Formulator Football Friday – September 7, 2018

by Matt Fischer

Welcome to Formulator Football Friday! You’ll get a preview of the football weekend ahead every Friday for the remainder of 2018 as we preview NFL and college football each week.

NFL Week 1

The NFL kicked off last night with a bit of a snoozer. The Eagles and Falcons were lackluster.  At least there was some excitement at the end with the Eagles making a stand to keep the Falcons out of the endzone in the final seconds.

I was talking to a friend about the game yesterday afternoon and explained how the fear of injury for your offensive superstars has turned the preseason into a joke and how offenses work the kinks out now in September instead of August. That was never more apparent than in last night’s season opener.

I think more of it will continue on Sunday and Monday. I think we’re in for some ugly football as teams adjust on offense so that’s why I’m looking at back the better defenses this weekend.

I’m a Chiefs fan so I’m excited to see this offseason. I’m trying to restrain myself because after the playoff collapse I just have 0 faith in Andy Reid, especially with Matt Nagy gone. Nagy was so good directing the offense when calling plays last season.

I’m hoping for a lot more of this from the Chiefs this season. They have the playmakers to light up the scoreboard. Will Andy Reid know how to close games out though?  I’ve soured on him so he’s got a lot to prove to me and it’s not gonna happen until he wins in the playoffs.

Speaking of Matt Nagy, the Bears are going to be in the mix this season. Making that big move for Khalil Mack signaled they want to win now. I think Nagy will put Trubisky in position to be successful. My gut thinks the Bears pull the upset Sunday night in Green Bay.

Highest Scoring Games

1. Texans at Patriots (47.7 points)
2. Bucs at Saints (46.6 points)
3. Rams at Raiders (46.3 points)
4. Jets at Lions (45.8 points)

Lowest Scoring Games

1. Bears at Packers (40.3 points)
2. Cowboys at Panthers (40.8 points)
3. Jaguars at Giants (41.3 points)
4. Bengals at Colts (41.4)

Biggest Spreads

1. Texans at Patriots (10.6)
2. 49ers at Vikings (8.2)
3. Bucs at Saints (7.8)
4. Bills at Ravens (7.2)

Smallest Spreads

1. Titans at Dolphins (0.4)
2. Bengals at Colts (0.7)
3. Cowboys at Panthers (1.2)
4. Seahawks at Broncos (-1.5)

College Football Week 2

I can’t wait to watch Georgia at South Carolina tomorrow. I like this Gamecocks team a lot but like Georgia more. The Bulldogs are my pick to win the national title this season. I’m worried about them in the other Columbia this Saturday though. South Carolina is going to hang around.

I remember the big games Nebraska and Colorado played in the Big 8 and then the Big 12. Now both are off in new conferences but collide in Scott Frost’s debut as the Huskers coach. The Huskers season opener got wiped out by weather last week so they begin with Colorado this week. I think the Buffs having a game under their belt helps them.

Jimbo Fisher and Dabo Sweeney have faced off numerous times. This will be their first meeting in College Station. Fisher’s familiarity with Clemson should help but I just can’t see the Aggies hanging around. Clemson has a NFL defensive line, honestly it’s better than some in the NFL right now, that’ll control the line. A&M doesn’t have the players to pull the upset here.

Herm Edwards looked good in his debut at ASU. Now it’s a big step up in competition. My eyes will be on the desert as the Sun Devils host Michigan State. I was in disbelief and disappointed when Edwards was hired. A win Saturday could start to turn my opinion around.

Stanford and USC collide in a game that’ll thrust the winner to the top of the heap to challenge Washington for the Pac-12 title. Stanford struggled out of the gate last Saturday but got rolling and pulled away. I think they put together four quarters this week and take care of the Trojans.

Inside the Formulator College Football Week 2

Highest Scoring Games

1. Arkansas at Colorado State (74.2 points)
2. Memphis at Navy (74.1 points)
3. UCLA at Oklahoma (71 points)
4. Air Force at Florida Atlantic (70.6)

Lowest Scoring Games

1. Appalachian State at Charlotte (44 points)
2. Duke at Northwestern (44.4 points)
3. Fresno State at Minnesota (44.5 points)
4. Iowa State at Iowa (45.6 points)

Biggest Spreads

1. Ohio State -28.6 against Rutgers
2. Alabama -25.9 against Arkansas State
3. Wisconsin -24.8 against New Mexico
4. Oklahoma State -23.5 against South Alabama

Smallest Spreads

1. Houston -0.3 against Arizona
2. North Carolina -0.7 against East Carolina
3. Michigan State -0.8 at Arizona State
4. Georgia Southern -0.9 against UMass

Get ready for the Football Weekend

Data Driven Week 1 NFL Predictions
Data Driven Week 2 College Football Predictions
NFL Survivor Pool Picks
NFL Power Rankings
Free NFL ATS Picks
Free College Football ATS Picks