After an easy-as-pie week, picking football winners just got tougher

It's still best not to bet the rent money on this fearless forecast

Last week my win-loss percentage was so good that it was embarrassing.

I've heard the same thing from other fearless football forecasters from around the country. Put bluntly, Week 1 was filled with big-time powers playing a bunch of cream puffs from the Bakery League who had no business being on the same field with the Big Dogs.

The great John Canzano out of Portland, also on Substack, was 15-0. If you want to know what's happening in the world of college football, always read John first.

I was 68-2, simply because I picked more games, with a dozen or two of the interesting ones earning a paragraph of explanation.

You can read all of last week's picks here.

Ole Miss took on FCS No. 9 Furman and sent the Paladins home with a $500,000 paycheck and a 76-0 humiliation. If the folks at Furman think such a beatdown is a confidence-builder for their kids, they need to think again. It was 52-0 at half and could have ended up 99-0 if Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin had been Lame Kiffin and not pulled the horses early.

Just look at these silly scores from around the country. We used to call these overwhelmed opponents "patsies," until that term became politically incorrect, at least according to my sister Patsy, who is definitely not a patsy.

Auburn 73-0 over Alabama A&M, Arkansas 70-0 over Arkansas Pine Bluff, Alabama 63-0 over Western Kentucky, Tennessee 69-3 over Chattanooga, Louisville 62-0 over Austin Peay (where the students all chant "Let's Go Peay") and SMU 59-7 over Houston Christian, which doesn't sound very Christian to me.

Expect this week's win-loss percentage to plunge as a legitimate game or two takes place on the schedule amongst another round of games that shouldn't be played.

This week's picks are as follows:

GEORGIA over TENNESSEE TECH ... Okay, room for one more cupcake. Georgia at least opened against Clemson, which is about to fall into the cupcake category itself if Dabo can't turn things around quickly.

UTAH over BAYLOR ... Cam Rising keeps Utah rising.

AUBURN over CALIFORNIA ... I watched the Bears struggle against UC Davis last Saturday. Cal is good, not great.

OREGON over BOISE STATE ... Duck fans who have already made hotel arrangements in Atlanta for the national championship game were dismayed that Mighty Oregon led less-than-mighty Idaho by just three points late in the fourth quarter last weekend. If the Ducks truly aren't any better than that, Boise State might sneak out of Autzen Stadium with a W.

OHIO STATE over WESTERN MICHIGAN ... First Akron, then Western. Is there anyone the fearless Buckeyes won't schedule?

NOTRE DAME over NORTHERN ILLINOIS ... Coming off an impressive road win over Texas A&M, might this be the season the Irish go all the way? Not really, but for now at least, Irish eyes are smiling.

MIAMI (Fla.) over FLORIDA A&M ... The Hurricanes are loaded, but A&M has the better marching band.

IOWA over IOWA STATE ... The Hawkeyes win the annual Corn-on-the-Cob Bowl, even if it should actually be the Ethanol Bowl.

OKLAHOMA over HOUSTON ... No slow start for the Sooners this year.

ALABAMA over SOUTH FLORIDA ... So far, no one's missing Coach Nick.

NEBRASKA over COLORADO ... There's a new sheriff in Lincoln and he plans a return to the days of Husker glory.

FLORIDA STATE over BYE ... The Seminoles get a needed week off so disgruntled players can learn the ins and outs of the transfer portal.

STANFORD over CAL POLY ... Better win these while you can, because the upcoming ACC schedule is no picnic for teams located a million miles from the Atlantic seaboard.

OREGON STATE over SAN DIEGO STATE ... The smallest conference in the country defends its honor.

FRESNO STATE over SACRAMENTO STATE ... The Hornets will be 0-2, but loaded with cash after their second straight paycheck game.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Michigan over Texas ... First person to correctly say when the last time Michigan was an underdog in the Big House wins a box of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Try never. (Upset record: 1-0).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Ole Miss over Middle Tennessee ... Whether it's Western, Eastern or Middle, it makes no difference to a team that is flat-out loaded. (Rout record: 1-0).

DON'T BET ON IT, BUT: Tennessee over North Carolina State ... A stern early test for the Volunteers. (Don't bet record: 1-0).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week's sure winners are USC (over Utah State), Penn State (over Bowling Green), TCU (over Long Island), Texas A&M (over McNeese) and LSU (over Nicholls). (FEP record: 5-0).

UC DAVIS over TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE ... The Aggies had an easy time of things in a 48-10 win over the Lions last season, but things are looking up in Commerce. Still, UC Davis is downright scary on its home turf. Take the Ags by 21.

OTHER GAMES: Oklahoma State over Arkansas, Kansas State over Tulane, Minnesota over Rhode Island, Rutgers over Akron, Memphis over Troy, UNLV over Utah Tech, Louisville over Jacksonville State, Kentucky over South Carolina, West Virginia over Albany, JMU over Gardner-Webb, Boston College over Duquesne, Maryland over Michigan State, Washington over Eastern Michigan, Wisconsin over South Dakota, Toledo over Massachusetts, North Carolina over Charlotte, Navy over Temple, Virginia Tech over Marshall, UCF over Sam Houston, Missouri over Buffalo, Kansas over Illinois, Florida over Samford, Coastal Carolina over William & Mary, Colorado State over Northern Colorado, UAB over Louisiana-Monroe, Vanderbilt over Alcorn State, North Texas over Stephen F. Austin, Clemson over Appalachian State, Arizona over Northern Arizona, Washington State over Texas Tech, North Dakota State over Tennessee State, Idaho State over Western Oregon, Montana over North Dakota, South Dakota State over Incarnate Word, and Montana State over Maine.

Last week: 68-2, season: 68-2, percentage: .971.

Reach me at bobdunning@thewaryone.com