What to watch: Week 2 college football TV schedule

It’s time for our first top 10 duel of the season.

Week 2 features a game between two of last season’s four playoff teams when Texas visits Michigan. The game will be the first of a home-and-away series between the two college football heavyweights when Michigan heads to Austin in 2027. In between, Texas has two games against Ohio State.

And that’s not the only exciting matchup of the weekend. While there’s only one other game between teams ranked in the AP Top 25, there’s a game in Eugene that could be a preview of the first round of the College Football Playoff and an intriguing matchup between old Big 12 rivals looking to make a bowl game this season.

Here are the five biggest games of the weekend.

(All times are East Coast times and all The odds are from BetMGM.)

Time: Noon | TV: Fox | Line: Texas -7.5 | Total: 42.5

Yes, the defending national champions are one-touchdown underdogs at home. You don’t see that often in college football, but there’s a good reason Texas is the favorite in the weekend’s biggest matchup.

The Longhorns looked fantastic in their win over Colorado State in Week 1. A newly assembled receiver staff was led by five-star freshman Ryan Wingo (four catches, 70 yards) and Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond (five catches, 61 yards), while coach Steve Sarkisian made sure to use plenty of players in the running game after preseason injuries thinned Texas’ running backs.

Michigan, on the other hand, relied on its defense in a 30-10 win over Fresno State. The Wolverines only led 13-3 at the end of the third quarter before a Will Johnson pick-six put the game away in the fourth quarter. Michigan’s defense will be very, very good again this season.

The biggest question against the Longhorns is the passing game. Davis Warren is expected to start for the second week in a row, but averaged just 4.7 yards per pass against the Bulldogs. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 118 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Alex Orji completed a 3-yard touchdown pass and carried the ball five times. Expect the Wolverines to play quarterback again, but there will need to be some explosive plays in the passing game to take the pressure off the defense.

Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: CBS | Line: Iowa -3 | Total: 35.5

Iowa’s offense got off to a sluggish start in Week 1 against FCS opponent Illinois State before scoring 34 second-half points in a 40-0 victory. The 251 passing yards Cade McNamara posted in the win are the most passing yards Iowa has had in a single game since Oct. 1, 2022.

While Iowa’s offense isn’t suddenly one of the most explosive in college football, an average passing game will go a long way in opening up a running game that averaged six yards per carry in Week 1.

Iowa State, meanwhile, held North Dakota to under 300 total yards in a 21-3 win over the Fighting Hawks. Rocco Becht had just six incomplete passes and found Jaylin Noel eight times for 135 yards and a touchdown.

Iowa has won seven of the last eight meetings in the series and recent history shows there is still too little to win. Iowa won last year 20-13 and has scored 35 or fewer points in four of the last five games. However, we believe both offenses are good enough to win this game.

Time: 7:30 p.m. | TV: NBC | Line: Nebraska -7.5 | Total: 58.5

These two old Big 12 rivals will face each other for the fourth time since both were last in the same conference in 2010. Now the Buffs are back in the Big 12 while Nebraska, under Matt Rhule, is trying to make a major impact in the Big Ten.

The Huskers showed serious signs of life in Week 1, as true freshman QB Dylan Raiola had a fantastic college debut in a 40-7 win over UTEP. Raiola was 19 of 27 for 238 yards and two TDs as Nebraska scored 30 points in the first half. The big lead allowed Raiola to watch much of the second half from the sidelines.

Colorado struggled mightily to defeat FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in Week 1, and many of the things that plagued the Buffaloes in Deion Sanders’ first season were on display as we enter 2024. The Buffs couldn’t run the football, the defense was shredded on the ground in the first half, forcing just four incomplete passes total. And there was even a bizarre time management error that gave NDSU one last chance to steal the win.

Whoever wins this game will have an exceptionally good chance of a comeback season in 2024.

Time: 19:30 | TV: ABC | Director: Tennessee -7.5 | Total: 61.5

Both teams won against FCS opponents in Week 1, but the victories were drastically different. NC State struggled mightily against Western Carolina on Thursday before a 21-point quarterfinal gave them a 38-21 victory. Western Carolina averaged over six yards per carry against the Wolfpack.

Meanwhile, Tennessee overran Chattanooga and quickly made it clear that the Mocs had no chance. QB Nico Iamaleava completed 22 of 28 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns in the first half and did not throw a single pass in the second half. The Vols managed over 700 total yards on offense.

NC State’s chances depend on its defense playing much better than it did in Week 1. The Wolfpack lost its leading tackler Payton Wilson from a unit that allowed fewer than 21 points per game over the past three seasons. Given Tennessee’s passing attack, NC State could really miss DB Devan Boykin in this game. He’s out until September after suffering an ACL injury in December 2023.

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Time: 10pm | TV: Peacock | Line: Oregon -19.5 | Total: 61.5

Yes, one of the biggest games of the weekend won’t be on linear TV since Oregon is now part of the Big Ten. At least more people have access to Peacock than the Pac-12 Network.

Both teams struggled more than expected against their opponents in Week 1. Boise State needed a 21-point fourth-quarter run to knock off Georgia Southern 56-45, while Oregon dropped four spots in the AP Top 25 after defeating FCS opponent Idaho 24-14.

The Broncos and their star running back Ashton Jeanty ran wild against the Eagles. Boise State managed 35 carries for 371 yards as a team, while Jeanty had 20 carries for 267 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 13.4 yards per carry and his backup Sire Gaines had 12 carries for 110 yards and a TD. Oregon’s defensive focus will undoubtedly be stopping the run.

We also expect Oregon’s passing game to get down the field more often. New QB Dillon Gabriel completed 41 of 49 passes, but averaged just 7.6 yards per attempt. The Ducks also completed just 7 of 16 third downs against the Vandals and committed eight penalties.

Other games to watch

Arkansas at No. 16 Oklahoma State (12:00 p.m., ABC): Both teams are coming off impressive wins against FCS opponents in Week 1. Oklahoma State had no trouble against defending FCS champion South Dakota State and Arkansas scored 10 touchdowns in 10 drives against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Last season, Oklahoma State lost at home to South Alabama in Week 2.

No. 17 Kansas State at Tulane (12:00 p.m., ESPN): The Green Wave beat Kansas State in Manhattan two years ago, and now it’s the Wildcats’ turn to travel in this series. Tulane started QB Darian Mensah in its opener against Southeastern Louisiana, ahead of returning QB Kai Horton and Oregon transfer Ty Thompson. Kansas State averaged over nine yards per carry in Week 1 against Tennessee-Martin.

Baylor at No. 11 Utah (3:30 p.m., Fox): It’s a big test of the changes at Baylor after a disappointing 2023. Dequan Finn, who transferred from Toledo, had three touchdowns in his debut for Baylor in Week 1. Utah, on the other hand, has a fully healthy Cam Rising at quarterback, and he threw five touchdowns on just 15 passes in the Utes’ season opener.

South Florida at No. 4 Alabama (7 p.m., ESPN): Alabama’s passing stats were weird in Week 1 against Western Kentucky. Jalen Milroe completed 7 of 9 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns and the Tide also managed 334 yards. USF is a contender in the AAC and only lost 17-3 to the Tide last year, although Milroe did not play after being benched following Alabama’s loss to Texas.

No. 19 Kansas vs. Illinois (7 p.m., Fox Sports 1): Kansas’ 34-23 victory over Illinois last season was a statement for a Jayhawks team that finished the regular season 8-4. Saturday night’s game is expected to be the first sold-out game at Illinois’ Memorial Stadium since North Carolina visited in 2016.

Appalachian State at No. 25 Clemson (8 p.m., ACC Network): This isn’t an easy rebound game for Clemson after the Tigers’ 34-3 loss to Georgia in Week 1. App State is one of the favorites in the tough Sun Belt. At the very least, Clemson will need to improve its offense after the Tigers were smothered by Georgia’s defense.