DawgsHQ Staff Predictions: Week 2 (Georgia vs. Ball State & more)

Hope everybody enjoyed their Labor Day weekend – and more importantly the short work week that followed. We got College Football on FIVE (!!!) straight days, and it was awesome. Well, w’ere back for more this week, and it’s a loaded slate. Georgia takes on Ball State at noon, and lucky for Bulldog fans, they’ll be able to watch some exciting matchups afterwards including a Texas-Alabama showdown that was worth the watch last season.

Here are DawgsHQ’s predictions for Week Two of College Football (and a look back at how we did against the spread last week).

*** No spread was made public on the Georgia game against UT-Martin so that one won’t count either way for our staff records. Congrats to Wes, Rusty and Rowe for all being one point off the actual score in their prediction. This week, the Bulldogs are 42 point favorites over Ball State ***

Wes Blankenship (2-3)

Yes, Georgia started slower on offense than fans and even Kirby Smart liked vs. UT-Martin. Carson Beck had to feel the game out and learn what it feels like to be THE guy. The good news is I believe he got some of that trepidation out of his system. He’s ready to let it rip, and this Georgia offense will show that patented week-two improvement that we always hear about in College Football, while the defense continues to dominate. (Georgia 52, Ball State 9)

Jeremy Johnson (4-1)

Georgia hits a stride a little earlier in Saturday’s contest. The offense ended with some rhythm before Beck gave way to Vandagriff. (Georgia 51, Ball State 3)

Rusty Mansell

My MVP in this one is Carson Beck. I think he has a bounce back performance after all the criticism this week, throwing for three touchdowns. Brock Vandagriff plays a good bit in the fourth quarter as a result and we get to see some more of what 12 can do too. (Georgia 45, Ball State 10)

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) looks to throw a pass during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Tennessee Martin in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.

Jake Reuse (2-3)

I expect this week to look a bit cleaner for Georgia, but otherwise, I think it’ll be a lot of the same, with young guys playing significant minutes and a largely conservative offensive approach. I am intrigued to see if the front seven is a bit more disruptive this go-round, as they’ll be gearing up for a South Carolina offensive line that looked rough in week one. Ball State should be better than UT-Martin, but I don’t see the outcome as much different. Count me as skeptical of this big of a spread in almost any contest, though. (Georgia 48, Ball State 7)

Jake Rowe (1-4)

I expect Georgia to come out sharper and to be up by four scores quicker than it was last week. I have no doubt that the entire offense has spent this week shoring up everything it did wrong last week. The offensive line play should be better and the passing game should look more crisp. With that said, I don’t like Georgia to cover 41 points. I think The Bulldogs win big but Ball State is good enough to score some points late and cover. (Georgia 52, Ball State 17)

Palmer Thombs (3-2)

The forecast for Saturday has me wondering if the under (O/U 52) would be the best play, and the way that Georgia looked defensively last week, I feel comfortable that they’ll do their part to keep Ball State from scoring too much. Bulldogs keep the Cardinals to 10 or less. The question becomes, what does Georgia’s offense look like compared to last week? I do think that there will be more opening up and taking shots downfield with Carson Beck more comfortable. Also think that the return of Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint is important – plus the potential returns of Ladd McConkey and Daijun Edwards. All in all, I like UGA’s chances to score 40. Too close to call on over/under, but feels like something to keep in mind. (Georgia 45, Ball State 6)

National Games of the Week (Against the Spread)

(Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)

No. 10 Notre Dame (-7.5) @ NC State / 12:00 p.m. ET, ABC
Wes: Notre Dame
Jeremy: Notre Dame
Reuse: Notre Dame
Rowe: NC State
Palmer: Notre Dame

No. 20 Ole Miss (-7.5) @ No. 24 Tulane / 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Wes: Ole Miss
Jeremy: Ole Miss
Reuse: Ole Miss
Rowe: Ole Miss
Palmer: Tulane

No. 23 Texas A&M (-4) @ Miami 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Wes: Texas A&M
Jeremy: Texas A&M
Reuse: Texas A&M
Rowe: Texas A&M
Palmer: Texas A&M

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

No. 11 Texas @ No. 3 Alabama (-7) / 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Wes: Texas
Jeremy: Texas
Reuse: Alabama
Rowe: Alabama
Palmer: Alabama

No. 13 Oregon (-6.5) @ Texas Tech / 7:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Wes: Oregon
Jeremy: Oregon
Reuse: Oregon
Rowe: Oregon
Palmer: Oregon

For more from the crew at DawgsHQ, be sure to take advantage of our season-kickoff special (25% off a full year subscription, or $1 for one month!), follow us on social and check us out on YouTube!

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