College football fans were a bit spoiled in Week 1, as we got to watch three matchups between preseason top 10 teams and a handful of other big-time programs do battle.
Week 2 shifts away from those big national showdowns between ranked teams, with the exception of No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma, in favor of some more regional battles.
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford and Chris Hummer highlighted 10 games, most including a top 25 squad, in their picks column this week, but I wanted to dig a bit deeper because part of the joy of college football Saturday is bouncing around to as many games as possible.
College football odds, picks, predictions: Michigan vs. Oklahoma, Oregon vs. Oklahoma State highlight Week 2
Brad Crawford
Here we’ll look at 10 games involving teams not ranked in the AP Top 25 that still could provide some intrigue on Saturday, and a pick for all 10 as we take a spin around some under-the-radar action in Week 2 of the college football season.
Season record: 3-4
Syracuse is licking its wounds after getting lit up by Joey Aguilar and Tennessee in Atlanta, and return home to face a UConn team that is no longer a pushover. The Huskies have a veteran QB in Joe Fagnano and a good bit of experience up and down their roster under Jim Mora Jr., and if the Orange don’t get things tightened up defensively, they could find themselves in another shootout on Saturday. I like UConn to hang around here and keep this thing inside the number. Pick: UConn +6.5
An early season ACC battle that could be important for bowl positioning by the end of the year. NC State had a full 60-minute scrap with East Carolina in Week 1, but got through it with a win and will now welcome the Hoos to Raleigh, fresh off a beatdown of Coastal Carolina. Chandler Morris (yes, the one from Oklahoma, TCU and North Texas) is now under center for Virginia and was dealing in the opener, and despite leaving that game with an injury in the third quarter is a “full go” for Saturday in Raleigh. I know this isn’t your slightly older brother’s Coastal Carolina, but I was impressed with what I saw from Virginia and think they’ll be a live road dog at Carter-Finley. Pick: Virginia +2.5
Fresno State bounced back from getting rocked by Kansas in Week 0 by dominating Georgia Southern at home in Week 1. Now we’ll get a litmus test of where exactly the Bulldogs stand when they go on the road to face an Oregon State defense that helped Cal freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele put his name on the map. The Beavers need a bounce-back performance of their own in a bad way after that showing, and I’ll have an eye on how this is going because it could be tight late. I think the line is right, but this total is a little low. I think Oregon State’s offense will look better against Fresno, but the Bulldogs will put up some points themselves. Pick: Over 46.5
RichRod announced his return to Morgantown by running the dang ball in Week 1. The Mountaineers piled up 393 yards on 53 carries by 11 different players, with Nicco Marchiol adding 224 yards and a touchdown through the air, as West Virginia spread the love around in a blowout of Robert Morris. Now they’ll go on the road to face one of the MAC’s best teams, who came up on the wrong end of a shootout with Rutgers in Week 1, but had some real juice offensively led by veteran QB Parker Navarro. I have a feeling this will be another high-scoring affair in Athens, and might be one of the more entertaining games of the entire day. Pick: Over 60.5
Speaking of the potential for points, Arkansas will host Arkansas State in the afternoon, and while the Razorbacks are heavily favored (-23.5), this could be telling about where Sam Pittman’s group is before the SEC schedule begins — and if his seat will be even hotter going into conference play. The Red Wolves will be treating this game like their Super Bowl, as it’s a chance to knock off the biggest program in the state. Arkansas better not be looking ahead to its SEC opener next week against Ole Miss, or the Rebels could find themselves in a real battle. Pick: Arkansas State +22.5
Kansas State avoided disaster last week by narrowly beating FCS squad North Dakota in a wild shootout to get back to 1-1 on the year after their loss against Iowa State in Ireland. Army, on the other hand, did lose to FCS team Tarleton State in double-overtime in its opener, and now these two teams will meet for a battle of programs looking to avoid falling apart early. Army’s offense looked a bit sloppy in Dewayne Coleman’s debut under center, and they’ll need to clean that operation up if they’re going to have a chance in the Little Apple. It’s Circle the Wagons Saturday for K-State, and they need to put this game to bed early to calm the nerves after their first two games. Pick: Kansas State 1H -9.5
Western Kentucky at Toledo
Let’s go to the Glass Bowl for a very intriguing Group of Six matchup. Toledo hung tough with Kentucky on the road in their opener, losing by eight, but are favored by nearly a touchdown as they get back into their weight class. They’ll face a Western Kentucky team that’s put up a ton of points in their first two games on lesser opponents, as the Hilltoppers bludgeoned North Alabama in Week 1 and dominated Sam Houston in Week 0. This week will let us know just how real the Toppers’ offense is, led by Maverick McIvor (an elite QB name if I’ve ever heard one), as he’s averaging 353 yards and four touchdowns per game so far through two weeks. Toledo’s defense will be a big step up in competition for McIvor, and I think the Rockets dictate the pace and keep this game under the total. Pick: Under 59.5
Most of the nation will be watching Michigan in the primetime window, but don’t sleep on the game in East Lansing. Aidan Chiles and the Spartans looked solid in a win over Western Michigan in the opener, but have some execution points to work on when it comes to finishing drives. They’ll welcome a Boston College team that torched Fordham in their opener, as both teams will be moving up in competition after stress-free openers. Alabama transfer Dylan Lonergan is now under center for the Eagles and will take on his first road test as a starter, as both of these teams are looking to make a statement that they’re going to be a real challenger this season in their respective conferences. I think this will be a tense, defensive struggle early and I like the first half under, especially with Michigan State having a disastrous kicking situation. Pick: 1st Half Under 23.5
Virginia Tech returns home after a lackluster showing in a 24-11 loss against South Carolina in Atlanta and will face their second straight SEC opponent in Vanderbilt. The Commodores throttled Charleston Southern in their opener, so we didn’t learn much about them, but Diego Pavia is back and looks to pick up where he left off last year. I get that Lane Stadium at night is a unique challenge in terms of atmosphere, but I wasn’t really encouraged by what I saw from Kyron Drones and that offensive performance on Sunday. I’ll the ‘Dores here to make it two straight for the SEC over the Hokies, and create a bit more angst in Blacksburg. Pick: Vanderbilt +1.5
Bear Bachmeier gets to go up against his former team and I do not think that is going to go well for the Cardinal. Stanford looked pretty rough in a Week 0 loss to Hawaii and after seeing Arizona demolish the Rainbow Warriors in Week 1, that loss only looks worse. I think BYU will take this as an opportunity to make a statement going into Big 12 play and I do not see the Cardinal keeping this one close in Provo. Pick: BYU -18.5
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