College football’s Week 2 slate already has the feel of a pressure cooker, with the No. 1 spot in the next AP poll hanging in the balance and several heavyweight matchups carrying real weight against the spread.
The biggest one is Ohio State’s trip to Texas, a rematch of last season’s opener and the kind of game that can reshape the top of the rankings in a hurry. The Buckeyes are trying to stay on top, but they’re walking into a road test that doesn’t leave much room for error.
Texas has already shown it can make life uncomfortable for Jeremiah Smith. In two career meetings, the Longhorns held him to under 50 combined yards, even if this Texas secondary is now built mostly from new pieces. Ohio State will still look to make Smith its primary weapon as it tries to get an early edge and stretch the field.
On the other side, Arch Manning could end up being the swing factor. Last August, he was a green quarterback facing a very strong Buckeye defense.
Now he comes in with a year of sharper play, wins over several ranked SEC teams, and a receiving group loaded with blue-chip talent. He’s also operating behind a modified offensive line.
Texas wins 24-21
Another major Big Ten-SEC showdown lands in Ann Arbor, where newly unranked Michigan hosts Oklahoma. The Wolverines are coming off a wild, controversial last-second win, but the bigger concern is still the offense. They had real trouble running the ball, and if Western Michigan could make that a problem, Oklahoma’s front seven looks more than capable of turning up the heat.
That could leave Michigan leaning too much on Bryce Underwood, and that’s a dangerous place to be against a defense like this. Oklahoma’s offense had ugly blocking and rushing numbers a year ago, but the Sooners have made some small changes that mattered against UTEP, helping protect quarterback John Mateer and opening up the run game.
Michigan’s front tacklers are no joke, but Oklahoma still gets the edge. Oklahoma wins 27-13
BYU also gets a favorable read in its rematch with Arizona. These teams played a double-overtime thriller last season, and that result helped push the Cougars into Big 12 contention.
This time, BYU brings back about eight starters from a defense that looks sturdy, especially in the secondary, where the tackling should be good enough to challenge Arizona’s vertical passing game. BYU wins 28-20
There’s also Alabama’s visit to Kentucky, where the Wildcats shouldn’t be judged too harshly for a dominant opening win over Youngstown State in Will Stein’s first game as head coach. Still, Kentucky’s defense completely shut down a good mobile quarterback, and that matters here because it’s the same kind of test they’ll face against Keelon Russell, the Alabama five-star who led the Tide in rushing last week.
DeBoer’s offense may have trouble getting its ground game moving against Kentucky’s front seven, but Alabama still comes out on top. Alabama wins 24-20
In Other News...
Former Buckeyes Are Already Making Ohio State Fans Look Twice
The early weeks of the college football season always bring a little extra curiosity when former Ohio State players turn up in new uniforms, and this latest update has plenty for Buckeyes fans to track. Lincoln Kienholz made his first career start at Louisville, while Hero Kanu has started to settle in at Texas and Malik Hartford has been part of the rotation at UCLA, giving each of them a chance to show what kind of impact they can have away from Columbus.
For Ohio State followers, the appeal is less about nostalgia than about seeing how these transfers are fitting into bigger roles elsewhere. The weekly check-in includes production and Pro Football Focus grades from recent games, a useful snapshot of who is thriving and who is still finding a rhythm as the season moves along. It is the kind of roundup that can make fans do a double take, especially when a familiar name starts showing up as a real contributor in another programs lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State May Have Found The Weapon Jeremiah Smith Needed
Ohio States receiving room kept looking for the right kind of complement to Jeremiah Smith, and Devin McCuin has quickly made a case that he can help fill that role. The three-star recruit from Jacksonville, Texas, spent three seasons at UTSA before transferring to Columbus, bringing a veteran feel to a group that already had plenty of high-end talent. Ryan Day took notice after watching McCuins work against Texas A&M, pointing to the traits that tend to earn trust fast from a quarterback and coaching staff.
McCuin backed that up in his Ohio State debut against Ball State, catching six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. It was the kind of opening act that suggests there may be more here than just a useful depth addition, especially for a Buckeyes offense still sorting out how its pieces fit together. If McCuin keeps showing the same speed, route running and toughness Day praised, Ohio State may have found exactly the kind of target Jeremiah Smith can lean on. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Walks Into A Texas Atmosphere Test Fans Can Feel
Ohio States trip to Austin has plenty of football reasons to command attention, starting with a matchup against Texas that already feels like one of the early measuring-stick games of the season. The Buckeyes go in led by quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and the focus around them is not just on talent, but on how a young offense handles a road setting that should look and sound nothing like a normal September Saturday.
Matthew McConaughey, a visible Texas supporter, spent time on ESPN talking about the setting and the kind of test Ohio State should expect at DKR. The larger point is clear enough for the Buckeyes: this is the sort of atmosphere that can squeeze every mistake, reward every surge, and turn the smallest communication issue into a bigger problem. For Ohio State, surviving the crowd may be almost as important as surviving the Longhorns. [Read more 🡒]