Free Pick | NCAA | Saturday | Aug. 31

Nelly’s has a pair of daytime picks for our phone service on Saturday in college football looking to get off to a strong start to the season!

Nelly’s is also 7-3 in our last 10 in MLB for a strong August finish.

This week’s Green Sheet includes our NFL Win Total Picks plus complete coverage of college football this week!

Bonus Free Pick Video Saturday in College Football

#155 Connecticut +20 over Maryland 11:00 AM CT

Connecticut finished just 3-9 last season but lost by only 10 in the season opener against NC State. The Huskies beat Maryland S/U in 2012 and will be looking to recapture some of the magic the team had in an unexpected bowl season in 2022 before slipping to just 3-9 last season. While he never took Maryland to great heights, replacing Taulia Tagovailoa means replacing a huge part of the offense with NC State transfer MJ Morris and last year’s QB2 Billy Edwards the leading candidates, with no clear announcement from Mike Locksley yet. Maryland has very little returning production back on offense but could again be a strong defensive team, allowing just over 22 points per game and just over 330 yards per game last season in an 8-5 season for a third straight bowl bid. Maryland’s returning production is among the worst in the Big Ten and much of the market interest in Maryland having a decent season stems from removing both former Big Ten East foes Ohio State and Michigan from its schedule. Maryland has not topped 38 points in any of its season openers in the past four seasons since Locksley’s debut when the Terps put it all out there with a 79-point performance in the opener, and then 63-points in Week 2 in 2-0 start. Maryland finished 3-9 that season as Locksley has adjusted the team’s September approach since. The strength for Maryland should be on defense and this is a big spread in what could be a lower scoring game. Connecticut has a returning quarterback, lead rusher, and eight starters back on defense. The Huskies allowed fewer than 30 points per game last season and even with four ACC or SEC teams on the schedule.