College football Week 2 preview: Top five games to watch this weekend

Laken Litman

College Football & Soccer Analyst

There weren’t many surprises in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season. National champion favorites like Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Oregon took care of business — though the Ducks struggled to put FCS opponent Idaho away.

Notre Dame clinched a huge road victory against Texas A&M, and LSU fell to USC, prompting an angry postgame press conference with head coach Brian Kelly.

Meanwhile, Florida State, which entered the season as the No. 10-ranked team in the country, fell out of the AP Top 25 Poll after starting 0-2 following losses to Georgia Tech and Boston College.

There are only two matchups this weekend between ranked teams — No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan and No. 14 Tennessee at No. 24 North Carolina State — but there’s still plenty of intrigue surrounding the Week 2 slate.

Here are the top five games to watch this weekend:

No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan (Noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Betting line: Texas -7, TOTAL: 42

It’s the game of the week and there will be no shortage of stars in attendance. Matthew McConaughey, Derek Jeter, Michael Phelps and Will Ferrell are all expected to be in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

This is a massive opportunity for both teams. Texas is currently a 7-point favorite on the road, and expectations are high after a convincing 52-0 win over Colorado State to open the season. Last year, this same weekend, the Longhorns went to Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama, ending the Crimson Tide’s 21-game home winning streak. Michigan happens to be riding a 23-game home winning streak and yes, Texas is aware of it. The key for the Longhorns is to make new Wolverines quarterback Davis Warren uncomfortable, as well as Alex Orji, who might get more snaps this week than he did last week.

Michigan made fans a bit nervy in its too-close-for-comfort 30-10 win over Fresno State. Sherrone Moore’s team will have to control the line of scrimmage against Texas. This will be paramount for an offensive line that has five new starters against a Longhorns defensive front that also has a few new faces.

Baylor at No. 11 Utah (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Betting line: Utah -14.5, TOTAL: 55

Utah has been widely projected to win the Big 12 in its debut season and Baylor presents its first test. Sort of. While this matchup is technically between two conference opponents, it’s designated a non-conference game and will not count in the standings. That’s because this is the second game between the programs as part of a home-and-home series that was scheduled while Utah was still part of the Pac 12.

Regardless of this strange wrinkle, it should be an interesting game. Utah QB Cam Rising is back after injury and threw for 254 yards (10-of-15) and five touchdowns in a 49-0 rout of Southern Utah last week. The Bears’ defense should be a more formidable unit, but Rising isn’t Utah’s only weapon. Running back Dijon Stanley, who caught three passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns last week, has emerged as an explosive threat.

Meanwhile, new Baylor QB Dequan Finn, who transferred from Toledo, completed 14 of 22 passes for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 45-3 win over Tarleton State in Week 1. He beat out incumbent starter Sawyer Robertson for the job and can’t afford to make mistakes against a stingy Utah defense.

No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 North Carolina State in Charlotte, NC (7:30 p.m. ET)

Betting line: Tennessee -9, TOTAL: 60.5

Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava impressed in just his second start, completing 22 of 28 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns in a 69-3 win over Chattanooga. RB Dylan Sampson rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns, while 14 different receivers made catches. If this team can stay consistent given the challenging schedule ahead — after NC State, the Vols have dates with Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia — then they could be a College Football Playoff contender.

Is NC State capable of pulling off an upset? The Wolfpack had a close call last week, struggling to beat Western Carolina, 38-21. Transfer QB Grayson McCall completed 65% of his passes for 318 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, but he faces one of the best defensive fronts in the country this week, led by future top NFL Draft pick James Pearce Jr. How McCall handles that pressure will determine how the Wolfpack’s day unfolds.

Colorado at Nebraska (7:30 p.m. ET)

Betting line: Nebraska -6.5, TOTAL: 55.5

This one will be a fun quarterback battle.

Nebraska freshman Dylan Raiola is fresh off his first college game where he went 19-of-27 for 238 yards with two touchdowns in a 40-7 win over UTEP. Before signing with the Cornhuskers, Raiola had previously pledged to play for Ohio State and Georgia. The former five-star recruit ultimately chose to commit to Matt Rhule and to the program where his father was an All-American center. There has been a ton of anticipation surrounding the rising star, so much so that 86,000 fans packed Memorial Stadium to see his first game.

Lincoln will be rocking again when Coach Prime and Colorado come to town. QB Shedeur Sanders, who is expected to be a first-round NFL Draft pick, is coming off a close win over North Dakota State. He completed 26 of 34 passes for 445 yards with four touchdowns and one interception, connecting with two-way star Travis Hunter for three of those scores. Sanders and Hunter are two of the faces of college football and, on any given day, often the two most talented players on the field, but will be up against a more stalwart Cornhuskers defense this week.

Boise State at No. 7 Oregon (10 p.m. ET)

Betting line: Oregon -19, TOTAL: 61

Everyone is freaking out about Oregon after its narrow 24-14 win over FCS Idaho last week. The Vandals were able to get pressure on transfer QB Dillon Gabriel, who’s a Heisman Trophy favorite, and sack him three times. After the game, Ducks players and coaches said penalties, mistakes and not being able to run the ball well aided their struggle to score more points. The narrative could change quickly if Dan Lanning gets his team to leave Week 1 in the past.

The biggest threat the Broncos pose is from RB Ashton Jeanty, who ran for 267 yards and scored six touchdowns in a close 56-45 win over Georgia Southern last week. Will he be the same kind of threat against a stronger Ducks defense? This will be Boise State’s toughest test of the season on its way to what the team hopes is a spot in the expanded CFP.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.

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