The price you pay for a great Week 1 college football slate can sometimes be a … let’s call it “sparse” Week 2. If you played a big helmet game or season-opening conference game in Week 1, then you typically schedule an FCS or in-state opponent to help cushion Week 2. Georgia, Oregon, Ohio State, Utah and LSU are all doing just that (just to name a few). But there are still matchups worth watching in college football’s second week.
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Noon
Alabama (-20) vs. Texas
Quarterback Quinn Ewers gets his first real test when the Crimson Tide roll into Austin. Alabama acquitted itself quite well against reigning Mountain West champion Utah State, leading 55–0 midway through the third quarter. Nick Saban’s undefeated streak against assistant coaches came to an end last season, but is it time for a new streak to begin against Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns?
Wake Forest (-13) vs. Vanderbilt
This matchup got some added juice this week when Wake quarterback Sam Hartman announced his return from a blood clot issue suffered during training camp. The oddsmakers took notice, moving Wake from a 6-point favorite at open to as much as -14.5 at some books. But this might not be your father’s Vanderbilt, as the only 2–0 team in the SEC comes into this game with spoiler intentions. Quarterback Mike Wright looks like an early bet for one of the SEC’s most electric quarterbacks.
South Carolina vs. Arkansas (-8)
The Spencer Rattler experience faces its first SEC test when the Gamecocks head to Fayetteville. Arkansas showed in its Week 1 win over Cincinnati that it’s still just as salty as it has been the last few years under Sam Pittman with a gritty win over the Bearcats. But it didn’t face the level of quarterbacking that Rattler can bring to the table. South Carolina was, by its own admission, sluggish in a season-opening win, but coaches often say the most improvement comes between Weeks 1 and 2.
Appalachian State vs. Texas A&M (-19)
The Aggies looked a bit off the pace on offense in their admittedly dominating win over Sam Houston State, but App State put up points in a hurry including its 40-point fourth quarter in a comeback attempt against North Carolina. A&M certainly poses a stiffer test on defense than the Heels, but this game should be fun if the Mountaineers bring some of the firepower they showed to open the season.
Joseph Cress / Iowa City Press-Citizen
Midday
Iowa State vs. Iowa (-3.5), 4 p.m.
Iowa’s 7–3 win did as much as possible to leave a bad taste in the mouth of just about anyone watching besides Iowa’s defensive coaching staff. Two safeties and a field goal were all the Hawkeyes could muster and with a student section reportedly chanting for the offensive coordinator to be fired during the season opener, a win over the in-state rival Cyclones would go a long way to putting negative energy to bed. Luckily, Kirk Ferentz’s Hawks are 6–0 against Matt Campbell and Iowa State.
Houston vs. Texas Tech (-3.5), 4 p.m.
The Cougars pulled out a squeaker in overtime over UTSA to start the season and stay in state to face first-year coach Joey McGuire’s Red Raiders. A win here would be a huge boost in Year 1 as he tries to get the program headed in the right direction.
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Night
USC (-8.5) vs. Stanford, 7:30 p.m.
USC cruised and used two defensive scores en route to the blowout over Rice to open the season. That’s key moving forward—going into the season, everyone expected USC’s offense to be just fine, but the other side of the ball also really needed to help Caleb Williams. That mission was accomplished through just one game, and now an early conference tilt against the Cardinal beckons. Stanford has been a shell of its 2010s success over the last couple of years and will try to use an early-season upset to reestablish that glory.
Kentucky vs. Florida (-6), 7 p.m.
The Gators won a hard-fought game over Utah to open the season and now turn their attention to a Kentucky team that outmuscled them last year in Lexington. Quarterback Will Levis is an early NFL draft darling, but with issues in the running back corps and on the offensive line, we’ll see just how much he can lift up the rest of a team in flux around him. Fellow prospect QB Anthony Richardson brings the explosive plays in spades for UK’s defense to try and coral.
Arizona State vs. Oklahoma State (-11), 7:30 p.m.
The Pokes got back to the way business is supposed to be done. Last season featured a focus on defense and the running game, and Week 1 showed that an explosive passing offense can still win in Stillwater. Arizona State brings new QB Emory Jones to town to test the Cowboys.
Baylor vs. BYU (-3), 10:15 p.m.
Strap in for this game, where both teams look content to grind it out. Expect Baylor’s smothering defense to give the Cougars everything they can handle, but don’t count BYU out. The Cougars showed they can be all over an opponent with a dominating Week 1 win over USF.
