Lowell's Locks: Week Two

Much like Clemson’s offense last week, I did not put forward the effort I am capable of in my Locks. A 3-3 start to the season isn’t the worst outcome, but “Best is the Standard” around here.

Tennessee blasted Syracuse, Ohio State won a slobberknocker against Texas, and South Carolina pulled away from Virginia Tech in the second half for the wins. Alabama, meanwhile, got shockingly blasted by Florida State, Notre Dame couldn’t hold off Miami late, and Clemson couldn’t find room to operate against LSU in the second half for the losses. 

Every failure leads to opportunity, and there are some big bounce-back opportunities this week.

Saturday, September 6th: 

#11 Illinois (-2.5) at Duke:

This is a sneaky, under-the-radar game that could be a lot of fun. Illinois brings an old-school, smash-mouth approach, while Duke prefers to air it out and play aggressively defensively. It’s a slow burn type game that gets exciting in the second half, but I expect Illinois to make just a few more plays to escape.

Lowell’s Lock: Illinois covers -2.5

Iowa at #16 Iowa State (-3.5):

Speaking of old-school, if you love defense, tune into this one. This one has been a slugfest for years, and this one is shaping up to be no different. Iowa State has a nice win over Kansas State to start the season, and then dominated South Dakota last week. Iowa was shaky in the passing game last week (shocking, I know), but they didn’t really let quarterback Mark Gronowski throw it much. Iowa has the advantage on both lines of scrimmage, and I think that’s the difference in another low-scoring game for this rivalry.

Lowell’s Lock: Iowa covers +3.5

Oklahoma State at #6 Oregon (-27.5):

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Oklahoma State has been very good under Mike Gundy’s tenure, but a 3-9 season last season and a 27-7 win over UT Martin last weekend doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Oregon should be able to control this one throughout, and I don’t expect the Ducks to let off the gas once they get up. This one gets ugly.

Lowell’s Lock: Oregon covers -27.5

#15 Michigan at #18 Oklahoma (-4.5):

I would not expect a shootout in this one. Vegas agrees, setting the over/under at just 44.5. I would consider taking the under. Oklahoma struggled to run the ball last week against Illinois State, and I don’t expect them to solve that against Michigan. Likewise, Oklahoma has a legitimate chance to field a top-five defense this season, and this is freshman quarterback sensation Bryce Underwood’s first road start for Michigan. The Sooners take what is shaping up to be another low-scoring affair this weekend.

Lowell’s Lock: Oklahoma covers -4.5

South Carolina State at #10 South Carolina (-42.5):

It’s always tough to pick these FCS matchups, and I was barely able to find a book that even had a line on this one. South Carolina clearly wins, but how much will they pile on? I would expect the starters for the Gamecocks to sit most of the second half, which may be enough for SC State to squeeze out a cover. But hey, even if not, we’ll get a great halftime show from The Marching 101 Band. 

Lowell’s Locks: South Carolina State covers +42.5

Troy at #9 Clemson (-31.5):

This is what one would call a “get right game”. The Trojans have had some notable upsets over the years, including over LSU in 2017 and Nebraska in 2018, and they nearly upset Clemson in 2016, when the Tigers went on to win the national title. However, this is not the same Troy of years past. 

The Trojans ran the ball 44 times last weekend and will likely try the same approach this week to shorten the game and increase their chances of an upset. However, I don’t see them getting much going against this Clemson defensive front. 

On the flip side, the Clemson offense should come out with a chip on their shoulder. After looking abysmal on offense against Georgia in the opener last season, they bounced back by hanging 66 points on App State. Expect a similar bounce-back here.

Score Prediction: 56-10 Clemson

Lowell’s Lock: Clemson covers -31.5