College Football Rankings 2020: Week 2 Standings, Schedule and Predictions

Three of the top 10 college football teams in the country will get their seasons underway this Saturday. Those three teams were ranked as highly in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. 

No. 1 Clemson (at Wake Forest), No. 5 Oklahoma (vs. Missouri State) and No. 10 Notre Dame (vs. Duke) will be in action as ACC and Big 12 teams begin their campaigns this weekend. They're some of the first Power Five schools to play this year, as the SEC won't begin its season until Sept. 26.

There will be six ranked teams playing Saturday, but other teams could be moving into the AP Top 25 poll soon as the next edition won't include teams from the conferences that aren't playing—Big Ten and Pac-12 teams won't be in action during fall.

Here's a look at the full Week 2 schedule, followed by predictions for several matchups featuring top teams.

Week 2 Schedule

Thursday, Sept. 10

UAB at Miami, 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network

Saturday, Sept. 12

Syracuse at No. 18 North Carolina, noon ET, ACC Network

Louisiana at No. 23 Iowa State, noon ET, ESPN

Charlotte at Appalachian State, noon ET, ESPN2

Eastern Kentucky at West Virginia, noon ET, FS1

Louisiana Tech at Baylor, noon ET, Fox

UL Monroe at Army, 1:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

Duke at No. 10 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC

Georgia Tech at Florida State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

UTSA at Texas State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Campbell at Georgia Southern, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Arkansas State at Kansas State, 3:30 p.m. ET, FS1

Austin Peay at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. ET, ACC Network

Missouri State at No. 5 Oklahoma, 7 p.m. ET

The Citadel at South Florida, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+

No. 1 Clemson at Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Tulane at South Alabama, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

UTEP at No. 14 Texas, 8 p.m. ET, Longhorn Network

Western Kentucky at Louisville, 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network

Houston Baptist at Texas Tech, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Coastal Carolina at Kansas, 10 p.m. ET, FS1

Week 2 Predictions

Clemson Opens with Rout on Road

Trevor Lawrence led Clemson to the national championship as a true freshman during the 2018 season. He and the Tigers came up just short last season, losing to LSU in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Now, if he's going to win one more national title, then 2020 will likely be his last chance.

A likely top pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Lawrence is poised to have a strong season for the Tigers. He could be a Heisman Trophy contender, and he's likely to lead Clemson back to a sixth straight appearance in the College Football Playoff.

That quest begins Saturday when the Tigers travel to take on ACC rival Wake Forest. Last season, Clemson beat Wake Forest 52-3 on Nov. 16, 2019.

In addition to Lawrence, the Tigers return running back Travis Etienne, who should also play a big role in them being one of the best teams in the country.

Although Clemson has an ACC schedule that's fairly light, it will have a challenging matchup on Nov. 7, when it travels to face No. 10 Notre Dame. Previously an independent, the Fighting Irish have joined the ACC for the season as their previous schedule was in flux due to cancellations because of the coronavirus pandemic.

That gives Clemson less room for error in its first seven games of the year. That's why it will immediately have a big showing to take down Wake Forest and open the season with a convincing victory.

Rattler Powers Oklahoma in His Starting Debut

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray were Oklahoma's starting quarterbacks in 2017 and 2018, respectively, each winning the Heisman Trophy and becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Last year, Jalen Hurts led the Sooners' offense, and he was a runner-up for the Heisman.

Now, it's Spencer Rattler's turn to lead Oklahoma, as he was named its starting quarterback after redshirting last season, his first in the college ranks. He appeared in only three games, going 7-for-11 for 81 yards and a touchdown, with his lone scoring coming in his debut on Sept. 7, 2019, against South Dakota.

A former 5-star recruit out of Pinnacle High School (Phoenix, Ariz.), Rattler is poised to follow in the footsteps of those strong quarterbacks to come before him and put up big numbers for the Sooners. He'll make his first start Saturday at home against Missouri State, which should be a big victory for Oklahoma.

It will also be a good opportunity for Rattler to get some early playing experience against a weaker opponent before taking on top Big 12 opponents (such as No. 14 Texas, No. 15 Oklahoma State and No. 23 Iowa State) later on. Expect a big showing from the redshirt freshman quarterback to lead the Sooners to a season-opening victory.

Notre Dame Rolls in First Game as 2020 ACC Member

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

It was expected that Notre Dame would have a fairly challenging schedule for 2020. It had matchups against No. 1 Clemson, No. 12 Wisconsin and No. 17 USC scheduled, along with some other solid opponents as it planned to be an independent school.

Then, the Big Ten and Pac-12 canceled their seasons, leaving holes in the Fighting Irish's schedule. They opted to join the ACC for the 2020 campaign, and while that keeps their home matchup against Clemson on the slate, they'll be facing some much lighter competition throughout most of the year.

Notre Dame was already scheduled to play Duke, but it will now open the season at home against the Blue Devils on Saturday. It's the second straight year that these two teams have faced off after Notre Dame won 38-7 on Nov. 9, 2019.

The Fighting Irish should handily take down the Blue Devils. Quarterback Ian Book is back for his final college season to lead Notre Dame's offense after putting up great numbers (3,034 yards, 34 touchdowns and six interceptions) through the air last season. He could be a big reason why the Fighting Irish may be a CFP contender this fall.

And Book should also lead Notre Dame to a 1-0 start. Expect him to air it out against Duke and give the Fighting Irish their first win as a temporary ACC member.