College Football Week 2 Preview: Biggest Games and Predictions
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 9/10/2026
Check out my CFB Week 1 Review and updated Top-25 (and Next 5) list here
Week 2 of College Football starts tonight and with it comes a HUGE weekend of football. There are at least 5 games that could shape the rest of the college football season this week including a Top-5 clash with two Heisman favorites.
After an eventful Week 1 that saw National championship contenders assert their dominanace, three Top-25 schools lose and one of the most controversail endings to a game in FBS history, we can expect even more fireworks this week.
God, I LOVE college football. Let's take a look at some of the big ones.
*All odds courtesy of Ceasar's Sportsbook as of 9/10
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1Ohio State at
4Texas
(Texas -1.5)
This very well may be the game of the season already happening in Week 2. A remtch from last year's Week 1 battle, the Ohio STate-Texas game should be even better this time around.
Last year we saw both teams with new and inexperienced Quarterbacks at the helm but Arch Manning and Julian Sayin are completely new players now. As two of the best players in all of College Football, these two Heisman hopefuls may have even better suuporting casts around them.
The Buckeyes showed their elite passing attack thanks to Sayin and receiver Jeremiah Smith last week but the Longhorns showed an all-around offense with a better running game and offensive line. Both defenses faced weaker FBS teams so their defense looked great too.
This week's game of the week will resonate from Austin, TX where the Longhorns haven't lost since the 2024 Cotton Bowl against... Ohio State. At home and with a much better team than last year including better receivers and an elite Quarterback, the Longhorns have gone back and forth but are the favored team in this one. In fact, this game will make the first time the Buckeyes will be underdogs since "The Game" in 2023.
I really think the Buckeyes run game will be the deciding factor in this game. After looking just average against Ball State, if their O-line can't make their blocks and follow the zone schemes, I don't care how elite Julian Sayin is the Buckeyes will stall in more drives than they don't and Texas will outscore them.
Prediction: Texas 23-20
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11Oklahoma at
Michigan
(Oklahoma -5.5)
Going into this game there is a clear narrative: Is Michigan's offense any good? We saw the Wolverines in a war with Western Michigan last week that should've ended in a loss but the story that didn't get enough coverage was how badly Bryce Underwood played. The #1 prospect in the 2025 High School class had a decent true freshman season but did not show the progress we'd hoped for in Week 1.
It's only 1 bad game and I fully expect him to come out sharper in this much-bigger matchup but will it be enough to beat the Sooners? In their first game of the season, Oklahoma faced UTEP in a "tune-up" game and won 51-0 while showing strengths in their Quarterback, offensive line and defensive line.
The Sooners impressed even against a low school like UTEP while the Wolverines severely disappointed against albeit a MUCH better Western Michigan team.
This game being played in Ann Arbor helps Michigan a lot and they'll need every ounce of home field advantage as they try to go up and down the field. Their defense looked good enough last week but if their offensive line doesn't improve drastically, it won't matter if the defense holds the Sooners under 24 points because their offense might not even score 10.
Under Kyle Whittingham I fully believe this offensive line will improve throughout the season and we may have seen Michigan's worst game of the year last week, but the question is how soon can he turn it around and will that even be enough against a John Mateer-led Oklahoma team that seems to be looking to make a statement this week.
Prediction: Oklahoma 24-13
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Arizona at
15BYU
(BYU -7.5)
The first Big 12 matchup of the season comes between two of the Top-5 teams in the conference, BYU and Arizona. BYU is favored to win the conference and this game after everything we assumed about their team showed to be true, a dominant defense and run game.
Arizona looks to have a great season ahead of them too with veteran QB Noah Fifita's elite awareness and arm ready to carve up most defense but their run game struggled against Northern Arizona.
Arizona has lost 5 in a row to the Cougars and are underdogs by more than a touchdown in this one. The Wildcats' veteran leadership will keep them in this game especially with BYU's defense being great but without an elite pass rush that should allow Fifita enough time to make smart passses.
I wouldn't be surprised if BYU's rushing yards and Arizona's passing yards both top 300 yards on the day. The thing is, I am more confident in BYU's long term ability to move the chains with their EXTREMELY deep, 5-man backfield than I am for Arizona to consistently score through the air without turning the ball over. College Football may have made a lot of changes over the past decade but one thing that remains the same is a dominant rushing attack will always give a team the advantage much like what we should see from BYU this weekend.
Prediction: BYU 31-21
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6Oregon at
Oklahoma St
(Oregon -23.5)
What we saw last week was both of these schools severely underperform in their first game of the season, with #2 Oregon barely escping their home field with a win and the new regime in Oklahoma State losing their first game under Eric Morris being an embarressment against Tulsa.
Oregon is in a similar boat as Michigan in that they played a game much inferior to how good they're capabale in Week 1. The Ducks have always had tight battles with Boise State but they're defense looked lost last week. A few stars ike Uiagalelei and Washington had good games but theu were missing tackles and running into each other's zones and not enforcing their will at all against a team that was receiving votes for the Top-25 but all-in-all not considered to be in Oregon's league just last week.
For the Cowboys, a new makeup for the entire team after former North Texas Head Coach Eric Morris took over this offseason and brough sveral of his best players with him. While WR Wyatt Young and RB Caleb Hawkins were rightfully hyped up, the man with the most clout coming into the season was QB Drew Mestemaker and he was the biggest disappointment last week with 3 total turnovers, being sacked twice and barely completing 60% of his throws.
On paper this may not seem like one of the biggest games of the week but I assure you the consequences of Oregon coming out flat make it one. The fact that this game is back in Stillwater gives a sense that the Ducks could come out weak again and if Drew Mestemaker feels more comfortable at home and in his 2nd game of the season, the Cowboys can and will put up points on this defense.
I have to go with the Ducks because I believe Dan Lanning is an amazing coach who will make adjustments this week in practice to get his boys going but I also believe we'll see a much better Oklahoma State that in my opinion should definitely cover their HUGE spread this weekend.
Prediction: Oregon 38-24
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Memphis at
Boise State
(Boise State -8.5)
For Memphis, a winning culture brought by now-Arkansas Head Coach Ryan Silverfield has led to a 2-0 start with offensive focus through RB Jaylin Carter who has jumped out of the gate so far this season. Their pass rush has started off the season super hot, avering over 4 sacks a game with Defensive End Elijah Kinsler leading the league individually.
On the other side, Boise State may have lost last weekend but they had Oregon on the ropes in Eugene. Sire Gaines looks to be a legit dual threat the entire country needs to look out for and their defense was almost perfect for the first half.
As the game went on the Broncos' Secondary was routed by arguably the best Quarterback in the country Dante Moore but their offense surpassed everyone's expectations. Besides Gaines' playmaking ability, QB Maddux Madsen proved he can be elite when they focus on an efficient, short game through the air and kept Oregon's defense on their heels all game. We could easily be talking about Boise State as a ranked team after their legendary Week 1 upset but a few mistakes here and there kept them just out of reach.
So now we're here, with two very good teams just on the bubble of being ranked, each playing their biggest game over the next few months. Memphis looking to stay undefeated and Boise looking to prove their showing last week wasn't a fluke. I do think Boise State's offensive line will make Memphis' pass rush have a much harder time than their last games and Jaylin Carter will have a much harder time finding holes against a defense that allowed only 119 rushing yards against Oregon. This should be a dog fight, but one that I think Boise will escape with the win especially on their blue turf.
Prediction: Boise State 24-21
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