Weekend Predictions: Can the Falcons really upset the Steelers?

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key says he’s still “extremely high on this football team” despite the bad performance against Colorado.

That certainly sounds as if he’s extremely high on something.

There was no way Weekend Predictions could be the biggest local loser in Week 1. The Jackets wrapped up that title before the weekend officially started. Truthfully, I can’t clown them too much because I took Tech –6½.

At least I didn’t have a losing record picking against the spread in Week 1. I also didn’t have a winning record. Put me in the NFC South and I’m going to the playoffs, baby.

Falcons (+3½) at Steelers

The Falcons essentially are starting Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback just because he’s the only credible option available. Tagovailoa’s last start for the Dolphins was at Pittsburgh in 2025. Tagovailoa completed 10 passes for 65 yards with an interception through three quarters of that 28-15 loss, and he only occasionally looked better during this preseason.

The Steelers are better than the Falcons mostly because they have the superior defensive line. Pittsburgh also has more hope to sell after reuniting coach Mike McCarthy with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The pair underachieved for years in Green Bay after winning a Super Bowl and have recently looked washed up. Steelers win, but Falcons cover the spread.

Western Kentucky (+40½) at No. 2 Georgia

The Hilltoppers are from Bowling Green, Kentucky, home of the National Corvette Museum. Why did Chevrolet make such radical changes to ‘Vettes over the years? They used to look unique. Now it’s hard to tell them apart from every other sports car I can’t afford.

Sorry for the digression, but there’s just nothing interesting about this game. At least Tennessee State brought along football legend Richard Dent to Sanford Stadium last week. WKU has more greats in basketball than football (shout out to Clem Haskins). Giving so many points risks taking a bad beat with UGA’s backups on the field, but I’ve got to do it.

No. 18 Tennessee (-12½) at Georgia Tech

Normally, my everlasting love for home underdogs would lead me to back the Jackets to cover in this game, even though I watched the Colorado game. Then Key called his team “soft” for its “garbage” performance. That jolted me back to the realization that the mediocre Buffaloes missed several chances to bury the Jackets.

Tennessee is much better than mediocre. Colorado’s high-tempo offense gave Tech trouble. The Vols play even faster. Colorado’s all-new offensive line pushed around Tech’s defensive line. The Vols have four veteran starters blocking for All-SEC back DeSean Bishop. Tennessee is my pick.

Georgia State (+9½) at Kennesaw State

The Panthers are headed up I-75 to face the Owls. It’s a Saturday night game, so they probably will make it there within two hours. GSU needed five seasons to become a winning team at the FBS level. KSU did it in Year 2 with first-year coach Jerry Mack. The Owls lost a lot of offensive talent from last season, but I still like them to cover the spread.

Other college games of interest

No. 1 Ohio State (+1½) at No. 4 Texas

Houston Chronicle columnist Kirk Bohls writes that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s seat is getting warm in Austin, even though he’s lifted the Longhorns out of a 15-year run of mediocrity. I used to think the Longhorns were a bad fit for the SEC, but the unrealistic expectations convince me they belong. OSU beat UT in the 2024 playoff semifinal and the 2025 season opener in Columbus. I like the Longhorns to win and cover this time.

No. 11 Oklahoma (-5½) at Michigan

According to mlive.com, searches for Airbnb properties in Ann Arbor are “up over 160% compared to a typical fall weekend.” I’m betting the surge is because Sooners fans are feeling more optimistic about a win in the Big House after UM needed a Hail Mary redo to beat Western Michigan there. This spread seems to be an overreaction to that result, so I’m taking the Wolverines and the points.

No. 12 Alabama (-10½) at Kentucky

Kentucky finally stopped paying coach Mark Stoops big money to lose more SEC games than he wins. UK replaced Stoops with ex-Oregon offensive coordinator/ex-Louisville QB Will Stein. Stein borrowed his “feed the studs” philosophy from his old boss, Bobby Petrino. That means getting the ball to the best players as often as possible, but I don’t think UK has enough studs to keep up with Bama. The Crimson Tide will cover.

Georgia Southern (+20½) at Clemson

After Clemson suffered its worst loss of the Dabo Swinney era at LSU, he told reporters that he has no regrets about not signing more transfers: “Can you ask that at the end of the season?” I guess he expects people to believe his answer will be different then. I like Georgia Southern with the points.

Other NFL games of interest

Bears (-3) at Panthers

The Panthers are the defending champions of the NFC South. In college football terms, that makes them the Group of Five team that makes the CFP. The Panthers had a late lead against the Rams in the Wild Card playoff round, but it’s still hard for me to believe they are any good. The Bears have come so far with coach Ben Johnson that I trust them as road favorites. Chicago is my pick.

Saints (+7) at Lions

Saints fans are desperate to believe that second-year QB Tyler Shough finally is the answer, six years after Drew Brees retired. In an interview with Fox News Digital (of course), Brees said Shough has “Josh Allen qualities” because he’s a big quarterback who can run. John Elway can tell you that big, athletic QBs never miss. I’m taking the Lions and giving the points.

Buccaneers (+3dab½) at Bengals

Bengals QB Joe Burrow told the media that this year’s group reminds him of his legendary 15-0 LSU team: “You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU. I found this quote by Burrow from back then: “I think we’re going to score a lot of points, and I don’t think a lot of people are used to LSU scoring 40, 50, 60 points a game.” People are used to the Bengals scoring lots of points with Burrow but also surrendering lots of points. The revamped defense plays well enough this week for Cincy to cover.