ESPN College GameDay 2021: Location, TV Schedule and Week 2 Predictions

Iowa State and Iowa may not be in the same conference, but the schools are in-state rivals that played every year from 1977-2019. That streak ended in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic limited teams to games against conference opponents.

However, the Cy-Hawk Trophy will be on the line again this year because the Cyclones are set to host the Hawkeyes on Saturday evening in Ames. It should be a great matchup considering Iowa State is ranked No. 9 in the country and Iowa sits at No. 10.

The teams will kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Before that, ESPN's College GameDay will air live outside Jack Trice Stadium at 9 a.m. ET.

Here's everything else you need to know heading into Week 2 of the 2021 season.

Week 2 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions

Friday, Sept. 10

Kansas at No. 17 Coastal Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Saturday, Sept. 11

No. 12 Oregon at No. 3 Ohio State, noon ET, Fox

Alabama State at No. 25 Auburn, noon ET, SEC Network

No. 13 Florida at South Florida, 1 p.m. ET, ABC

Middle Tennessee at No. 19 Virginia Tech, 2 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra

Toledo at No. 8 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. ET, Peacock

UAB at No. 2 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

No. 5 Texas A&M vs. Colorado, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox

Murray State at No. 7 Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Ball State at No. 11 Penn State, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

Mercer at No. 1 Alabama, 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network

No. 10 Iowa at No. 9 Iowa State, 4:30 p.m. ET, ABC

South Carolina State at No. 6 Clemson, 5 p.m. ET, ACC Network

Western Carolina at No. 4 Oklahoma, 7 p.m. ET

No. 15 Texas at Arkansas, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Eastern Michigan at No. 18 Wisconsin, 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

Appalachian State at No. 22 Miami, 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Austin Peay at No. 20 Ole Miss, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Georgia State at No. 24 North Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3

No. 21 Utah at BYU, 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

Stanford at No. 14 USC, 10:30 p.m. ET, Fox

UNLV at No. 23 Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Picks in bold.

Week 2 Preview

Although many of the top teams in the country should roll through weaker opponents in Week 2, there are two matchups that should provide plenty of entertainment: Iowa vs. Iowa State and Oregon vs. Ohio State.

Saturday's action will get off to a huge start when the Buckeyes and Ducks clash in a rematch of the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship. That was the inaugural year of the CFP format and the last time these programs went head-to-head. Ohio State won that contest as an underdog.

Oregon has never defeated Ohio State, losing all nine of the previous meetings between the schools. And if the Ducks are going to change that, it will require an upset on the road, as the Buckeyes are the higher-ranked team, and there will likely be an electric atmosphere in Columbus.

Both teams are coming off season-opening wins. Ohio State won at Minnesota, while Oregon topped Fresno State. Whichever team improves to 2-0 will add a big victory to its CFP resume considering the loser is still likely to go on to have success for the rest of 2021.

Since Ryan Day took over as the Buckeyes head coach prior to the 2019 season, he has gone 24-2 and has yet to lose a regular-season game. Even though Ohio State is at home Saturday, it will be a challenging matchup given Oregon is typically one of the best teams in the Pac-12 and among the strongest programs in the nation.

For the Ducks, it's an opportunity for them to finally beat the Buckeyes and solidify their spot as a national championship contender this season.

"If you're a real competitor, you always want to test yourself against the very best," Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said, per Mitch Stacy of the Associated Press. "Ohio State is an elite program from top to bottom, a storied program, tremendous history at a place where they've had tremendous success. You come to a place like Oregon to have opportunities like this."

Once Ohio State and Oregon have played, many fans will likely be tuning into the Iowa-Iowa State game. It's already the second game this season to feature a pair of top-10 teams, as Georgia and Clemson were both ranked in the top five when facing off in Week 1 (the Bulldogs won 10-3).

Iowa has won its past five meetings against Iowa State. But this year's matchup could go either way.

In Week 1, Iowa made a statement with its 34-6 home win over Indiana. Both teams were ranked at the time, yet the Hawkeyes prevailed thanks to their defense, which scored a pair of touchdowns and prevented the Hoosiers from getting into the end zone.

Iowa State opened the season with a 16-10 home win over Northern Iowa. It may not have been the most impressive victory, but the Cyclones found a way to pull it out, as junior running back Breece Hall scored their lone touchdown of the game.

Although Iowa vs. Iowa State isn't a conference game, it is a rivalry matchup. And Hawkeyes running back Tyler Goodson made some comments during gameweek to remind people of that.

"This is like their Super Bowl," Goodson said of Iowa State, per Chad Leistikow of the Des Moines Register. "They haven't beat us in a couple years. I think them being at their home place knowing College GameDay is going to be there is a good distraction for them and allows us just to focus on us." 

There's the potential for plenty of exciting games in Week 2. However, Oregon vs. Ohio State and Iowa vs. Iowa State are must-watch contests that are likely to live up to the hype and deliver the best action.