College Football Picks Week 2: Top 25 Rankings, Schedule, Odds and Predictions
The ACC and Big 12 will become the first two power conferences to play college football this season in Week 2.
The two leagues are kicking off their respective campaigns in much different fashions. The ACC is going straight into conference play, while the Big 12 is playing nonconference contests before moving to internal games.
The most intriguing part of the ACC schedule is the debut of Notre Dame as a conference member in football for a year. The Fighting Irish typically play a handful of ACC teams in football and they turned to the conference for more games after other leagues postponed their seasons.
On paper, Notre Dame faces a more difficult opener than Clemson, as it takes on a Duke program that typically produces solid seasons under David Cutcliffe.
Wake Forest is not well-equipped to upset Clemson after losing its quarterback to a transfer and having its top returner opt out of the campaign.
The Tigers come into Week 2 as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, while Notre Dame sits at No. 10 to start.
College Football Week 2 Schedule
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Saturday, September 12
Syracuse at No. 18 North Carolina (-22.5) (Noon ET, ACC Network) (Over/Under: 65.5)
Louisiana at No. 23 Iowa State (Noon ET, ESPN) (No odds available)
Duke at No. 10 Notre Dame (-20.5) (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC) (O/U: 54.5)
Missouri State at No. 5 Oklahoma (-40.5) (7 p.m. ET) (O/U: 66.5)
No. 1 Clemson (-33) at Wake Forest (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) (O/U: 60.5)
UTEP at No. 14 Texas (-43) (8 p.m. ET, Longhorn Network) (O/U: 58.5)
Predictions
No. 1 Clemson (-33) vs. Wake Forest
The gargantuan spread in favor of Clemson is intriguing since it has handled a majority of its weaker ACC opponents in recent years.
Dabo Swinney's team is capable of covering that since it returns two key offensive pieces in quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne.
Wake Forest lost quarterback Jamie Newman to a transfer to Georgia (he later opted out of the season) and wide receiver Sage Surratt chose to sit out the 2020 campaign.
A year ago with Newman on the field, the Demon Deacons lost 52-3 to the reigning ACC champion. Lawrence threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns, while Etienne produced 121 yards and a score on the ground.
Clemson's one-two punch on offense could overpower Wake Forest on its own. The only concern for the Tigers is where the receiving production for Lawrence will come from.
Justyn Ross is out because of a season-ending injury and Tee Higgins was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. That means Clemson has to replace 2,032 receiving yards.
Amari Rodgers was fourth on the team with 30 receptions and 326 receiving yards in 2019, and he will be tasked with a much larger role early in the season as the lesser experienced wide outs develop an in-game rhythm with Lawrence.
Etienne could also be a factor through the air, as he brought in 37 receptions for 432 yards and a quartet of end zone trips.
If Lawrence develops on-field chemistry with Joseph Ngata, Cornell Powell and others, Clemson's offense should not skip a beat in 2020.
Clemson's defense may be the deciding factor in how large the margin of victory is. The Tigers allowed the fewest passing yards, total yards and points per game in 2019.
The new attraction in the defense is Bryan Bresee, who was the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2020. If he and other newcomers fill voids left by Isaiah Simmons and others, Clemson could be on the way to a handful of substantial victories.
Duke at Notre Dame (Over 54.5)
Notre Dame went 5-0 against ACC opposition in 2019, with one of those wins coming against its Week 2 opponent.
The Fighting Irish defeated Duke by 31 points last season, but the Blue Devils should cut that margin with some improved offensive options in place.
Clemson transfer Chase Brice was announced as the starting quarterback and he has an intriguing target in tight end Noah Gray, who is looking to improve on a 51-catch season.
The experienced duo in the Duke passing game could produce some points for the visitors, which may lend toward the over being a better bet than the spread.
In all but one home game last season, Brian Kelly's side reached 30 points, and in four of those games the team hit the 35-point mark.
Notre Dame may be in line to score at a high volume right away since Ian Book is one of the most experienced signal-callers in the ACC.
Book has a handful of new targets, including Northwestern transfer Bennett Skowronek, to replace NFL draft picks Chase Claypool and Cole Kmet.
Notre Dame's biggest advantage Saturday could come through the ground game. Kelly said his current crop of running backs is one of the best he has had, per Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune.
“I don't know that I've ever been blessed to have that kind of depth of position,” Kelly said.
Book can also be an offensive weapon with his legs, as he ran for 546 yards on 112 carries a year ago.
All signs point to Notre Dame putting up a good chunk of points, and if the Brice-Gray combination works for Duke, we could easily see 55 points or more inside Notre Dame Stadium.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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