Picks for 1/2/26
College Football
8:00 PM EST
Rotation # 269-270
Wake Forest/Mississippi State Under 53.5 (loss)
Mississippi State wasn’t expecting a bowl bid as they didn’t win enough games, but too many teams opted out of bowls, and they wiggled their way into this game. QB Blake Shapen was benched in the Egg Bowl, which allowed Kamario Taylor to get the first start of his career. I don’t know if I trust Taylor to play four quarters without showing his youth against an opportunistic Demon Deacons defense. Wake Forest will be without their top running back, Demond Claiborne, as he prepares for the NFL Draft. QB Robby Ashford can run the ball well, but I am not scared about the passing attack, especially with a few key receivers in the transfer portal. The total seems a bit high, and teams still have to go out and do the work to put points on the board. I don’t trust the Wake Forest running game outside of the quarterback run, and I don’t trust the young QB for the Bulldogs to move the chains consistently enough to put together long scoring drives. I don’t see either QB completing a high enough percentage to light up the scoreboard. If they beat us with their legs, or the defense puts up enough points to make this a high-scoring game, then so be it. The long layout will most likely cause timing issues, leading to drops and offensive penalties. Look for a lower-scoring affair. Take the Under.
Rotation # 269-270
Wake Forest/Mississippi State Under 53.5 (loss)
Mississippi State wasn’t expecting a bowl bid as they didn’t win enough games, but too many teams opted out of bowls, and they wiggled their way into this game. QB Blake Shapen was benched in the Egg Bowl, which allowed Kamario Taylor to get the first start of his career. I don’t know if I trust Taylor to play four quarters without showing his youth against an opportunistic Demon Deacons defense. Wake Forest will be without their top running back, Demond Claiborne, as he prepares for the NFL Draft. QB Robby Ashford can run the ball well, but I am not scared about the passing attack, especially with a few key receivers in the transfer portal. The total seems a bit high, and teams still have to go out and do the work to put points on the board. I don’t trust the Wake Forest running game outside of the quarterback run, and I don’t trust the young QB for the Bulldogs to move the chains consistently enough to put together long scoring drives. I don’t see either QB completing a high enough percentage to light up the scoreboard. If they beat us with their legs, or the defense puts up enough points to make this a high-scoring game, then so be it. The long layout will most likely cause timing issues, leading to drops and offensive penalties. Look for a lower-scoring affair. Take the Under.
College Basketball
9:00 PM EST
Rotation # 868
Nebraska -2.5 over Michigan State (loss)
Nebraska is off to a hot 13-0 start, with much of it coming at the hands of an early-season weak non-conference schedule, but it’s impressive nevertheless. The Cornhuskers are 9-0 at home and off to a nice start in the BIG 10. Michigan State is an elite program coached by Tom Izzo, but it has only one true road game this season, a shaky win at Penn State. It’s interesting to see Nebraska as the favorite, but Fred Hoiberg has his team playing well. The Cornhuskers have size and plenty of experience as they are a forward-heavy team led by Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort and Rienk Mast, who doesn’t look like he missed a beat after missing last season due to injury. It’s easy to put together a team with size, but you have something special when those players can shoot over people from anywhere on the court. The Spartans are a great defensive team, but their offense isn’t consistently elite enough to blow teams out, especially on the road. The Cornhuskers should hang tough and, down the stretch, should feed off the home crowd energy to secure a big conference win. Take Nebraska.
9:00 PM EST
Rotation # 868
Nebraska -2.5 over Michigan State (loss)
Nebraska is off to a hot 13-0 start, with much of it coming at the hands of an early-season weak non-conference schedule, but it’s impressive nevertheless. The Cornhuskers are 9-0 at home and off to a nice start in the BIG 10. Michigan State is an elite program coached by Tom Izzo, but it has only one true road game this season, a shaky win at Penn State. It’s interesting to see Nebraska as the favorite, but Fred Hoiberg has his team playing well. The Cornhuskers have size and plenty of experience as they are a forward-heavy team led by Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort and Rienk Mast, who doesn’t look like he missed a beat after missing last season due to injury. It’s easy to put together a team with size, but you have something special when those players can shoot over people from anywhere on the court. The Spartans are a great defensive team, but their offense isn’t consistently elite enough to blow teams out, especially on the road. The Cornhuskers should hang tough and, down the stretch, should feed off the home crowd energy to secure a big conference win. Take Nebraska.