Week 2 of the college football season is loaded in a way that makes the calendar look a little silly. After an opening weekend that turned plenty of modest expectations upside down - including the controversial finish to Michigan-Western Michigan - the schedule now shifts into a stretch with a true heavyweight at the top and a long list of games that could say a lot about where teams really stand.
The clear centerpiece is Ohio State’s trip to Texas, a first top 5 matchup of the season that brings national championship contenders together in Austin. But that’s only the headliner. There are ranked showdowns, pressure games for quarterbacks, a rivalry renewed, and a few early tests that could shape conference races before September really gets rolling.
Ohio State at Texas is the one everyone will be watching. The game is set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
ET on ABC in Austin, Texas. Both teams opened with comfortable wins, and now they meet in what could be an early swing game in the College Football Playoff picture.
Ohio State has beaten Texas in each of the past two years, but this one comes at home for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. It also puts some of the sport’s biggest names on the same stage, with quarterbacks Arch Manning and Julian Sayin and wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Cam Coleman all in the spotlight.
Texas is favored by 1.5 points, according to Polymarket.
Michigan gets another major test when Oklahoma comes to Ann Arbor on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on Fox.
The Wolverines barely escaped Week 1 against Western Michigan, and the pressure is already on Bryce Underwood, who remains the starter. This week, coach Kyle Whittingham said that is “ not something that’s infinite.
” Underwood will be asked to respond after going 9 of 24 passing last season against Oklahoma, a Sooners team that opened by shutting out UTEP. For Oklahoma, this is the first of two September road games against a preseason ranked opponent.
The Sooners are favored by 5.5 points on Polymarket.
Another matchup with plenty of Big 12 intrigue is Arizona at BYU, set for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on Fox in Provo, Utah.
These teams needed double overtime when they met last season, and both arrived in Week 2 after cruising past lesser competition. Now they get a chance to show whether they belong in the league’s contender conversation.
The quarterback duel stands out here, with BYU’s Bear Bachmeier and Arizona’s Noah Fifita both among the conference’s best. BYU is favored by 3.5 points, per Polymarket.
The Group of 6 spotlight falls on Boise State and Memphis in Boise, Idaho, on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Both teams have looked sharp early, and Boise State’s 34-27 loss to Oregon last weekend only added to the feeling that the Broncos are one of the nation’s most dangerous non-power teams. That result felt a lot like the near-miss Boise State had against the Ducks on the way to the 2024 CFP.
Memphis, meanwhile, backed up its opening win over UNLV by piling up 335 rushing yards against Arkansas State. With playoff positioning in the Group of 6 in the background, this one matters.
Boise State is an 8.5-point favorite at home, according to Polymarket.
Alabama’s trip to Kentucky brings a different kind of pressure. The game kicks off Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
ET on ABC in Lexington, Kentucky. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell impressed in his first start, throwing for 256 yards and adding 86 rushing yards and a touchdown against East Carolina.
Now comes his first SEC game. Kentucky has a little new energy this season under coach Will Stein, who won his debut against Youngstown State, but Alabama presents a much steeper climb.
The Crimson Tide have not lost at Kentucky since 1997, and they are favored by 10.5 points, per Polymarket.
Texas A&M and Arizona State meet in College Station, Texas, on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on ABC, and both teams are stepping into their first power conference matchup of the season.
The Aggies handled Missouri State while running for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Arizona State, meanwhile, is trying to avoid the kind of quarterback problems that hurt last season, and new starter Cutter Boley - a Kentucky transfer - flashed in Week 1 by throwing for 387 yards and six touchdowns against Morgan State.
The question now is whether he can push a top 10 team on the road. Texas A&M is favored by 14.5 points.
Tennessee visits Georgia Tech on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN in Atlanta.
Volunteers quarterback Faizon Brandon earned SEC freshman of the week honors after piling up 294 total yards and five touchdowns in the win over Furman. Tennessee also gets linebacker Arion Carter back after his one-game suspension, and it enters the game as a 12.5-point road favorite, according to Polymarket.
Georgia Tech, though, needs to recover from its late collapse against Colorado. The offense has to do more, especially the run game, which managed only 51 yards with sacks included in the opener.
Mississippi State’s trip to Minnesota on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS carries a little history with it, too.
Minnesota is hosting an SEC team for the first time in 65 years, and after both teams breezed through Week 1, this becomes the first true test for each. The Golden Gophers bring a defense that was solid last season, while quarterback Drake Lindsey remains an interesting name for NFL scouts.
Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor made a big early statement with 413 total yards and five touchdowns in the opener. Mississippi State is favored by 1.5 points on the road, according to Polymarket.
Friday night’s Border War returns when Missouri visits Kansas in Lawrence at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
It’s the latest edition of a rivalry that won’t be scheduled again in football until 2031. Kansas brought back former Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki this offseason, and the Jayhawks need him to help jump-start an offense now led by new starting quarterback Isaiah Marshall.
Missouri star running back Ahmad Hardy is still recovering from a gunshot wound, but Ole Miss transfer quarterback Austin Simmons threw four touchdowns in the Tigers’ first game. Missouri is favored by 5.5 points on Polymarket.
Iowa State at Iowa rounds out the list with the Cy-Hawk rivalry and a few interesting angles of its own. Iowa’s quarterback battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown continues into the game, with Brown having started in Week 1 while both played against Northern Illinois.
Iowa State coach Jimmy Rogers won his first game with the school, and transfer quarterback Jaylen Raynor accounted for four touchdowns. Rogers will be coaching in the rivalry for the first time, and Iowa State has won the last two meetings.
Even so, Iowa is favored by 14.5 points, according to Polymarket.
In Other News...
Will Stein Gets An Early Kentucky Test Fans Will Obsess Over
The early part of Will Steins first season at Kentucky is about to meet the kind of barometer fans circle on the calendar. Alabama comes to Lexington in Week 2 as a 10.5-point favorite, with traders giving the Crimson Tide a 78% chance to win and the over/under sitting at 49.5 points, a number that suggests the matchup could still have plenty of movement if Kentucky can make it uncomfortable.
For Stein, the appeal is obvious. This is the sort of SEC test that can shape how a new coach is viewed in a hurry, especially against an Alabama program that has won eight straight in the series dating back to 2003. Kentucky does not need a miracle to make the game matter, but it does need a result that changes the conversation, and that is why this one will have fans watching every snap with a little extra edge. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Is Trusting Its Own Read On Alex Wilkins
Alex Wilkins arrived at Kentucky with the kind of rsum that invites debate. The 6-foot-5 guard showed real production as a freshman at Furman, scoring and creating for others in a way that made him an obvious transfer name, even as some of the broader analytics around his profile remained mixed because of his turnover rate and other red flags. That disconnect is part of what makes his move to Lexington interesting: Kentuckys staff did not simply chase the numbers, they layered them with scouting and their own eyes before deciding he was worth the bet.
For a program that lives under a microscope, trusting that internal read matters. Wilkins has already been the subject of the kind of analytical scrutiny that can follow a player from college to the NBA, with Jaylen Brown-style comparisons surfacing in the discussion, but Kentuckys evaluation leaned on more than spreadsheet debate. The Wildcats believed the fit was there, and now the question is whether that conviction holds up once Wilkins is asked to translate his skill set to a bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Backfield Could Be A Real SEC Problem If It Holds Up
Kentuckys offense looked more like a group with answers than one searching for an identity in its win over Youngstown State, leaning on both the passing game and a steady ground attack to keep things moving. The backfield, in particular, stood out as a source of balance, with CJ Baxter and Jason Patterson both making their presence felt and Patterson finishing as the teams top rusher.
The bigger question is whether that kind of production can hold up once the schedule tightens and the physical toll starts to matter more. Will Stein sounded encouraged about the position group after the game, but he also knows the Wildcats need that depth to stay intact if they want the offense to keep looking this versatile against SEC competition. [Read more 🡒]