -
0%
Southern Jaguars
(0 votes) -
6%
Memphis Tigers
(2 votes) -
3%
USF Bulls
(1 vote) -
0%
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
(0 votes) -
3%
Illinois Fighting Illini
(1 vote) -
0%
UConn Huskies
(0 votes) -
0%
Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs
(0 votes) -
0%
ECU Pirates
(0 votes) -
17%
UCF Knights
(5 votes) -
0%
FAU Owls
(0 votes) -
0%
North Texas Mean Green
(0 votes) -
3%
SMU Mustangs
(1 vote) -
13%
Tulane Green Wave
(4 votes) -
3%
Auburn Tigers
(1 vote) -
0%
Prairie View A&M Panthers
(0 votes) -
31%
Houston Cougars
(9 votes) -
0%
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
(0 votes) -
0%
San Jose State Spartans
(0 votes)
Blowout
Mike: Houston should absolutely destroy Prairie View A&M. I feel like I’m picking the easy ones but I can’t help it.
Joe B: I didn’t pick Houston as my lock for nothing. Only competition they have in this category is Memphis against Southern.
Joe S: D’Eriq King and the Houston Cougars did not get embarrassed against Oklahoma, but they likely felt they could have kept it closer. Prairie View A&M travels to Houston and one would think Dana Holgorsen wants to put up plenty of points in his first home game.
Eric: Let’s go with Mike Norvell and the Memphis Tigers for biggest blowout. After getting a solid P5 win over Ole Miss, I think they’ll be riding high and will look to put Southern away decisively.
Fans:
Poll
Which AAC team produces the biggest Week 2 blowout?
This poll is closed
-
0%
Cincinnati Bearcats
(0 votes) -
22%
Memphis Tigers
(5 votes) -
4%
USF Bulls
(1 vote) -
0%
UConn Huskies
(0 votes) -
0%
ECU Pirates
(0 votes) -
4%
UCF Knights
(1 vote) -
0%
SMU Mustangs
(0 votes) -
9%
Tulane Green Wave
(2 votes) -
54%
Houston Cougars
(12 votes) -
4%
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
(1 vote)
Upset
Mike: North Texas. They beat SMU last year, and there’s a good chance the Mean Green can do it again in Week 2.
Joe B: I think SMU will win this game, but I’ll pick North Texas to pull off the upset. Mason Fine and the Mean Green will give the Mustangs a run for their money.
Joe S: There was only one game that caught my eye when looking at these lines, and that is the USF Bulls getting six points against a Georgia Tech team trying to transition from a triple option to a pro-style offense. The Bulls were dreadful last week and have something to prove in Week 2.
Eric: Seeing as how I just saw this team live seven days ago, I’m going with Tulane as my upset team. We still haven’t figured out whether Tulane is that good, or FIU was somewhat overhyped, but I am a believer that what Tulane does well will travel well to Auburn.
Fans:
Poll
Who’s your Week 2 upset team?
This poll is closed
-
4%
Cincinnati (+17) at Ohio State
(1 vote) -
31%
USF (+6) at Georgia Tech
(7 votes) -
4%
UConn (+20.5) vs Illinois
(1 vote) -
4%
FAU (+10.5) vs. UCF
(1 vote) -
22%
North Texas (+4) at SMU
(5 votes) -
27%
Tulane (+18) at Auburn
(6 votes) -
0%
San Jose State (+6.5) vs. Tulsa
(0 votes) -
0%
Southern (N/A) at Memphis
(0 votes) -
4%
Gardner-Webb (N/A) at ECU
(1 vote) -
0%
Prairie View A&M (N/A) at Houston
(0 votes)
Use ‘Em and Lose ‘Em
Mike: Give me Memphis to beat Southern. Seems easy enough.
Joe B: If Mike Houston has changed the culture of the program, ECU shouldn’t have trouble with Gardner-Webb. The Pirates are my choice for this category.
Joe S: Not sure if I’ll have another opportunity to use them this season so I have to go with ECU this week. I got UConn out of the way last week (barely) and this is the spot to do so with the Pirates.
Eric: I’m going with Houston for my Use ‘em and Lose ‘em.
Fans:
Poll
Who’s your Week 2 Use ‘Em and Lose ‘Em team?
This poll is closed
-
7%
Cincinnati Bearcats
(1 vote) -
15%
Memphis Tigers
(2 votes) -
0%
USF Bulls
(0 votes) -
38%
ECU Pirates
(5 votes) -
7%
UCF Knights
(1 vote) -
0%
SMU Mustangs
(0 votes) -
7%
Tulane Green Wave
(1 vote) -
23%
Houston Cougars
(3 votes) -
0%
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
(0 votes)