College football Week 2 odds, picks against the spread: Texas goes to Michigan, Colorado gets a test at Nebraska (2024)

Even though the Week 2 schedule only features two matchups between top-25 teams, it does give us an absolutely monster matchup at the top as defending national champion Michigan hosts Texas in what could be a potential College Football Playoff matchup in a few months. It is also a chance for both teams to make an early statement and an early opportunity for quarterback Quinn Ewers to start building a Heisman Trophy resume if he can shine against a top-10 team in one of the country’s most hostile environments.

The other top-25 matchup this week is a neutral site game in Charlotte between Tennessee and NC State.

The Week 2 schedule also brings a big rivalry game as Iowa hosts Iowa State. Iowa has dominated the series in recent years, winning 11 of the past 15 matchups, including seven of the past eight.

In another rivalry game, Colorado and Nebraska meet in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers, anchored by freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, are favored by a touchdown against Deion Sanders’ team.

Clemson is looking to change the narrative and get back on track after being humiliated in a Week 1 loss to Georgia and is more than a two-touchdown favorite against Appalachian State. A Clemson team has not started 0-2 since 1975.

We’ve got previews and picks against the spread from our staff for some of the biggest games of Week 2.

All games listed are on Saturday. Kickoff times are Eastern. Rankings are from the AP poll. All odds are from BetMGM. For information on streaming,click here.

No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan — Noon on FOX

While it’s not quite the marquee slugfest it would have been last season, Texas heads to Ann Arbor to face Michigan in unquestionably the box office draw of Week 2. UT arrives with an offense designed for explosive output and captained by a quarterback who runs his coach’s scheme to perfection. Michigan again features an all-world defense, and being roughly a touchdown underdog at The Big House certainly won’t sit well with the defending champs.

Texas signal-caller Quinn Ewers and head coach Steve Sarkisian have reached simpatico, and the resulting Longhorn passing attack looks polished despite missing their four best receivers from last season. They took apart Colorado State 52-0 in their opener, with Ewers completing 20 of 27 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns. He looked completely in control while doing so, before handing things over to backup Arch Manning.

But Michigan’s unit is several dozen steps up from CSU’s, and while its secondary is probably the biggest question mark in its defense, it’s still anchored by cornerback Will Johnson. The All-American and future first-rounder allowed just 17 catches all season in 2023 and is fresh off of sealing the Wolverines’ win against Fresno State with an 86-yard pick-six late in the fourth quarter.

The fact that it took those heroics to finally put the Bulldogs down is indicative of just how much Michigan firepower is gone from last season, however. They are still searching for a QB between Davis Warren and Alex Orji, and heir-apparent running back Donovan Edwards stalled out of the gate in Week 1. With the Texas attack able to put a game out of reach in a hurry, Michigan’s offense will need to slow the pace to a crawl, which means moving the ball considerably more effectively than last week.

It may not be the playoff game many wanted last season, but the stakes are still high. A two-loss Michigan or Texas likely squeaks into the 12-team playoff, but a third defeat would almost certainly keep either out. Both teams have brutal conference schedules ahead, and whoever gets the loss Saturday will only have one more to give.

—J.J. Bailey

Picks against the spread

Arkansas at No. 17 Oklahoma State — Noon on ABC

Arkansas and Oklahoma State played nearly every year from 1950-1980, but haven’t met on a football field since. On Saturday, the two programs meet in Stillwater with the host Cowboys favored by about a touchdown.

Both Arkansas and Oklahoma State faced FCS opposition in Week 1, but that doesn’t do justice to how different the opposition was. The Pokes beat defending FCS champion South Dakota State 44-20 behind a massive game from stud running back Ollie Gordon II (28 carries, 126 yards, three touchdowns). Meanwhile, Arkansas atomized Arkansas-Pine Bluff 70-0.

While Oklahoma State’s backfield is the same, Arkansas has Boise State transfer Taylen Green at quarterback, replacing the departed KJ Jefferson. Green passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more in his Razorback debut. After a 4-8 season, Arkansas is looking for a statement win to show it is no longer going to be an SEC doormat.

Picks against the spread

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

Possession of the Cy-Hawk Trophy is on the line when Iowa State and Iowa renew their in-state rivalry on Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeyes are a slight home favorite as they look to continue their recent dominance in this series.

Both teams took care of business at home against FCS opponents last week. Iowa whitewashed Illinois State 40-0 behind 492 total yards of offense, the most in a game in nearly five years. Both quarterback Cade McNamara (251 yards, three touchdowns) and running back Kaleb Johnson (119 rushing yards, two touchdowns) did most of the damage with the usually stingy defense — 189 total yards allowed, three takeaways — also doing its thing.

Johnson, who was suspended for the first half for a violation of team rules, will be one to watch against Iowa State since the Hawkeyes have typically been successful during Kirk Ferentz’ lengthy tenure when they are able to run the ball consistently. Iowa State also had some issues stopping the run last week, giving up 176 yards to North Dakota.

The Cyclones’ defense may have bent, but it didn’t break. The unit kept the Fighting Hawks out of the end zone in their 21-3 win. Quarterback Rocco Becht was responsible for all three touchdowns, but he will need more support from his running game if Iowa State wants to beat Iowa. The Cyclones managed just 86 rushing yards, while the Hawkeyes held Illinois State to 56.

Iowa not only maintains a healthy overall lead (47-23) in this series, it also has won eight of the last nine meetings. Iowa State was victorious in its last visit to Kinnick Stadium, edging the Hawkeyes 10-7 two years ago. The last five encounters have averaged 29 total points and have been decided by a little more than a touchdown. Is another close, low-scoring affair in the cards or has Iowa’s offense discovered a new gear in 2024?

—Mark Ross

Picks against the spread

No. 14 Tennessee at No. 24 NC State — 7:30 p.m. on ABC

At Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte

Saturday’s game between Tennessee and NC State is one of just two games on the Week 2 schedule between ranked opponents, and it’s the first big test for each of them after playing FCS opponents in Week 1. The Volunteers are more than a touchdown favorite in the neutral site game that will be played in Charlotte.

While Tennessee absolutely rolled over Chattanooga last week, NC State found itself in a surprisingly tough game against Western Carolina before pulling away late in the fourth quarter. It was a mildly concerning start for the Wolfpack, who hope to contend for what suddenly looks to be a completely wide-open ACC.

Quarterback Grayson McCall, making his Wolfpack debut after transferring from Coastal Carolina, finished last week’s game with a solid 318-yard, three-touchdown performance, but it took him a few quarters to really start to find his rhythm. While Tennessee is a significantly tougher opponent than Western Carolina, 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 Iamaleava helped the Volunteers offense pick up where it left off last season by throwing for 314 yards and three touchdowns on their way to a 69-point showing. The Volunteers offense was top-20 in total yards a year ago and averaged over 31 points per game.

NC State’s defense was one of the better groups in the country a year ago and didn’t allow many big plays, but it really struggled against an FCS team to open this season. Tennessee’s speed and explosiveness are going to be a big challenge, especially if Iamaleava repeats his Week 1 performance.

—Adam Gretz

Picks against the spread

Colorado at Nebraska — 7:30 p.m. on NBC

Colorado put on the nation’s most electric three-man show with Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr., but that’s also the reason they head to Lincoln as touchdown underdogs against Nebraska: three players just aren’t enough.

Colorado escaped Week 1 with a win against North Dakota State, but the Bison were four yards short of an upset at the buzzer.

Two-way sensation Hunter was dominant offensively with seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns, and played all but two snaps in the game. Horn added 198 yards and a touchdown of his own, and Sanders threw for the second-most yards of his Colorado career (445). Oddly enough, his Colorado high-water mark (510) came in last year’s season opener.

It took all that just to squeak by an FCS program, albeit a great one. That’s because the Buffaloes still have big problems along their offensive front. Last season, they were dead last in rushing yards per game (68.9), and the line let Sanders get sacked 52 times. Despite coach Deion Sanders pouring his portal focus into offensive linemen, the ground game is still a non-factor. They averaged 2.3 yards over 23 attempts last week, and their biggest gain was 11 yards.

That won’t improve against Nebraska, whose top-10 run defense from last year is expected to be even better this season.

The Huskers’ new-look offense is also built to chew apart Colorado’s woeful pass defense, which last year allowed more than 275 passing yards a game and just gave up 292 to NDSU. The Huskers have opened things up considerably, with freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola throwing more times against UTEP last week than they did through the first two-and-a-half games last season. In fact, Raiola completed more passes in Week 1 than Nebraska attempted in all but three of their games last year.

They also ran for 223 yards, which doesn’t bode well for a Colorado team that gave up 157 to an FCS school in Boulder.

—J.J. Bailey

Picks against the spread

Boise State at No. 7 Oregon — 10 p.m. on Peaco*ck

Ashton Jeanty is already getting plenty of love as the top running back prospect in next year’s NFL Draft, but he cemented himself as the favorite for the Doak Walker Award after just one week. Jeanty racked up 267 yards on the ground in Boise State’s win against Georgia Southern and is already the nation’s leading rusher. He also scored six touchdowns, which is twice as many as anyone else got in FBS in Week 1.

Even with Jeanty, Boise heads to Eugene as a three-score underdog at Oregon with a late kickoff. This matchup has plenty of intrigue for an “After Dark” game. The Ducks are a top-10 team that messed around more than anyone would have expected with Idaho in Week 1 and now go up against Jeanty.

Oregon beat the FCS Vandals 24-14, and it was a three-point game midway through the fourth quarter. The scoreboard was unbelievably close, considering Oregon was favored by nearly 50 points. However, the stats tell a less alarming story. Oregon outgained Idaho 487-217 and won the turnover battle 2-1, and Dillon Gabriel was 41-for-49 for 380 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon will have to finish drives better against Boise State or that opener will be a warning sign as opposed to a fluke.

Picks against the spread

Wild card picks

Picking only the biggest games is not the smartest way to bet, so each picker is adding another bet with everything from every game on the table. We will track the records in these picks and count them in the overall picks standings.

Austin Mock: Kansas State -10 at Tulane

Chris Vannini: Maryland -9 vs. Michigan State

Dan Santaromita: BYU +11.5 at SMU

David Ubben: Washington State -1.5 vs. Texas Tech

Picks records

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