Week 1 viewing guide: Breaking down/predicting Michigan vs. New Mexico, plus other key games from around the country
This post is locked and can be read by premium subscribers only.
One of my favorite in-season staples each college football season is my weekly viewing guide.
This will typically go out on Fridays. But with 17(!) college football games on Thurday night (including four involving Big Ten schools) and 11 more on Friday (with two more involving B1G programs), this feels like something that needs to get sent out on Wednesday night to give you a chance to plan your viewing experiences … and to maybe place a few wagers to make things interesting, too, if you feel so inclined.
For those of you who may need a reminder, my weekly viewing guides typically include the following:
My breakdown and prediction (both straight and against the spread) of Michigan’s game
My choices for the three biggest Big Ten games of the week that don’t involve Michigan, including predictions straight and against the spread
My choices for the three biggest non-Big Ten games of the weekend, including predictions straight and against the spread
Rapid-fire predictions for all other Big Ten games, both straight and against the spread.
Each week, I’m fully transparent on how picks from past weeks have been performing — good or bad. Luckily, it’s been a whole lot more good than bad in recent years, though I’m well aware that can change at any point. I’m proud to point out that over more than a 300 game sample over the last two seasons, I’m 254-76 straight (77%) and 179-143-8 against (55.6%) the spread. Here’s a more detailed look at the last two seasons worth of picks:
—
2024 results
Michigan games
Straight: 10-2
Against the spread: 6-6
B1G games
Straight: 105-30
Against the spread: 68-65-2
Overall
Straight: 145-38
Against the spread: 101-79-3
—
2023 results
Michigan games
Straight: 12-0
Against the spread: 8-4
B1G games
Straight: 84-21
Against the spread: 62-40-3
Overall
Straight: 109-38
Against the spread: 78-64-5
—
But you’re not here to read about my talking about how well picks in last seasons have gone. You’re excited to look ahead at which games you should be watching this extended weekend — the first true weekend of the 2025 college football season. So let’s get to the picks and predictions after the paywall jump. 👇
