College Football Week 2 Picks: 5 Games Guaranteed to Be Nail-Biters

The second week of the 2011 college football season may not feature that many ranked games, but that doesn't mean the games won't be entertaining. 

When looking at the Week 2 schedule, there are a number of games that are easy picks because top teams have cupcake games, but there are also some games for which you might as well just flip a coin to pick a winner. 

Expect another great weekend of college football with a few games that come down to the final minutes, and don't be surprised if a team wins on a last-second field goal. 

Here are five games that will come down to the wire. 

5. No. 21 Missouri at Arizona State

The Arizona State Sun Devils are on the brink of making the top 25, and with a win over the Missouri Tigers they'll be recognized as a team worthy enough of being ranked. 

Expect some more Friday night magic in the college football world when these two teams kick off at 10:30 p.m. EDT. This game will come down to which quarterback can deliver in the clutch. Will it be  Brock Osweiler of Arizona State or James Franklin of Missouri? 

Vontaze Burfict is one heck of a linebacker, and he will be the difference maker in this game. The Sun Devils are favored a little too much in my opinion because this is going to be a close game.  

Arizona State 30, Missouri 24

4. BYU at No. 24 Texas

The Texas Longhorns look to rebound from a horrible 2010 season, and their Week 2 matchup against the BYU Cougars will tell the nation where they truly stand. 

Mack Brown desperately needs a win here, because if he falls the Longhorn faithful will wonder what is wrong with their veteran coach. Garrett Gilbert has to do well in this tough battle in order to stay the starting quarterback. 

On the other side, the Cougars have a very talented quarterback in Jake Heaps, who will light Texas up if the Longhorns aren't ready. In the end, the Cougars will fall because back-to-back lengthy road games will be too much for them.

Texas 27, BYU 24 

3. No. 12 South Carolina at Georgia

No team needs a win more this weekend that the Georgia Bulldogs. They host a conference rival and a loss would all but ruin the Bulldogs season. 

Normally a low-scoring close game, the last time the South Carolina Gamecocks played in Athens, Georgia won a shootout 41-37. With the Gamecocks' high level of talent, you can except another high-scoring affair. 

Georgia's defense has to step up and find a way to stop Marcus Lattimore. They'll keep him in check, but defending Alshon Jeffery will be too much. The Bulldogs will fail to make the big stops, and the Gamecocks will hold out for a victory, thus sparking Georgia fans to call for Mark Richt's head on a plate. 

South Carolina 38, Georgia 30

2. No. 16 Mississippi State at Auburn

The defending National Champions needed to recover an onside kick for a comeback victory over Utah State, who went 4-8 a year ago.

Auburn dropped from the top 25 after a narrow win, and if they ever want to make it back in, they need to beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs this Saturday. The Tigers barely won on the road against this team a year ago, and now at home they find themselves as the underdogs. 

Dan Mullen has his Bulldogs ready to compete, and senior quarterback Chris Relf will be the difference maker. The Tigers fall in the final seconds and become non existent in the 2011 college football season. 

Mississippi State 33, Auburn 30

1. Notre Dame at Michigan

The first night game at "The Big House" is going to be a late game thriller. The Michigan Wolverines host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a primetime showdown that will not disappoint.

Notre Dame is coming off an embarrassing performance against South Florida in Week 1, and they desperately need a victory here. Starting the season 0-2 won't sit pretty with the Fighting Irish coaching staff and fans.

Michigan's new head coach Brady Hoke knows this is a very important game for the start of his career with the Wolverines. A loss here won't be devastating, but it will be tough to bounce back from.  

The Fighting Irish have a much better defense than they did a year ago, but this game will once again come down to the fourth quarter. In the end, Michigan dual-threat quarterback Denard Robinson will be too much for Notre Dame to handle. 

Michigan 31, Notre Dame 28