Football Pick’ems: 2026 Kickoff

Football season is here, you guys, and it felt like it would never get here.

It’s the first full football season since I-81 Sports was founded. You already know about our content plan for the fall ( most of it anyway… mwahaha) and we’re jumping into the chaos with our Football Pick’ems! We’ve established a collection of world-class, er… a gathering of high-caliber… um… We’ve found 10 people who can send in an email every week! (We hope…)

We’ll have a full slate of college games next week, and then add NFL to the mix the week after.

We’re only choosing winners here, and these picks are just for amusement purposes and bragging rights, so please, no wagering. However, if you’re looking for something more in the sports betting department, might we recommend the Chadwell Cheat Sheet?

Let’s get to this week’s picks.

MARK VICARS (Owner, I-81 Sports)

• ETSU over Campbell: Campbell can’t win this one. Bucs win big, or they are in big trouble the rest of the season.
• TCU over North Carolina: I think UNC is doublin’ up on losses in Dublin. Let’s see how year two for Bill will work out, but I don’t think TCU is the one to warm up on. Maybe the Horned Frogs will leave their starting QB at home like in “Home Alone”?
• Virginia over NC State: John is happy, UVA is good at football now. Maybe the Cavaliers will continue their winning ways. UVA wins by 10.
• Jacksonville State over North Dakota State: North Dakota State is playing with the big boys now, and I think Jax State is a great starting game. I also think Jax State wins by a slight margin.
• Memphis at UNLV: The Memphis Pyramids win big over the only other college with a pyramid in its city.
• Tennessee Tech over Monmouth: Tennessee Tech was on fire last year.. Will the Golden Eagles light Monmouth on fire? I think so.
• Abilene Christian over Lamar: This is a rematch of last year’s playoff game.. I don’t think the result changes. ACU wins.
• Chattanooga over West Georgia: Choo-Choo! The Mocs roll big over the Wolves.
• The Citadel over Wofford: The ring knockers vs the puppy dogs.. I’m feeling patriotic so Citadel wins!!
• Montana State over Utah Tech: I would be crazy to pick against Montana State… I am not ready for the padded room, yet. Let my kid get a little older and I may find it a welcome retreat.

J.T. CHADWELL (Sports Betting Writer, I-81 Sports)

• ETSU over Campbell – No way I’m picking Campbell.  Go Bucs!
• TCU over UNC – North Carolina isn’t making up 34 points this year. 
• VIRGINIA over NC State – UVA is 15-11 against the spread as a home favorite since 2020 while NC State is 7-12 as an away underdog.  Virginia is also 31-18 against the spread in conference games since 2020.  Wahoos are favored by 5.5 and I think they get the job done here.
• NORTH DAKOTA STATE over Jacksonville State – NDSU home field advantage was among the best of the best and might be the edge the Bison need this weekend.
• UNLV over Memphis – A lot going in favor for UNLV here.  Dan Mullen takes over and brings an SEC quarterback with him.  UNLV is 19-5 (!!) ATS in non conference games since 2020.
• TENNESSEE TECH over Monmouth – Shootout incoming.  Like the over of 58.5.
• ABILENE CHRISTIAN over Lamar – They’ve won the last four head to head and they haven’t been particularly close.
• WEST GEORGIA over Chattanooga – They have yet to lose to a SoCon team since moving into FCS (3-0) and haven’t lost on a Thursday night (10-0) since 2012.
• WOFFORD over the Citadel – Hesitantly picking the Terriers to get it done here.  But I like Citadel with the points.
• MONTANA STATE over Utah Tech – A free bingo square here.

SCOTT FELTS, I-81 Sports Contributor

• ETSU 31, Campbell 17: ETSU in year two under Will Healy with a new starting QB (Louisville transfer Mason Mims) should easily handle a Campbell team that finished 2-10 last year.
• TCU 31, North Carolina 17: Wonder what the exchange rate of air pressure is in Ireland? Belichick knows. Also hide your Vespas as new UNC OC Bobby Petrino rides into town. UNC lost 48-14 last year. Irish eyes are smiling, they lose closer this year.
• Virginia 27, NC State 24: Even Brazil didn’t want to watch boring ACC football. Event organizers in Brazil let the teams know they couldn’t pull off the event and it was moved back to Charlottesville. The Cavs are experienced and coming off a great 11-3 season. They will welcome in an NC State team led by returning QB CJ Bailey. This should be competitive, Virginia is less than a TD favorite.
• North Dakota State 27, Jacksonville State 20: Jacksonville State is coming off a nine-win season as it welcomes NDS to FBS football. If the Fargodome’s a rockin’ don’t come a knockin’.
• UNLV 34, Memphis 21: This will be a nice Group of 6 win for someone. Dan Mullen landed on his feet in Vegas and new Memphis coach Charles Huff has had a lot of roster turnover and a QB battle to deal with as he travels to Vegas. The house always wins, right?
• Tennessee Tech 35, Monmouth 28: Pretty sneaky good matchup here as this is between two of the top 20 programs in the FCS. Monmouth will sling the ball around. Should be high scoring.
• Abilene Christian 31, Lamar 24: This game is actually being played at Lamar and is another matchup of ranked FCS teams. It’s also a playoff rematch from last season and should be physical for a Week 0 matchup.
• Chattanooga 31, West Georgia 17: Longtime SoCon and FCS team Chattanooga travels to a West Georgia team that’s finding its footing in FCS and is a home underdog to the Mocs.
• Wofford 31, The Citadel 17: Wofford has been the better team of late and has more returning pieces. The Citadel’s triple-option/wing T attack can be difficult to prepare for but Wofford catches them early.
• Montana State 42, Utah Tech 14: Montana State is the defending FCS national champion and Utah Tech is transitioning into its first season in the Big Sky. This will be a lopsided affair with the Bobcats dominating both sides of the ball.

JOHN MOOREHOUSE (Editor in Chief, I-81 Sports)

• ETSU over Campbell: Lots of talk from the Bucs about how good Campbell is, and while the Camels do have their QB back (a huge advantage early in the season), 2-10 is still 2-10. Campbell QB Kamde Sixkiller (a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, fun fact!) does have an all-timer of a name, though.
• TCU over UNC: People near and far have been piling on Belichick and the mess in Chapel Hill. Allow me to add to that pile.
• Virginia over NC State: The Wolfpack actually beat UVA last year, in a matchup between two ACC teams that didn’t count as an ACC game. Makes about as much sense as the tiebreaker format that thrust Duke into the ACC championship last year. Picking with the heart, and choosing the Wahoos.
• Jacksonville State over North Dakota State: Best game on the list this week. Can NDSU transition smoothly to the FBS? Will that FargoDome home field advantage mean as much? Jacksonville State was a pretty solid program last year. I’ve just got a feeling the road team gets it done here.
• UNLV over Memphis: Lotta secrets buried out in that Vegas desert …
• Tennessee Tech over Monmouth: The Golden Eagles are the great unknown in the SoCon and expected to do well. Monmouth has FCS playoff aspirations. I’ll give Tennessee Tech the edge at home.
• Abilene Christian over Lamar: Abilene Christian is 11-1 at home the last two years. That’s good enough for me.
• West Georgia over Chattanooga: West Georgia got the better of ETSU last year and plays the Bucs again this season in Johnson City. I’ll take West Georgia to win at home in the first game under a new coach.
• Wofford over The Citadel: Wofford finished last season strong, but how much does that really matter in this era of heavy roster turnover? We shall see.
• Montana State over Utah Tech: The defending national champs roll.

MIKE COX (Voice of the Patriots on 93.7 The Fan)

• ETSU 33, Campbell 16: My first college alma mater should be able to get a win at home over the Fighting Camels, but it won’t be easy. I’ll give it three quarters before the Bucs blow it open. Campbell is getting better!
• TCU 31, North Carolina 17: Frogs are the favorites here for a reason. Methinks the Belichick era starts to come to an end with this one. “What are horned frogs and tar heels” will be great questions being answered in Dublin on Saturday. Someone needs to get a reel of uninformed answers to those!
• NC State 19, Virginia 17: I’m sticking my neck out on this one, because UVa was pretty good last year. I’m hoping the Wolfpack can take advantage of playing a conference game so early and pull a bit of an upset.
• Jacksonville State 27, North Dakota State 24: The first FBS game is rarely a fun time, even at home. The Bison may be the favorite, but a team that’s been in the division longer should be able to overcome that home field advantage in the dome.
• UNLV 40, Memphis 35: I hope this is a fun shootout at the end of the day. You never know…could be 10-3. Either way, I’ll take the Runnin’ Rebels.
• Tennessee Tech 34, Monmouth 23: Home team gets the win here.
• Abilene Christian 27, Lamar 21: Big playoff win for ACU last year won’t be as big a win on the road this year, but a win nonetheless.
• Chattanooga 19, West Georgia 17: I may not be loyal to certain conferences or divisions, but the SoCon is its own piece of insanity. The losses need to mount in-conference, so for that reason the Mocs eke out a win on a Thursday night special.
• Wofford 26, The Citadel 22: Terriers vs. Bulldogs. As you will learn, I am a big fan of Bulldogs… except the Georgia ones. This South Carolina battle is one that has made the SoCon great for ages. I’ll give the Terriers the win for being at home, but they won’t cover.
• Montana State 48, Utah Tech 16: Now that the SoCon has devolved a bit with all the defections to FBS, it seems those teams out west have gotten the spoils. Good for them. The defending champs will roll in this one, doesn’t matter if it’s in Utah.

MIKE ROBERTS (Contributor, I-81 Sports)

• ETSU over Campbell
• TCU over Carolina
• North Dakota State over Jacksonville State
• Memphis over UNLV
• Monmouth over Tennessee Tech
• Lamar over Abilene Christian
• Chattanooga over West Georgia
• Wofford over The Citadel
• Montana State over Utah Tech

THOMAS STOKES (FCS Writer, I-81 Sports)

• ETSU over Campbell: Campbell brings into this game an experienced offense led by a returning quarterback and running back along with welcoming some great wide receivers. Looking at the ETSU side, a first-time starter ever in college at QB. Both schools had struggles in the fourth quarter of games last year and both look to correct that early. The biggest statistic for this game is since William B. Greene Stadium opened ETSU is 9-0 in home openers. The Bucs make it 10-0 Saturday.
• TCU over UNC
• NC State over Virginia: This game was supposed to be in Brazil but they moved it back to the States.
• North Dakota State over Jacksonville State: The NDSU move to FBS saddens me as my family was planning to go to the FargoDome for the ETSU game there this season before it got canceled. The Bison return double-digit key players from their last year in FCS. This will also be a 2015 national championship rematch, and the result will be the same.
• Memphis over UNLV
• Tennessee Tech over Monmouth: Big FCS matchup for Week 0 between two teams who were voted as of the favorites in their respective conferences. Tennessee Tech’s first game as a member of SoCon and first game in the freshly renovated Tucker Stadium.
• Abilene Christian over Lamar: Rematch of a first-round playoff game where ACU moved on 38-20. Lamar will want revenge on the team who ended its season last year. ACU tied for the honors of preseason #1 in the United Athletic Conference after winning it last year. The Wildcats will start their attempt at going back-to-back with a win. Abilene Christian wins.
• West Georgia over Chattanooga: Probably one of the best Thursday night games on the schedule. UTC comes into 2026 looking to right the ship from a disappointing 2025 season. On the other side West Georgia begins the Steve Englehart era. Englehart at Presbyterian beat both Mercer and Furman last year and I think the trends continue for him at West Georgia now.
• Wofford over The Citadel: Wofford comes into 2026 with the most momentum of any team winning six out of its last seven including four in a row. I think the Terriers ride that wave from last year into 2026 and win a very early conference game.
• Montana State over Utah Tech: Utah Tech moves to the Big Sky Conference, a much better fit geography-wise than the United Athletic Conference. For the first Big Sky game why not the defending National Champions and number one in the polls Montana State? The Dowler twins come back to look for a repeat, and it begins Saturday night.

JACOB TOWNSEND (Host of the Morning Monster, WXSM)