College Football Week 2 Predictions: Mich/Okl, Illini/Duke, Iowa/Iowa.St

College Football Week 2 Predictions 

Week 1 gave us a major upset by Florida State over Alabama, along with several nail-biting finishes across the nation. Ohio State, Miami, and LSU made statements last weekend but let’s see if they can keep it up. Week 2 features only one ranked versus ranked marquee matchup, but don’t sleep on a few Top 25 teams in sneaky games. Life outside the AP and Coaches polls reveals a couple of guaranteed barnburners that could result in the winner getting ranked following Monday or very soon. If the powers that be don’t expand the playoffs to 24 or 28 programs, College Football will forever have the best regular season in team sports, filled with drama and shocking results.

Marquee Matchup

#15 Michigan vs. #18 Oklahoma: Both storied schools with rich tradition are starting new quarterbacks in 2025. So far so good in their opening contests but not comes the real test. Obviously, Sooners QB John Mateer has a big advantage in experience and is a true run/pass threat. The thing that stood out for this College Football podcaster was Michigan willing to let true freshman QB Bryce Underwood throw the ball instead of waiting for this week. Underwood looked pretty good, but how will he play on the road against a legit defense? The Wolverines did give up 17 points last to New Mexico and it was a somewhat close game until it wasn’t if that makes sense. Can Oklahoma and/or Michigan make the leap on offense to match their stout defense? As many remember last year these offenses stunk. Home field is the edge here.

The Pick: Oklahoma wins but Michigan +5.5

DraftKings

4.6/5

Tip: Bet Michigan +5.5

• Higher Scoring
• Turnovers to be key
• Game in Oklahoma

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Open DraftKings

Under The Radar

#11 Illinois vs. Duke: To the casual fan this Big Ten vs. ACC tilt is flying way under the radar. The hardcore bettors know as we’ve seen slight swings in this point spread. The Blue Devils didn’t look all that impressive in Week 1 giving up 103 rushing yards to Elon. Offensively is another story as Duke put up 389 passing yards to go along with 159 on the ground. Duke QB Darian Mensah still must prove himself on this next level after having lots of success at Tulane. Illini QB Luke Altmyer must take what a solid defense gives him and not get greedy. The Blue Devils have made strides on both sides of the line of scrimmage and look to take another step. Illinois’s bringing back a ton of experience off a successful 2024 campaign is enough to pick them to win.

The Pick: Illinois –2.5

DraftKings

4.6/5

Tip: Bet Illinois -2.5

• Great Matchup
• Turnovers to be key
• Game in Duke

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#17 SMU vs. Baylor: The Bears got smoked by Auburn getting gashed on the run in the process. Not a great thing considering SMU cannot only run the ball but have faith in returning QB Kevin Jennings to make it happen thru the air. Speaking of moving the ball in the pass game, Baylor 3-year starter QB Sawyer Robertson threw for a bunch of yards last week albeit in a loss. This is a must win for Baylor if they want to avoid going 0-2 repeating a slow start in 2024.

The Pick:  SMU –2.5

Saturday Upset Special

Vandy in a minor upset on the road at Virginia Tech as a +2.5 live dog

Ohio almost upset Rutgers last week so let’s call for West Virginia to go down as a -3.5 road favorite.

Hardcore Barnburners

#16 Iowa State vs. Iowa: This in-state rivalry tends to be a grind it out ugly themed contest. Last year the Hawkeyes had a nice lead only to let the Cyclones comeback winning 18-17. Iowa rarely has a competent signal caller so let’s wait in see on their transfer QB Mark Gronowski. If Iowa doesn’t score a defense or special teams touchdown Iowa State will win this game with QB Rocco Becht making a few great throws to get his team over the top.

The Pick: Iowa State wins but Iowa +3.5

Missouri vs. Kansas: The Tigers being the favorite is understandable playing at home but will see which quarterback will start, Beau Pribula played in the opener. Mizzou did give up 154 rushing yards to a subpar opponent. The Jayhawks are an explosive team on offensive as Jalon Daniels is a dual threat quarterback. This game will be in the balance in the fourth quarter. Missouri should win but not by that much.

The Pick: Kansas +6.5 

Against The Spread

USF +17.5 versus #13 Florida

Kansas +6.5 versus Missouri

Quick Hits Recap

-Ohio State forced 4 turnover on downs in a close 14-7 victory over the Texas Longhorns.

-Texas became the 6th preseason AP #1 school to lose their season opener, 1st since 1990.

-Penn State has now won 32 consecutive games against unranked opponents.

-Florida State scored a huge upset over Alabama as Transfer QB Tommy Castellanos lived up to his strong words towards the Crimson Tide.

-The Seminoles rushed for 230 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 31-17 win over Bama.

-Big trouble in Tuscaloosa? Alabama has lost 4 games as a 10+ point favorite to non-ranked foes.

-Kansas State QB Avery Johnson put up 318 passing yards and 3 TD’s in a crazy 38-35 win over North Dakota.

-Iowa State QB Rocco Becht was 19 of 20 in a dominant 55-7 over South Dakota.

Written by Chris Carlson Co-Host of The College Ball Show available under The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Umbrella on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio