Gridiron Player Club CFB 1-5 Units (8/29/24)

CFB

2 Picks.

8:00PM EST: UNC/MIN Under 51.5 (1 Unit).

UNC just lost a ton of NFL talent, none bigger than QB Drake Maye. Mack Brown's shown a knack for reloading, but they have just 4 returning starters on offense. The Gophers return just 5 starters themselves which is probably a good thing considering how bad they were in 2023. Under HC PJ Fleck their defense has been their calling card, and they have 8 starters returning on that side of the ball.

9:00PM EST: Utah -39.5 (3 Units).

Utah opens its first season as a member of the Big 12 with a tune up game against in state FCS opponent Southern Utah. These two met twice, once in 2016 and again in 2022. Southern Utah scored 7 points in those 2 games combined. Utah blew the doors off 73-7 in 2022. Overall, the Utes rank 16th in returning production this year. They have one of the most veteran coaching staffs in all of CFB. Defensive HC Kyle Whittingham has been there since 2005, his OC since 2019, and his DC since 2016 but he's been at Utah since 2007. Star QB Cam Rising is back and healthy and the Utes should be a well-oiled machine out of the gate.

The reason we like them to cover the number is their depth. Their starters across the board will have their way with Southern Utah but most of their 2's and 3's have been in this program for years. They also named true Freshman Isaac Wilson as the backup QB. He joined Utah in January and did enough to earn backup duties over Veteran guys. He's their future at QB and with Rising's injury history, might be needed this season. We fully expect them to keep running their offense when he comes in instead of shutting it down. They're incredibly valuable reps that you can't get in a scrimmage. Andy Ludwig's offense isn't some secret either. Every team adds some wrinkles in the off-season and those won't come out until they face Baylor next week but 99% of what Utah will do is already on tape.