College Football Picks Week 2: Top 25 Rankings, Schedule, Odds and Predictions
Week 2 in college football presents the perfect opportunity for chaos to rise up out of nowhere.
Outside of two or three intriguing games, the schedule lacks the punch Week 1 had, as nonconference matchups dominate the schedule.
However, there is the potential for upsets to occur, as a few of the top programs in the nation hit the road after easy home victories in Week 1.
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Even though there are some tricky road trips ahead for a handful of ranked teams, the lines for Week 2 are still gigantic for the most part, as most of the sides in the Top 25 are expected to overwhelm their opponents.
Below is a look at the latest odds for the Week 2, with predictions and breakdowns for a few of the top games on the schedule.
Week 2 Rankings
AP Poll
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Georgia
4. Ohio State
5. Wisconsin
6. Oklahoma
7. Auburn
8. Notre Dame
9. Washington
10. Stanford
11. LSU
12. Virginia Tech
13. Penn State
14. West Virginia
15. Michigan State
16. TCU
17. USC
18. Mississippi State
19. UCF
20. Boise State
21. Michigan
22. Miami
23. Oregon
24. South Carolina
25. Florida
Week 2 Schedule and Odds
All Times ET.
Friday, September 7
No. 16 TCU (-21.5) at SMU (8 p.m., ESPN2)
Saturday, September 8
New Mexico at No. 5 Wisconsin (-35) (Noon, BTN)
Western Michigan at No. 21 Michigan (-28) (Noon, FS1)
No. 18 Mississippi State (-9.5) at Kansas State (Noon, ESPN)
UCLA at No. 6 Oklahoma (-30) (1 p.m., Fox)
William and Mary at No. 12 Virginia Tech (2 p.m., WatchESPN)
Portland State at No. 23 Oregon (2 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
Arkansas State at No. 1 Alabama (-36.5) (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
No. 3 Georgia (-10) at No. 24 South Carolina (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Rutgers at No. 4 Ohio State (-35) (3:30 p.m., BTN)
Ball State at No. 8 Notre Dame (-34.5) (3:30 p.m., NBC)
North Dakota at No. 9 Washington (5 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
Savannah State at No. 22 Miami (6 p.m., WatchESPN)
Youngstown State at No. 14 West Virginia (6 p.m.)
South Carolina State at No. 19 UCF (6 p.m, ESPN3)
No. 2 Clemson (-12) at Texas A&M (7 p.m., ESPN)
Southeastern Louisiana at No. 11 LSU (7 p.m., ESPN2)
Alabama State at No. 7 Auburn (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)
Kentucky at No. 25 Florida (-14) (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)
No. 13 Penn State (-9.5) at Pittsburgh (8 p.m., ABC)
No. 17 USC at No. 10 Stanford (-5) (8:30 p.m., Fox)
UConn at No. 20 Boise State (-31) (10:15 p.m., ESPNU)
No. 15 Michigan State (-6) at Arizona State (10:45 p.m., ESPN)
Odds obtained from OddsShark, some odds unavailable.
Predictions
Georgia 17, South Carolina 9
The early-season conference game always seems a bit odd, especially since most teams of Georgia's stature are beating Group of Five or FCS opponents by 30 or more points, or chasing a power conference victory outside of their league.
Not only do the Bulldogs face a ranked conference opponent in Week 2, they must do so on the road at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.
On paper, Georgia should overwhelm South Carolina no matter how dangerous the Gamecocks can be on offense with the combination of quarterback Jake Bentley and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Since this is the wacky and wonderful sport of college football, there's a chance things don't go to plan for the Bulldogs and they're caught in a defensive struggle with Will Muschamp and Co.
On Georgia's path to the National Championship game a year ago, the Gamecocks gave the Bulldogs one of their toughest tests in a 24-10 game at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.
South Carolina is coming off a strong performance in Week 1, albeit against Coastal Carolina, and there will be plenty of motivation to shine at home against one of the nation's top programs.
Georgia will eventually pass its first test of the 2018 campaign, but it will need a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter out of quarterback Jake Fromm to do so.
Clemson 27, Texas A&M 10
Clemson's September foray into the SEC doesn't seem as challenging as the clashes with Auburn in 2016 and 2017.
Although Texas A&M poses a unique test with its raucous environment at Kyle Field and new head coach in Jimbo Fisher, the Tigers won't receive as much credit for defeating the Aggies as they would if they beat a higher profile SEC team.
Nevertheless, a road win over an SEC program still carries more clout than a second consecutive blowout victory over a lesser talented side on home soil.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney navigated the quarterback controversy waters just fine in Week 1, as freshman Trevor Lawrence and senior Kelly Bryant produced a near equal amount of passing yards and completions.
The takes on the Tigers' situation under center will heat up in Week 2, when both signal callers receive an opportunity to shine on a national stage.
Bryant should receive some playing time as the experienced player of the duo, especially if the Tigers are stuck in a tight game.
Conversely, you could make the argument Lawrence deserves snaps in that scenario to prove how special a player he is.
Regardless of where you stand on Clemson's quarterback situation, both players are more than capable of completing the task at hand.
Texas A&M might be competitive for a half or more with sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond at the helm, but Clemson's experience and overwhelming defensive line will be too much for the Aggies to handle.
Other Predictions
TCU 41, SMU 10
Wisconsin 48, New Mexico 17
Michigan 27, Western Michigan 6
Mississippi State 34, Kansas State 17
Oklahoma 56, UCLA 19
Virginia Tech 63, William and Mary 10
Oregon 56, Portland State 16
Alabama 49, Arkansas State 7
Ohio State 61, Rutgers 23
Notre Dame 45, Ball State 16
Washington 37, North Dakota 10
West Virginia 45, Youngstown State 17
UCF 38, South Carolina State 12
Miami 44, Savannah State 13
LSU 48, Southeastern Louisiana 6
Auburn 37, Alabama State 3
Florida 26, Kentucky 13
Penn State 27, Pittsburgh 12
USC 37, Stanford 28
Boise State 38, UConn 13
Michigan State 45, Arizona State 41
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