College Football Picks Week 2: Top 25 Rankings, Schedule, Odds and Predictions

Week 2 of the 2017 college football season is practically guaranteed to yield even more of a shakeup in the rankings than Week 1 did. Where Labor Day weekend saw three matchups featuring two Top 25 teams, the upcoming slate has four such showdowns in the offing.

That doesn't count some of the tough road tests on tap, including No. 17 Louisville's visit to North Carolina or No. 23 TCU's trek to Arkansas.

Here's how the two main polls feel about the field heading into the second weekend of September.

Week 2 Associated Press Poll

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Penn State
5. Oklahoma
6. USC
7. Washington
8. Michigan
9. Wisconsin
10. Florida State
11. Oklahoma State
12. LSU
13. Auburn
14. Stanford
15. Georgia
16. Miami (FL)
17. Louisville
18. Virginia Tech
19. Kansas State
20. Washington State
21. South Florida
22. Florida
23. TCU
24. Notre Dame
25. Tennessee

Week 2 Coaches Poll

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Penn State
5. USC
6. Oklahoma
7. Washington
8. Michigan
9. Florida State
10. Oklahoma State
11. Wisconsin
12. LSU
13. Auburn
14. Stanford
15. Georgia
16. Louisville
17. Miami
18. Virginia Tech
19. Kansas State
20. South Florida
21. Tennessee
22. Washington State
23. Utah
24. Florida
25. Notre Dame

Week 2 Schedule, Predictions and Odds for Top 25 Teams

• No. 11 Oklahoma State (-26.5) at Southern Alabama, 8 p.m. ET (Friday), ESPN2: 52-21, Oklahoma State
• Charlotte at No. 19 Kansas State (-35), 12 p.m. ET: 42-14, Kansas State
• Cincinnati at No. 8 Michigan (-31.5), 12 p.m. ET, ABC: 45-10, Michigan
• No. 17 Louisville (-6) at North Carolina, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN: 38-28, Louisville
• Florida Atlantic at No. 9 Wisconsin (-36), 12 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network: 56-14, Wisconsin
• No. 21 South Florida (-20) at Connecticut, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN News: 41-17, South Florida
• Pittsburgh at No. 4 Penn State (-20), 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC: 45-27, Penn State
• Fresno State at No. 1 Alabama (-45), 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2: 49-3, Alabama
• No. 16 Miami (FL) (-16.5) at Arkansas State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU: 35-24, Miami (FL)
• Delaware at No. 18 Virginia Tech, 12:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network: 41-10, Virginia Tech
• No. 23 TCU at Arkansas (-2), 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS: 31-28, TCU
• Indiana State at No. 25 Tennessee, 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network: 38-10, Tennessee
• No. 13 Auburn at No. 3 Clemson (-9), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN: 42-35, Clemson
• Louisiana Monroe at No. 10 Florida State (-33.5), 4 p.m. ET, ACC Network: 45-7, Florida State
• No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 2 Ohio State (-9), 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC: 44-38, Ohio State
• No. 15 Georgia at No. 24 Notre Dame (-6.5), 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC: 34-28, Notre Dame
• Chattanooga at No. 12 LSU, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network: 35-10, LSU 
• Northern Colorado at No. 22 Florida, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network: 45-13, Florida
• Montana at No. 7 Washington, 8 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network: 56-6, Washington
• No. 14 Stanford at No. 6 USC (-10.5), 8:30 p.m. ET, Fox: 38-31, Stanford
• Boise State at No. 20 Washington State (-7), 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN: 35-28, Washington State

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Top Games to Watch

No. 13 Auburn at No. 3 Clemson

Richard Shiro/Associated Press

There will be plenty of revenge at stake between Top 25 foes this weekend, beginning with a primetime tiff between Tigers. Auburn will look to return the favor from Clemson's 19-13 win down in Alabama. That victory helped to bookend a magical season that saw head coach Dabo Swinney's squad take down the Crimson Tide during what was also a rematch in the national championship game.

The core of that Clemson offense—quarterback Deshaun Watson, wide receiver Mike Williams and running back Wayne Gallman—has moved on to the NFL. In its stead, sophomore quarterback Kelly Bryant finished as one of five ACC Tigers to score a rushing touchdown during a 56-3 thrashing of Kent State in Week 1.

Auburn picked up three ground-bound touchdowns of its own en route to a 41-7 shellacking of Georgia Southern last weekend. Sophomore quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who started his collegiate career at Baylor before transferring through McLennan Community College, dazzled the Auburn faithful with 202 total yards and three touchdowns in all.

When these two schools last met on the gridiron, they combined for a modest 238 rushing yards. Gallman, a fourth-round pick of the New York Giants this year, tallied 123 yards and one touchdown on his own.

His departure may not sway the style of play in Death Valley on Saturday. With both teams still breaking in new signal-callers, look for Auburn and Clemson to pound the ball on the ground early and often, with the home Tigers getting an edge.

No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 2 Ohio State

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Ohio State will host the highlight of this week's payback slate when Oklahoma heads to the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio.

The Sooners took it on the chin in Norman, Oklahoma, last September, when a younger Buckeyes bunch bludgeoned its way to a 45-24 win. J.T. Barrett tossed four touchdowns to Noah Brown while Mike Weber, Curtis Samuel and Barrett combined for 291 yards and a score on the ground. 

Brown and Samuel have since gone pro. So has Joe Mixon, who collected 78 rushing yards on just nine attempts on OU's behalf in that loss.

The Sooners, though, have gone on to win 11 in a row—the longest active streak in the nation. Senior quarterback Baker Mayfield has been behind the wheel for each of those victories, including a 56-7 smackdown of UTEP last weekend.

Oklahoma will need another standout showing from Mayfield to survive with its run intact. He completed 19-of-20 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns against the Miners. Such near-perfection may be all but impossible to duplicate against an OSU defense that picked him off twice in 2016.

No. 14 Stanford at No. 6 USC

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

If any school can claim to have USC's number over the past decade, it's Stanford. The Cardinal have taken eight of 11 meetings from the Trojans since 2007, including the previous three in a row.

Stanford capped its recent spurt of success against Southern Cal with a 27-10 win in the Bay Area last September. Back then, Christian McCaffrey was running roughshod over college football on the Cardinal's behalf—just as he did for 172 yards and a touchdown against SC—and Sam Darnold was still backing up Max Brown at quarterback in L.A.

My, how times have changed. McCaffrey is now lining up behind Cam Newton in the Carolina Panthers' backfield. Darnold, meanwhile, has emerged as a potential top pick in next year's NFL draft.

That flipping of scripts is among the many reasons oddsmakers like head coach Clay Helton's club to chop trees on the field this weekend. The shift in venue, from Stanford Stadium to the L.A. Coliseum, figures to be a factor, as well.

The Cardinal, though, could get a boost from an extra week off. They started their season on August 26 with a 62-7 smashing of Rice in Sydney, Australia. If Bryce Love (13 carries 180 yards, one touchdown vs. the Owls) and Cameron Scarlett (eight carries, 59 yards, three touchdowns) can so much as approach their season-opening production opposite the Trojans, Stanford should have more than a puncher's chance of springing an upset on the road.