College Football Week 2 picks against the spread and predictions
College Football Unfiltered is breaking down the biggest Week 2 matchups and picks against the spread.
- USA TODAY Sports experts offer their bold predictions for Week 2 of the college football season.
- Several writers predict major upsets, including Texas over Ohio State and Arizona State over Texas A&M.
- Multiple top teams, including Alabama and Oklahoma, face challenging road games against conference and non-conference opponents.
It’s easy to be overly swayed by the results from Week 1 of the college football season. There is the tremendous amount of roster turnover at many schools and the lack of preseason games often creates disjointed performances that are not indicative of how the season plays out.
We should learn more in Week 2 with several College Football Playoff contenders getting playing away from home. That list includes Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama and Tennessee. Could there be some surprises in the offing?
That’s where the USA TODAY Sports college football staff comes in. Our experts weigh in with their bold predictions for Week 1 of the college football season.
College football bold predictions for Week 2
Texas two-steps its way to No. 1 after defeat of Ohio State
I’m focusing on the trenches in a pair of cross-conference clashes. Texas vaults to No. 1 in the polls next week after it handles Ohio State on both lines of scrimmage. The Buckeyes lost so much NFL talent off their defense that Texas establishes its offense early and then its defensive line gets to feast later in the game. In Salt Lake City, Utah’s first real foe in the Morgan Scalley era is Arkansas. The Big 12 needs this game, and the Utes deliver with a huge day of 200-plus rushing yards. — John Brice
Alabama gets tested in Lexington
Riding the enthusiasm of first-year coach Will Stein, Kentucky gets to the fourth quarter against Alabama with a chance to win the game. A functional and dangerous offense — specifically, an efficient pass game with new QB Kenny Minchey — changes everything at Kentucky, and keeps the Alabama defense desperate for stops. Keelon Russell in his first SEC road test will have to make plays. — Matt Hayes
Arizona State takes down Texas A&M
The Aggies didn’t skip a beat in the season opener, but they get an intriguing opponent in Arizona State coming into Kyle Field. On paper, the Sun Devils aren’t nearly as talented as Texas A&M, but Kenny Dillingham knows how to play his card efficiently and will bring up the element of surprise to throw the home team off. Cutter Boley’s experience in SEC stadiums is going to help immensely, as the first major upset of the season comes from Arizona State. — Jordan Mendoza
SEC dominates its nonconference opponents
Ranked SEC teams go a perfect 5-0 in the biggest games of the weekend: Texas beats Ohio State, Texas A&M beats Arizona State, Oklahoma tops Michigan, Tennessee wins at Georgia Tech and Missouri takes the rivalry with Kansas. This would establish the SEC as the top conference in the country and put the SEC in position to have five teams in the playoff for the second year in a row at the expense of the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12. — Paul Myerberg
Michigan, Georgia Tech bounce back in Week 2
Never overvalue Week 1. It happens time and time again. Team plays poorly in opener and rebounds with requisite focus and intensity the following week with season on the brink. It also helps to have the opponent lured into a false sense of security having seen those first-week struggles. All this brings us to the fates of Michigan and Georgia Tech. Both get visits from SEC teams – Oklahoma and Tennessee, respectively – after poor opening performances. At least one and maybe both pull off a home upset. — Erick Smith
Arkansas pulls off upset of Utah
Two of the teams projected to bring up the rear in the SEC hit the road this week facing competition from other power-four conferences. One of them will win, and it’s not the one you might think. Mississippi State’s opponent is Minnesota, which is not ranked but has a good chance to land in the middle tier of the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers will protect their home field in what should be a close contest with the Bulldogs. But it will be Arkansas that pulls off the upset at No. 20 Utah. There’s no good reason for this. The Razorbacks didn’t exactly look vastly improved in last week’s tuneup against North Alabama, and the Utes had no issues with Idaho. But the Big 12’s track record against the SEC of late has not been good, and this result will be yet another credibility hit for the oversized dozen. — Eddie Timanus
Louisiana Tech to spring trap on LSU?
LSU’s game against Louisiana Tech has all the ingredients for a sleepwalk performance. LSU is facing an overmatched opponent, sandwiched between showcase games against Clemson and Mississippi. Plus, the off-field drama persisted all week. So, trap game? Nope. Lane Kiffin keeps the Tigers motivated, and they hang 60-plus points in the board. During Kiffin’s televised halftime interview, he drops a profane five-letter acronym starting with an ‘S’ that’s popular at LSU. In Birmingham, heads explode. — Blake Toppmeyer