Good teams win, Great teams cover Part I

We are back. Welcome to year two of "Good teams win, Great teams cover" as the Smeltzer-Stewart family collaborates how certain college football and NFL teams fare against the spread. Let's get into it. 

Jeff 

College

Ohio State (-15.5) over Cincinnati
Texas A&M (+16.5) against Clemson

Auburn (-17) over Tulane

NFL

Chiefs (-3.5) over Jags

Ravens (-6.5) over Dolphins

Rams (-2) over Panthers

Brad

College

Clemson (-16.5) over Texas A&M

Clemson had its closest call of the season in College Station last year, but Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne played minimal snaps. Until Clemson gives me reason to doubt, I'm riding the Tigers.

LSU (-6.5) over Texas)

The confidence in this pick comes from a friend who is a huge LSU fan. He seems passionate enough, so I'm again rolling with the Tigers. 

Purdue (-7) over Vanderbilt

I was high on Purdue coming into the season, so I was disappointed with its opening loss. I think they'll recover against a Vandy team trying to find its identity.

NFL

Titans (+5.5) vs. Browns

I'm on the Browns train. So much so that I think they'll win 10 games and pick up a wild card spot. With that said, they need time to gel. The Titans not only cover, but win straight up. 

Jets (-3) over Bills

Le'veon Bell is back and that's enough to carry NYJ in this season opener

Cowboys (-7) over Giants

With the Zeke ordeal behind them, the Cowboys are ready to make a run at not just the NFC East, but the Super Bowl as well. We all know they won't make it, but give me Dallas over Eli Manning any day, especially Sunday. 

Joe 

College

Buffalo (+31) vs. Penn State

Penn State is better than Buffalo, but 31 points is a lot of points. I'm going to put myself in a win-win situation and pick the Bulls to cover.

Army (+22) vs. Michigan

Army isn't the type of team that gets blown out. They obviously have no chance to beat Michigan, but their option offense will keep the ball out of Shea Patterson's hands long enough to lose by less than three scores. 

Texas (+6.5) over LSU

At home under the lights, Texas has a chance to win this game outright. At the least, they'll give LSU a hell of a run. 6.5 is a little strong, and I think the Longhorns cover. 

NFL 

New England (-5.5) over Pittsburgh 

The Steelers don't beat Tom Brady in the state of Massachusetts. Pats by 10

Philadelphia (-10) over Washington 

The year the Eagles won the Super Bowl, they didn't just beat teams, they beat them convincingly. It remains to be seen if this team will win it all, but they certainly have the talent to do so. The Redskins, meanwhile, stink, and Philly will have little issue with them at The Linc. 

Browns (-5.5) over Titans

Cleveland is at home to start the most anticipated season since the "new Browns" started in 1999. That's exciting enough, but facing a Titans team that's the definition of average helps as well. I see a solid two score victory in the cards for the Brownies.