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There aren’t the top-10, heavyweight slugfests of Week 1, but this weekend’s slate of college football does feature a clash between blue bloods, century-old rivalries and tougher tests for a few teams that cruised to victory in their season openers.
Never was a cloudy day. Here are the top 10 games of Week 2, starting with a few honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable Mention: JMU at Louisville (Friday), Virginia at NC State, Texas State at UTSA, Arkansas State at Arkansas, Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech, UCLA at UNLV
(All point spreads are courtesy BetMGM. All kickoff times are Eastern and on Saturday unless otherwise noted.)
10. San Jose State (0-1) at No. 7 Texas (0-1), Noon, ABC
Roll your eyes if you want to, or claim a level of enlightenment that rises above Arch Madness. The rest of us will be tuning in to see how Arch Manning plays against San Jose State, whether out of schadenfreude or genuine curiosity. It’s one thing for college football’s most hyped quarterback to struggle on the road against the defending champs, but how he fares against a lower-tier Mountain West opponent will be a noteworthy data point either way.
Line: Texas -36.5
9. No. 20 Ole Miss (1-0) at Kentucky (1-0), 3:30 p.m., ABC
The first SEC game of the season offers a small chance at redemption for Lane Kiffin, whose home loss against Kentucky last season was the only conference win for the Wildcats and likely kept Ole Miss out of the College Football Playoff. New Ole Miss starting quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns but also two interceptions in a big win over Georgia State last week, while Kentucky was out-gained in an eight-point home win over Toledo.
Line: Ole Miss -10
8. Oklahoma State (1-0) at No. 6 Oregon (1-0), 3:30 p.m., CBS
This one added a little juice after the head coaches went back and forth on the disparity in resources between the two programs. Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy claimed the Ducks spent $40 million on last year’s roster; Oregon’s Dan Lanning responded: “If you want to be a top-10 team in college football, you better be invested in winning. We spend to win. Some people save to have an excuse for why they don’t.” Money aside, both terms are in very different positions entering this game. Oregon is the heavy favorite and looking to make it back to the CFP; the Cowboys are rebuilding after the worst season in 20 years under Gundy.
Line: Oregon -28.5
7. No. 12 Arizona State (1-0) at Mississippi State (1-0), 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Despite TCU shoving Chapel Bill and North Carolina into a wood chipper on Monday, the Big 12 came up short in a few high-profile Power 4 matchups in Week 1: Cincinnati lost to Nebraska, Baylor lost to Auburn and Colorado lost to Georgia Tech. Those are the types of games the conference needs to win to earn more at-large respect in the Playoff rankings. Arizona State and stud wideout Jordyn Tyson traveling to Starkville isn’t exactly a marquee showcase, but the reigning Big 12 champs need to play well against one of the bottom-tier SEC teams. Credit to Mississippi State for a solid road win over Southern Miss last Saturday.
Line: Arizona State -6.5
6. South Florida (1-0) at No. 13 Florida (1-0), 4:15 p.m., SEC Network
USF had one of the most impressive wins of Week 1, dismantling a ranked Boise State squad 34-7 and vaulting itself into the conversation for the Group of 5 Playoff spot. Quarterback Byrum Brown, back from an injury that kept him out most of last season, threw for 210 yards and ran for another 43. The Gators and quarterback DJ Lagway cruised to a 55-0 win over Long Island University despite missing three field goals. Florida has a significant edge in this matchup, though it can’t get caught looking ahead with road trips to LSU and Miami looming.
Line: Florida -17.5
USF quarterback Byrum Brown was impressive in his return from injury. (Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)
5. Baylor (0-1) at No. 17 SMU (1-0), Noon, The CW
Baylor showed some flashes in the home loss to Auburn last week, most notably quarterback Sawyer Robertson slinging it for 419 yards and three touchdowns. However, the Bears also got gashed by Auburn’s rushing attack, allowing 307 yards, and played from behind most of the game. Baylor now has to make the 90-minute trek to SMU and avoid falling into an 0-2 hole that would sap an offseason’s worth of optimism for a team thought to be on the rise. The Mustangs, fresh off a Playoff run in 2024, return quarterback Kevin Jennings and have their first real test after an easy win over East Texas A&M.
Line: SMU -2.5
4. No. 11 Illinois (1-0) at Duke (1-0), Noon, ESPN
If the preseason hype was warranted, the Illini should take care of business on the road at Duke. Both teams, and quarterbacks, shone against FCS opponents in Week 1, with Duke’s pricey transfer Darian Mensah tossing for 389 yards and three touchdowns while Illinois’s Luke Altmyer threw for 217 yards and three scores of his own. These Blue Devils are not the basketball-school pushovers of old under Manny Diaz, and a win as home underdogs would boost their case as an ACC darkhorse, but Illinois should have an advantage in the trenches, with a chance to validate that near-top-10 ranking.
Line: Illinois -3
3. Kansas (2-0) at Missouri (1-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
The Border War returns for the first time in 14 years. This is a bona fide rivalry, one that dates back to 1891 on the gridiron — and to actual violent warfare between the two territories in the 1850s, fought over slavery and statehood. Heavy stuff. The football rivalry was torn apart by conference realignment, ending when Missouri left for the SEC in 2012. All-time records are disputed by either side (chef’s kiss), but it’s a tight battle historically, and should be a good one on Saturday. The winner will likely vault into the top 25 rankings next week.
Line: Missouri -6.5
2. Iowa (1-0) at No. 16 Iowa State (2-0), Noon, Fox
This is the first time a ranked Iowa State has faced unranked Iowa in the Cy-Hawk rivalry since 1978, which ended in a 31-0 shutout victory for the Cyclones. These Cyclones, led by quarterback Rocco Becht, look like a genuine Big 12 and Playoff contender, but Iowa State is 0-4 at home against the Hawkeyes under coach Matt Campbell and aiming to win back-to-back Cy-Hawk trophies for the first time since 2012. Iowa will need to shore up the passing game to pull off the upset, after transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski completed 8 of 15 passes for only 44 yards in a win over Albany, and missed the fourth quarter with leg cramps.
Line: Iowa State -3.5
1. No. 15 Michigan (1-0) at No. 18 Oklahoma (1-0), 7:30 p.m., ABC
This is only the second-ever meeting between these blue bloods, with the Sooners winning the 1976 Orange Bowl. It should be a fun quarterback matchup between Oklahoma’s John Mateer and Michigan true freshman Bryce Underwood. Mateer broke Baker Mayfield’s record for most passing yards in a Sooners debut with 392 last week against Illinois State, but how will he handle what could be a solid Michigan defense? Underwood was similarly impressive in his first college game, but does his performance dip against a more talented defense and with a week of game film available? There are some coach narratives in this one as well, with Michigan’s Sherrone Moore facing his alma mater ahead of a uniquely structured suspension, and Oklahoma’s Brent Venables hoping to ward off any hot-seat talk with a big win.
Line: Oklahoma -5.5
(Top photo of Bryce Underwood: Raj Mehta / Getty Images)
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