Week 2 brings a slate with a few more matchups that actually feel playable on paper, and that makes the board a lot more interesting after a rougher opening week. There’s a mix here of teams trying to steady themselves, teams coming off eye-opening wins, and a few spreads that feel big enough to force a real decision.
Rutgers and Boston College both took losses in Week 1, but the way they got there mattered. Rutgers coughed it up four times and got handled by UMass, while BC showed something with Mason McKenzie at quarterback before falling to a solid Cincinnati team.
The Eagles also lost two offensive linemen in that game, and their status is uncertain. Rutgers quarterback Dylan Longergan, a BC transfer, exited hurt as well, but with three interceptions and a lost fumble, that was only part of the story.
Rutgers wants to lean on Antwan Raymond and its defense, and Raymond is the real deal. The defense, though, is a problem.
BC 27 - Rutgers 20
Oregon’s opener against Boise State looked messy for a while, but Dante Moore finished with 378 yards and three touchdowns, so the final line doesn’t read like a struggle. Oklahoma State’s first game under Eric Morris went in a very different direction, with a 24-10 loss to Tulsa in Stillwater.
The Cowboys are basically last year’s North Texas team wearing Oklahoma State uniforms, and Tulsa pushed them around up front. That’s a bad setup against an Oregon defensive line that can overwhelm teams physically.
Moore threw for three touchdowns against these Cowboys last year in Oregon’s 69-3 win, and while the total scoring may come down this time, the Ducks should still move the ball.
Oregon 48 - Oklahoma St. 14
Wake Forest and Purdue both opened with wins, though neither result tells us much by itself. Purdue beat Indiana State, Wake Forest handled Akron, and that’s about where the useful information ends.
Still, Gio Lopez has already looked like a real playmaker for Jake Dickert at Wake. Purdue’s bigger issue is the streak: 21 straight losses against P4 opponents.
This is at least a decent chance to snap it. Barry Odom looks like a better coach than the 2-10 record from last season suggests, and the gut leans Purdue.
The head says Wake Forest.
Wake Forest 34 - Purdue 30
If you’re looking for a spot to buy low, Michigan is the kind of team that draws that conversation this week. The chatter around the Wolverines has been ugly, with the complaints centered on clock management and quarterback play.
Oklahoma, by contrast, had a clean opening win. The real question is whether last week was just “Week 1 Michigan” or the actual version of this team.
The offensive line was a concern even before Underwood, and Oklahoma brings one of the best defenses in the country. There’s also the reminder of how strong the Sooners were before John Mateer got hurt last year.
Both defenses should hold up, but Oklahoma has more big-play juice on offense, and that could be the difference.
Oklahoma 20 - Michigan 14
Jeff Lebby has had two disappointing years at Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs’ 62-13 win over Louisiana-Monroe at least makes people wonder if things are finally turning. Minnesota has the kind of personnel PJ Fleck tends to like, with Drake Lindsey giving them a big, pro-style quarterback and Darius Taylor functioning as the bell-cow back.
The real test is how Minnesota’s defense handles an Air Raid-adjacent attack. Fleck’s defenses have usually kept plays in front of them and tackled well, but last year they fell apart.
The question is whether that was a one-year slide or something more lasting.
Minnesota 28 - MSU 24
Washington didn’t get punished much by the line after a lukewarm Apple Cup showing, and Utah State is the other side of this matchup. The Aggies came into the season not far behind Washington State in the Pac-12 projections, but the Huskies still get an extra three points in the spread.
That makes sense when you compare Week 1: Utah State lost to FCS Idaho State after allowing 13 unanswered points from late in the third quarter to the finish. The Aggies moved the ball, but two quarterbacks combined for four interceptions.
Washington’s defense caused problems at every level last week, and it’s not hard to imagine another turnover-heavy game. Utah State also gave up three sacks and ran for less than four yards per carry against an FCS front, which is not the kind of foundation you want heading into this one.
The concern for Washington is the backfield. The running back room is battered, with Adam Mohammed already gone, Jordan Washington out after a spring injury, and Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar hurt coming out of Week 1.
That leaves the depth chart thin fast, down to specialists and walk-ons in some spots. Trey Cooley struggled in limited action last week, but he may have to carry a heavy load here.
On the other hand, the passing game should look better. Demond Williams settled in during the Apple Cup and found a rhythm with Chris Lawson and Rashid Williams.
If he gets to that level earlier and the offensive line cuts out the penalties, Washington should put more points on the board. Still, the run-game uncertainty is enough to make me wait before backing the Huskies to cover a four-touchdown spread.
In Other News...
Washington Freshman May Have Already Changed This Defensive Rotation
The snap counts in Washingtons 24-10 win over Washington State said plenty about how the staff views its defensive rotation, and Derek Colman-Brusa was one of the clearest examples. In his first college game, the freshman defensive tackle was on the field often enough to matter, and he made that time count with disruptive moments that showed why the Huskies were willing to trust a newcomer in a meaningful spot.
Colman-Brusa arrived as a consensus four-star recruit and was originally projected as an edge rusher before the Huskies shifted him inside after an offseason of added size. The result was a debut that fit the programs broader approach under a staff intent on playing the best players regardless of age, and it left open a bigger question for the weeks ahead: how much more of the interior rotation he can carve out once the games keep getting bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Gets An Early Warning About Bronco Mendenhalls Aggies
Bronco Mendenhalls first Utah State team has already given Washington a little early-season film to study, and the first impression is not especially tidy. Dan Allisons breakdown of the Aggies paints a picture of a program still trying to settle in under a new coach, with both sides of the ball carrying a mix of familiar Mendenhall traits and the kind of growing pains that can show up fast when a staff is asking players to learn on the fly.
For the Huskies, the bigger takeaway is not just who Utah State is right now, but how much room there still is for the Aggies to improve before the matchup comes into view. The reformed Pac-12 adds more urgency to every nonconference test, and if Utah State begins to clean up its operation the way Mendenhalls track record suggests it can, this is the sort of opponent Washington will want to have fully charted before it shows up on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Washington May Have Found A Missing Piece In Its Roster Reset
Washingtons roster reset under Danny Sprinkle has needed more than just time. After two seasons marked by major turnover and the usual headaches that come with rebuilding in the transfer-portal era, the Huskies have added another layer to the staff, bringing in Alex Kline to assist with roster building. It is the kind of move that reflects where the program is right now, with personnel work just as important as what happens on the floor.
Kline arrives after previously being on the Syracuse coaching staff, giving Washington another voice with experience in the behind-the-scenes grind of assembling a team. For a program trying to stabilize its foundation and find the right fit around Sprinkle, the addition points to how seriously the Huskies are treating this next phase. The bigger question is how quickly that extra help translates into a roster that looks more settled and more built for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]