College football Week 2 odds, picks against the spread: Texas visits Michigan, Colorado faces test at Nebraska

While there are only two matchups between top-25 teams on the Week 2 schedule, defending national champion Michigan takes on Texas in a potential College Football Playoff matchup in a few months time, it’s an absolute monster matchup between two top teams. It’s also a chance for both teams to show their stuff early and for quarterback Quinn Ewers to start building his Heisman Trophy resume if he can perform against a top-10 team in one of the toughest environments in the country.

The other Top 25 matchup this week is Tennessee vs. North Carolina State at a neutral site in Charlotte.

The schedule also features a major rivalry game in Week 2 as Iowa hosts Iowa State at home. Iowa has dominated this series in recent years, winning 11 of the last 15 meetings and seven of the last eight.

In another rivalry game, Colorado and Nebraska meet in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers, led by freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, are holding a touchdown advantage over Deion Sanders’ squad.

Clemson is looking to turn things around and get back on track after a humiliating loss to Georgia in Week 1 and is favored by at least two touchdowns against Appalachian State. It’s the first time a Clemson team has started 0-2 since 1975.

Here are our staff’s previews of some of the key matchups in Week 2 and their predictions against the spread.

All games listed are for Saturday. Kickoff times are Eastern Time. Rankings are from the Associated Press Poll. All odds are from BetMGM. Click here for streaming details.

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 10 Michigan — noon on FOX

While it won’t be the showpiece battle of last season, Texas heads to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan, arguably the top-seller in the box office in Week 2. Texas comes in with an offense designed to be explosive, a quarterback executing his coach’s strategy to perfection, Michigan once again boasting one of the best defenses in the world, and losing by one touchdown in the Big House is just not going to sit well with the defending champions.

Texas playmaker Quinn Ewers and head coach Steve Sarkisian clicked well together, and the Longhorns’ passing attack looks polished despite being without their four best receivers from last season. In the season opener, Ewers completed 20 of 27 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-0 win over Colorado State. He looked in complete control throughout the game before handing the passes to backup Arch Manning.

But Michigan’s unit is dozens of steps above CSU’s, and while the secondary is perhaps the biggest question mark on that defense, it’s still anchored by cornerback Will Johnson. The All-American and future first-round draft pick has allowed just 17 catches throughout the 2023 season and is fresh off of an 86-yard interception six late in the fourth quarter that sealed a win over Fresno State.

But the fact that it took that heroics to beat the Bulldogs shows how much Michigan’s offense has lost since last season. They’re still searching for a quarterback to fill the gap between Davis Warren and Alex Orji, and potential successor, running back Donovan Edwards, started late in Week 1. With Texas’ offense able to decide games quickly, Michigan’s offense will need to slow down the pace dramatically, which means moving the ball much more effectively than it did last week.

This may not be the playoff game many were hoping for last season, but the stakes are still high. Two losses for Michigan and Texas would keep them just in the 12-team playoff, but three losses would almost certainly eliminate either. Both teams have tough conference schedules ahead of them, and whoever loses Saturday has just one game remaining.

—J.J. Bailey

Picking Against the Spread

Arkansas vs. No. 17 Oklahoma State — noon on ABC

Arkansas and Oklahoma State played against each other nearly every year from 1950 to 1980, but haven’t met on the football field since. The teams meet Saturday in Stillwater, with the host Cowboys favored by about a touchdown.

Arkansas and Oklahoma State both played FCS opponents in Week 1, but that doesn’t fully explain the difference in the matchups. The Pockets defeated defending FCS champion South Dakota State, 44-20, behind star running back Ollie Gordon II (28 carries, 126 yards, three touchdowns), while Arkansas crushed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 70-0.

Oklahoma State’s backfield is the same, but Arkansas is starting with Boise State transfer Taylen Green at quarterback in place of the departed KJ Jefferson. Green caught two touchdowns and ran for two in his Razorbacks debut. Coming off a 4-8 season, Arkansas is looking for a commanding win to show they’re no longer the SEC’s underdog.

Picking Against the Spread

Iowa State vs. No. 21 Iowa — 3:30 p.m., on CBS

Iowa State and the University of Iowa meet again as intrastate rivals on Saturday afternoon to battle for the Cy Hawk Trophy, with the Hawkeyes holding the slight home advantage in this series as they look to continue their recent dominance.

Both teams were coming off home wins against FCS opponents last week. Iowa blasted Illinois State, 40-0, for 492 yards of total offense, its most in a single game in nearly five years. Quarterback Cade McNamara (251 yards, three touchdowns) and running back Caleb Johnson (119 yards rushing, two touchdowns) both played well against a typically tough defense that allowed 189 total yards and three turnovers.

Johnson, who was suspended for the first half for violating team rules, will be one to watch against Iowa State, which has generally been successful when it has been able to run the ball consistently under head coach Kirk Ferentz’s long tenure. Iowa State struggled to stop the rushing attack last week, allowing 176 yards to North Dakota.

The Cyclones defense may have buckled, but it didn’t crumble. The defense kept the Fighting Hawks out of the end zone en route to a 21-3 victory. Quarterback Rocco Becht contributed to all three touchdowns, but Iowa State will need more help from the running game to beat Iowa State. The Cyclones were held to just 86 yards rushing, while the Hawkeyes were held to 56 yards rushing.

Not only does Iowa hold a healthy overall lead in the series (47-23), but they have also won eight of the past nine meetings. Iowa State defeated the Hawkeyes, 10-7, two years ago in their last visit to Kinnick Stadium. The past five meetings have averaged a combined 29 points and been decided by just over a touchdown. Will it be another close, low-scoring game, or has Iowa’s offense found a new gear in 2024?

—Mark Ross

Picking Against the Spread

No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 North Carolina State — 7:30 p.m. on ABC

At Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte

Saturday’s game between Tennessee and NC State is one of just two matchups between ranked opponents on the Week 2 schedule and will be the first major test for both teams since playing FCS opponents in Week 1. The Volunteers are more than a touchdown favorite in the neutral-site game in Charlotte.

While Tennessee stunned Chattanooga last week, NC State had a surprisingly tough game against Western Carolina, coming from behind late in the fourth quarter — a somewhat worrying start for the Wolfpack as they try to win a suddenly crowded ACC.

Quarterback Grayson McCall, a transfer from Coastal Carolina making his Wolfpack debut, threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns last week, but it took him a few quarters to get back into rhythm. Tennessee is a much tougher opponent than Western Carolina, but the Volunteers have struggled against top quarterbacks in recent years. Saturday will be a good test for both teams.

On the Tennessee side, first-year starter Nico Iamareava helped the Volunteers offense regain last season’s momentum, throwing for 314 yards and three touchdowns while scoring 69 points. The Volunteers offense ranked in the top 20 in total yards last year and averaged over 31 points per game.

NC State’s defense was one of the best in the country last year, not allowing many big plays, but struggled against an FCS team in their season opener this year. Tennessee’s speed and explosiveness will be a big challenge, especially if Iamareva can replicate his Week 1 performance.

—Adam Gretz

Picking Against the Spread

Colorado vs. Nebraska — 7:30 p.m., NBC

Colorado put on one of the nation’s most exciting trios in Shedul Sanders, Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr., but that’s also why they head into Lincoln as a touchdown underdog against Nebraska: Three guys just isn’t enough.

Colorado survived Week 1 with a win over North Dakota State, but the Bisons fell four yards short of the upset at the buzzer.

Two-way sensation Hunter dominated offensively, hauling in seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns while playing all but two snaps in the game. Horn added 198 yards and a touchdown, and Sanders threw for the second-most yards (445) of his Colorado career. Oddly enough, his best total for Colorado (510) came in last year’s season opener.

That’s impressive, but it took a lot of work to even come close to beating an FCS program. That’s because the Buffaloes still have major issues on offense. Last season, they were dead last in rushing yards per game (68.9), and the line allowed Sanders to be sacked 52 times. Despite coach Deion Sanders’ portal-focused approach to his offensive linemen, the ground game remains ineffectual. Last week, they averaged 2.3 yards on 23 attempts, with a maximum gain of 11 yards.

Things won’t get any better against Nebraska, where last year’s top-10 run defense is expected to be even better this season.

The Huskers’ new offense is also built to crush Colorado’s awful pass defense, which allowed over 275 passing yards per game last year and just 292 to NDSU. The Huskers are on a roll, with freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola throwing more passes last week against UTEP than he did in the first two-and-a-half games of last season. In fact, Raiola completed more passes in Week 1 than Nebraska attempted in all but three games last year.

They also rushed for 223 yards, which doesn’t bode well for a Colorado team that allowed 157 yards to the FCS school in Boulder.

—J.J. Bailey

Picking Against the Spread

Boise State vs. No. 7 Oregon — 10 p.m. on the Peacock

Ashton Jeanty is already garnering a lot of attention as one of the top running backs in next year’s NFL Draft, but after just one week, he’s solidified himself as the front-runner for the Doak Walker Award. Jeanty is already the nation’s leading rusher after rushing for 267 yards in Boise State’s win over Georgia Southern, and he also accounted for six touchdowns, double the number of any other FBS player in Week 1.

Even with Jeanty, Boise heads to Eugene as a three-point underdog at Oregon. A slow start makes this matchup an interesting “after dark” game. The Ducks are a top-10 team that overperformed against Idaho in Week 1 and now face Jeanty.

Oregon beat the FCS Vandals 24-14 in a game that was down by three points midway through the fourth quarter. The scoreboard was incredibly close considering Oregon was favored by nearly 50 points. But the stats aren’t all that worrying. Oregon outshot Idaho 487-217 and won the turnover battle 2-1, with Dillon Gabriel completing 41 of 49 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon needs to finish drives well against Boise State or its opening run will be a warning sign rather than a fluke.

Picking Against the Spread

Wild Card Pick

Because it would be unwise to pick only the biggest matches, each picker adds another bet on every single match on the table. We keep track of these picks and they count towards the overall pick ranking.

Austin Mock Game: Kansas State -10 vs Tulane

Chris Vannini: Maryland -9 vs. Michigan State

Dan Santaromita: BYU +11.5 over SMU

David Ubben: Washington State -1.5 vs. Texas Tech

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(Photo of Jimmy Rolder by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)