2023 Week Two College Football Division I-A Game Predictions To Win
(Image in Media from Wix.com)
By: Evan Troxel
I regret changing my prediction at the last minute for the Nebraska at Minnesota Thursday Night Game. I just shouldn't have changed it. I don't know what I was thinking picking Stephen F. Austin to beat Troy and I never should have picked Texas Tech to beat Wyoming in a night game in Wyoming, which was televised on CBS. Losing two out of three on Sunday sucked (Rutgers actually won something) and I don't even want to talk about Monday's game. I learned early on in the game that Duke was probably going to defeat Clemson on Monday night so I wasn't too happy that I picked Clemson to win.
Hopefully going forward in Weeks Four, Five and Six (which is technically Weeks Five, Six and Seven) I win some more upset games!
I won a lot though and it felt awesome! I felt lucky! Maybe I was even too lucky!
If you didn't see what I wrote last week about Week Zero (technically Week One), my predictions for 2023 Week Zero in NCAA Division I-A College Football resulted in five wins and two losses! (Note: I initially wrote this as five wins and three losses and that was incorrect, an honest mistake.)
So now that everybody is caught up to speed, my predictions won-lost record for the entire Division I-A college football season is 79 wins and 15 losses. (That is an .840 winning percentage! If I have that good of a winning percentage during the first few weeks when conference play really starts to kick off, I quite literally might have to start forcing people to pay me money to read my predictions if my winning percentage is anywhere close to that good! I'm not kidding, you might be forced to pay me money soon!)
The matchups for Week Two, technically Week Three, are in order like it is shown on the ESPN website: https://www.espn.com/college-football/schedule
Here are my predictions to win and lose for NCAA Division I-A College Football for Week Two! (I guess my predictions are subject to change before game time, but I am probably not going to do that for most games)!
(Ignore the asterisks and whatever else looks out of place. I am posting this at the last minute. I made most of these predictions at least two weeks ago! I haven't changed literally anything for this week's games in two weeks (until today, Thursday, September 7th)!
(I put every third matchup in the color green so that you don't have to try so hard to find your favorite matchup of Week One!)
Thursday, September 7th, 2023
Murray State Racers (I-AA, Ohio Valley: 1-4, 2-9, likely won-lost record: 1-0 and they are 1-0) at Louisville Cardinals (I-A, ACC: 4-4, 8-5, likely won-lost record: 1-0 and they are 1-0), Prediction to win: Louisville, Prediction to lose: Murray State
Friday, September 8th
Indiana State Sycamores (0-1) at Indiana Hoosiers (0-1): Prediction to win: Indiana, Prediction to lose: Indiana State
Illinois Fighting Illini (1-0) at Kansas Jayhawks (1-0): Prediction to win: Kansas, Prediction to lose: Illinois
(I thought about changing my Illinois at Kansas prediction, but I decided to leave it!)
Saturday, September 9th
Vanderbilt Commodores (I-A, SEC: 2-6, 5-7, likely won-lost record: 1-0) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (I-A, ACC, 3-5, 8-5, likely won-lost record: 1-0), Prediction to win: Wake Forest, Prediction to lose: Vanderbilt
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (I-A, FBS Independent: 9-4, likely won-lost record: 1-0) at NC State Wolfpack NC State Wolfpack (I-A, ACC, 4-4, 8-5, likely won-lost record: 1-0): Prediction to win: Notre Dame, Prediction to lose: NC State
Ball State Cardinals at Georgia Bulldogs: Prediction to win: Georgia, Prediction to lose: Ball State
Youngstown State Penguins at Ohio State Buckeyes: Prediction to win: Ohio State, Prediction to lose: Youngstown State
Delaware Blue Hens at Penn State Nittany Lions: Prediction to win: Penn State, Prediction to lose: Delaware
Utah Utes at Baylor Bears: Prediction to win: Utah, Prediction to lose: Baylor
Troy Trojans at Kansas State Wildcats: Prediction to win: Kansas State, Prediction to lose: Troy
Delaware State at Army: Prediction to win: Army, Prediction to lose: Delaware State
(I initially had Delaware State beating Army (like two weeks ago), but I decided to change it today, Thursday, September 7th).
Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten) at Colorado Buffaloes (I-A, Pac-12: 1-8, 1-11, likely 0-1, actually 1-0): Prediction to win: Nebraska, Prediction to lose: Colorado
(What I wrote on Friday, September 8th, 2023: I changed my prediction to win on Friday, September 8th. I originally had Nebraska winning, but I just don't see it happening! See my notes at the bottom of this story for more analysis on Nebraska at Colorado).
(What I wrote on Saturday, September 9th, 2023: I changed my prediction to win back to Nebraska on Saturday, September 9th. Colorado fans are betting money like crazy that they are going to win! There was a real ESPN story about it on Friday: https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/38353136/deion-colorado-buffaloes-attracting-more-bets-nfl-games. Vegas is totally not going to reward Colorado fans with betting on Colorado when the bets are more frequent than NFL games which is mainly why Nebraska is going to win on Saturday! Vegas is going to steal people's money who bet on Colorado today!)
Purdue Boilermakers at Virginia Tech Hokies: Prediction to win: Purdue, Prediction to lose: Virginia Tech
Holy Cross at Boston College: Prediction to win: Boston College, Prediction to lose: Holy Cross
James Madison at Virginia Cavaliers: Prediction to win: Virginia, Prediction to lose: James Madison
South Carolina State at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Prediction to win: Georgia Tech, Prediction to lose: South Carolina State
New Hampshire at Central Michigan Chippewas: Prediction to win: Central Michigan, Prediction to lose: New Hampshire
Eastern Illinois at Bowling Green: Prediction to win: Bowling Green, Prediction to lose: Eastern Illinois
Charleston Southern at Clemson Tigers: Prediction to win: Clemson, Prediction to lose: Charleston Southern
Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky Wildcats: Prediction to win: Kentucky, Prediction to lose: Eastern Kentucky
Southern Utah at BYU: Prediction to win: BYU, Prediction to lose: Southern Utah
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels at Michigan Wolverines: Prediction to win: Michigan, Prediction to lose: UNLV
Ole Miss Rebels at Tulane Green Wave: Prediction to win: Ole Miss, Prediction to lose: Tulane
Texas A&M Aggies at Miami (FL) Hurricanes: Prediction to win: Texas A&M, Prediction to lose: Miami (FL)
Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones: Prediction to win: Iowa, Prediction to lose: Iowa State
Richmond Spiders at Michigan State Spartans: Prediction to win: Michigan State, Prediction to lose: Richmond
UTEP at Northwestern: Prediction to win: Northwestern, Prediction to lose: UTEP
Western Michigan Broncos at Syracuse Orangemen: Prediction to win: Syracuse Prediction to lose: Western Michigan
(I am now picking Syracuse to win. I changed this prediction on Friday, September 8th).
Miami (OH) Redhawks at UMass Minutemen: Prediction to win: Miami (OH), Prediction to lose: UMass
Texas State at UTSA: Prediction to win: UTSA, Prediction to lose: Texas State
Wagner at Navy Midshipmen: Prediction to win: Navy, Prediction to lose: Wagner
Southern Illinois at Northern Illinois: Prediction to win: Northern Illinois, Prediction to lose: Southern Illinois
Texas Southern at Toledo: Prediction to win: Toledo Prediction to lose: Texas Southern
I( think Toledo is going to win this game now. I changed this Prediction on September 8th.)
Kent State Golden Flashes at Arkansas Razorbacks: Prediction to win: Arkansas, Prediction to lose: Kent State
Marshall Thundering Herd at East Carolina Pirates: Prediction to win: East Carolina, Prediction to lose: Marshall
Cal Poly at San Jose State Spartans: Prediction to win: San Jose State, Prediction to lose: Cal Poly
Portland State at Wyoming Cowboys: Prediction to win: Wyoming, Prediction to lose: Portland State
Tulsa Hurricane at Washington Huskies: Prediction to win: Washington, Prediction to lose: Tulsa
Austin Peay at Tennessee Volunteers: Prediction to win: Tennessee, Prediction to lose: Austin Peay
SE Louisiana at South Alabama: Prediction to win: South Alabama, Prediction to lose: SE Louisiana
Appalachian State at North Carolina Tar Heels: Prediction to win: North Carolina, Prediction to lose: Appalachian State
SMU Mustangs at Oklahoma Sooners: Prediction to win: Oklahoma, Prediction to lose: SMU
New Mexico State Aggies at Liberty Flames: Prediction to win: Liberty, Prediction to lose: New Mexico State
Lafayette at Duke Blue Devils: Prediction to win: Duke, Prediction to lose: Lafayette
Duquesne at West Virginia Mountaineers: Prediction to win: West Virginia, Prediction to lose: Duquesne
UAB at Georgia Southern: Prediction to win: Georgia Southern, Prediction to lose: UAB
Ohio Bobcats at Florida Atlantic Owls: Prediction to win: Ohio, Prediction to lose: Florida Atlantic
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at Old Dominion: Prediction to win: Louisiana, Prediction to lose: Old Dominion
Morgan State at Akron Zips: Prediction to win: Akron, Prediction to lose: Morgan State
Fordham at Buffalo Bulls: Prediction to win: Buffalo, Prediction to lose: Fordham
North Texas at Florida International: Prediction to win: Florida International, Prediction to lose: North Texas
Cincinnati Bearcats at Pittsburgh Panthers: Prediction to win: Pittsburgh, Prediction to lose: Cincinnati
Texas Longhorns at Alabama Crimson Tide: Prediction to win: Alabama, Prediction to lose: Texas
Oregon Ducks (I-A, Pac-12: 7-2, 10-3, likely 1-0) at Texas Tech Red Raiders (I-A, Big 12: 5-4, 8-5): Prediction to win: Oregon, Prediction to lose: Texas Tech
Jacksonville State at Coastal Carolina: Prediction to win: Coastal Carolina, Prediction to lose: Jacksonville State
UConn Huskies at Georgia State: Prediction to win: UConn, Prediction to lose: Georgia State
Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech: Prediction to win: Louisiana Tech, Prediction to lose: Northwestern State
Middle Tennessee at Missouri Tigers: Prediction to win: Missouri, Prediction to lose: Middle Tennessee
Houston Christian at Western Kentucky: Prediction to win: Western Kentucky, Prediction to lose: Houston Christian
UCF at Boise State Broncos: Prediction to win: UCF, Prediction to lose: Boise State
Houston Cougars at Rice Owls: Prediction to win: Houston, Prediction to lose: Rice
Florida A&M at South Florida: Prediction to win: South Florida, Prediction to lose: Florida A&M
Memphis Tigers at Arkansas State Red Wolves: Prediction to win: Memphis, Prediction to lose: Arkansas State
Idaho Vandals at Nevada Wolf Pack: Prediction to win: Nevada, Prediction to lose: Idaho
Grambling at LSU Tigers: Prediction to win: LSU, Prediction to lose: Grambling
Wisconsin Badgers at Washington State Cougars: Prediction to win: Wisconsin, Prediction to lose: Washington State
McNeese at Florida Gators: Prediction to win: Florida, Prediction to lose: McNeese
Charlotte at Maryland Terrapins: Prediction to win: Maryland, Prediction to lose: Charlotte
Eastern Michigan at Minnesota Golden Gophers: Prediction to win: Minnesota, Prediction to lose: Eastern Michigan
Arizona Wildcats (I-A, Pac-12: 3-6, 5-7, likely 1-0) at Mississippi State (I-A, SEC: 4-4, 9-4): Prediction to win: Mississippi State, Prediction to lose: Arizona
Temple at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Prediction to win: Rutgers, Prediction to lose: Temple
(I am now predicting Rutgers to win. I changed this prediction on Friday, September 8th.)
Furman at South Carolina Gamecocks: Prediction to win: South Carolina, Prediction to lose: Furman
UCLA Bruins at San Diego State Aztecs: Prediction to win: UCLA, Prediction to lose: San Diego State
Nicholls at TCU Horned Frogs: Prediction to win: TCU, Prediction to lose: Nicholls
Air Force Falcons at Sam Houston: Prediction to win: Air Force, Prediction to lose: Sam Houston
Lamar at UL Monroe: Prediction to win: UL Monroe, Prediction to lose: Lamar
Tennessee Tech at New Mexico Lobos: Prediction to win: New Mexico, Prediction to lose: Tennessee Tech
(I am now picking New Mexico to win. I changed the prediction on Friday, September 8th.)
Idaho State Bengals at Utah State Aggies: Prediction to win: Utah State, Prediction to lose: Idaho State
Southern Miss at Florida State: Prediction to win: Florida State, Prediction to lose: Southern Miss
UC Davis (I-AA, Big Sky: 5-3, 6-5) at Oregon State Beavers (I-A, Pac-12: 6-3, 10-3, likely 1-0): Prediction to win: Oregon State, Prediction to lose: UC Davis
Eastern Washington at Fresno State Bulldogs: Prediction to win: Fresno State, Prediction to lose: Eastern Washington
Stanford Cardinal at USC Trojans: Prediction to win: USC, Prediction to lose: Stanford
Auburn Tigers (I-A, SEC: 2-6, 5-7) at California Golden Bears (I-A, Pac-12: 2-7, 4-8, likely 1-0): Prediction to win: Auburn, Prediction to lose: California
Oklahoma State Cowboys (I-A, Big 12: 4-5, 7-6) at Arizona State Sun Devils (I-A, Pac-12: 2-7, 3-9, likely 1-0): Prediction to win: Oklahoma State, Prediction to lose: Arizona State
UAlbany at Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors: Prediction to win: Hawaii, Prediction to lose: UAlbany
What I wrote on Friday, September 8th, 2023 about the Nebraska at Colorado game:
I really don't know what is going to happen in the Nebraska at Colorado game on Saturday. I feel like Deion Sanders and Colorado could somehow possibly lose the game vs. Nebraska on Saturday. If the evil powers of this world want to throw hate at Deion Sanders who is a Christian, this would be the game of the year to embarrass him in! But, maybe they won't do that. The evil powers of this world need as many people as possible to be distracted! Which is why Colorado will probably win on Saturday. I don't really like the direction the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team is going right now! Honestly, if Nebraska doesn't win on Saturday, Matt Rhule should be fired! (Yeah, yes, I said it! Matt Rhule should be fired if Nebraska doesn't win at Colorado on Saturday!) I really don't believe very much in the Nebraska Cornhuskers football program right now. I honestly believe in Deion way more right now with his reckless system of speed guys giving up a lot of points (and scoring a lot of points) who actually hold each other accountable and keeping certain things are secretive versus Matt Rhule the media showman preaching a family vibe and family values to everything with absolutely no honest accountability whatsoever (and no secrets kept whatsoever) and his Nebraska players (who probably are much smarter football players than the Colorado players) keeping the game low scoring! I think the Nebraska Cornhuskers players are going to lose to Colorado on purpose on Saturday because they will actually get paid a lot of money (under the table obviously) to lose (I really believe that)! I am picking Colorado to win this game! I don't believe in this Nebraska team right now! I cannot pick Nebraska to win! I just cannot do it!
Despite all of the bad things that Nebraskans think about Colorado people, the Colorado Buffaloes football program is in much better shape in the short-term than the Nebraska Cornhuskers football program is right now! Honestly, Matt Rhule should be the head coach of Colorado and Deion Sanders should be the head coach of Nebraska!
What I wrote on Saturday, September 9th, 2023, about the Nebraska at Colorado game:
As a head coach, Matt Rhule is 47-44 in college and 11-27 in the National Football League. So that means he has coached 91 games up to this point in college and 38 games in the NFL for a total of 129. The game on Saturday will be his 130th game ever coached, whether that is college or NFL and his 92nd game ever coached.. He can pick up his 48th win in college football with a win on Saturday and his 59th win college or the NFL. Or, he can pick up his 45th loss in college and his 72 loss in college or the NFL.
Deion Sanders on the other hand is 28-6 all-time as a college head coach. Today is his 35th game today as a college head coach.
The last time ever (and only time ever) Nebraska won three straight games and then Colorado won two straight games immediately after that was between the actual years 1998 and 2002. Nebraska won the very next game in Boulder in 2003. The first three games of that six year span were played from 1998 to the year 2000, Lincoln hosted in 1998, then Boulder in 1999, then Lincoln hosted again in the year 2000 and Nebraska won all those three games obviously. Colorado then won in 2001 in Boulder, in 2002 the game was in Lincoln, and then in 2003 the game was in Boulder again.
So Nebraska won the last three games when both Colorado and Nebraska were still in the Big 12 Conference in the 2008 through 2010 actual years. Lincoln hosted in 2008, Boulder 2009 and then Lincoln again in 2010. Colorado then won in Lincoln in 2018 and then Colorado won again in Boulder in 2019. This year's game is in Boulder in the year 2023. So the main point is that Lincoln and Boulder each got to host the second to last and third to last game and Boulder is hosting the game twice in the last three meetings. So, the chances for Nebraska to win based off of this paragraph and the previous paragraph are pretty good!
Nebraska is currently 3-2 when Boulder hosts the game back-to-back times (all-time) and not necessarily in back-to-back years when you only include the two years Boulder hosts the game back-to-back times (that is confusing, I know. Just focus on when Boulder hosted back-to-back times and it will make sense)! Nebraska is also 2-0 all-time in the second game when Boulder hosts the game back-to-back times!
History doesn't look good for Nebraska if the team you played four years ago is in the same city, which was in Boulder, (when you play that team twice in a row in the same city)! Nebraska won in 1898 and 1902, so based off of that fact alone, Colorado should win today since Colorado won in 2019.
Things could look good for Colorado today as this is the third game all-time in the month of September. Colorado won the first two games in September in 2018 and in 2019.
Nebraska is 2-1 all-time on the ninth day of the month:
Nebraska lost in1948 (October in Boulder).
Nebraska won in 1976 (October in Boulder).
Nebraska won in 1982 (October in Boulder).
Nebraska won in 1905 and 1907 when the game was in Lincoln in back-to-back times. Nebraska won in 2010 but lost in 2018 when the game was in Lincoln back-to-back times. Nebraska is 3-1 all-time in the second game when the host city hosts the game back-to-back times! (Colorado won for the only time in 2018).
Thirty-five years ago in 1988, Nebraska won in Lincoln 7-0. Thirty-five games ago, in the 37th all-time meeting, Nebraska won 52-14. Why is 35 important? Saturday's game is the 35th game head coached by Deion Sanders all-time in college!
No team has ever won three straight and then the opposing team won three straight in this series all-time! Colorado will be 3-3 versus Nebraska in Boulder in their last six games if they win on Saturday, otherwise they will be 2-4 in their last six games in Boulder.
The eras in which one team won at least three games and then the other team won at least three games (in any six-game time period and the years cannot overlap) was from:
1905-1951 (1st time)
1954-1959 (2nd time)
1985-1990 (3rd time)
2001-2006 (4th time)
2007--2019 (5th time)
I will post the results for Week Two in the near future! I think I am going to post my predictions for Week Three early next week (if not before then)! Thank you for reading this story!
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