Weekend Predictions: Another winning weekend for Falcons, Georgia Tech?

Bad things happen to Falcons quarterbacks at Bank of America Stadium. Three years ago, Marcus Mariota was so flustered that he tried to throw a pass from his back. The next year, Desmond Ridder’s awful interception cost the Falcons the game and, eventually, coach Arthur Smith his job. Michael Penix Jr. will avoid a calamity in Carolina while throwing deep strikes over a weak Panthers secondary. Falcons will cover.

Temple isn’t Clemson, but this is another benchmark for Georgia Tech’s progress with coach Brent Key. The Yellow Jackets lost 24-2 at Temple in 2019 with ex-Temple coach Geoff Collins. That was a week after they lost to The Citadel (Football Championship Subdivision). Those days are over.

It seemed Georgia State coach Dell McGee might be a miracle worker when the Panthers upset Vanderbilt last September, less than seven months after he took the job. The Panthers are 1-10 against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents since then. Vanderbilt flourishes as an underdog — the 31-7 victory at South Carolina on Saturday is the latest triumph — but coach Clark Lea is only 3-8 against the spread as a favorite. I’m taking the Panthers and the points with the knowledge that Vandy QB Diego Pavia could make this pick look silly.

Knoxnews.com reports that Arkansas State coach Butch Jones could be invited to the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding because Jones coached Kelce at Cincinnati. I fell for the bait and clicked so you don’t have to. The Owls dropped down in class last weekend to beat Merrimack for their first victory of the season. Kennesaw State should offer resistance at home, but I still like Arkansas State as the road favorite.

DJ Lagway tossed five interceptions at LSU, the most for a Florida quarterback since 1992, but the Gators still were in the game late. Lagway, the No. 1 QB recruit in his class, is very talented. It’s possible he’s just rusty because injuries limited his offseason work. I’m trying to talk myself into taking the Gators and the points again, but luckily, they aren’t getting enough for me to back coach Billy Napier. Miami is my choice.

Auburn’s Jackson Arnold, whose name I always reverse in my head because I’m an ’80s kid, is headed back to Oklahoma. The transfer QB didn’t play during the Sooners’ victory at Auburn last season. Arnold gave Auburn coach Hugh Freeze some inside information about the Sooners. “I assume that it’s going to be like an SEC stadium, and he confirmed that, and how tight the benches are,” Freeze told reporters. It’s hard to pick against the Tigers when they have deep intel like that, but I’m doing it.

The Virginia Tech job is open, so it’s time to speculate about South Carolina’s Shane Beamer returning to coach where his father, Frank, was a legend. At least now it wouldn’t be an obvious nepotism hire. Beamer is 16-18 in SEC games, which roughly translates to 24-10 in the ACC. Beamer gave a standard nondenial when reporters asked him about the Virginia Tech job. That’s the best way to get a raise while not making anyone mad. I like Mizzou to cover.

The headline at SI.com said first-year Saints coach Kellen Moore made a “blunt admission” about his team. I figured he admitted he should have waited for a better job opening, but it was boring stuff about playing “cleaner football” and how “every play matters.” Saints QB Spencer Rattler has been better than I expected. I think he’ll play well enough for the Saints to cover.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield has delivered comeback road victories against the Falcons and Texans. More important, he saved my picks both times. The Falcons and Texans both struggled to stop Mayfield from slithering outside of the pocket to make plays. Jets QB Justin Fields (concussion) is out, and New York hasn’t stopped anybody. I’ll take the Bucs and give the points.

Ex-Falcons coach Dan Quinn dropped the “Brotherhood” mantra when he got to Washington, but he’s still doing “tell the truth” Mondays after losses. The truth is that tight ends have carved up his defense. Raiders star Brock Bowers is up next. This is a tough game to call because Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (knee) may sit out (if so, he’ll probably play against the Falcons in Week 4). I think backup QB Mariota can get it done if he must play. Washington is the pick.

Last week: 6-5. Season: 19-14.