This Weekend in College Football: Week 2

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

11:00: Vanderbilt @ Wake Forest (ACCN): Whoo boy this week really got away from me. I’m going to rush to finish this while the early games are still going.

Noon:

  • Notre Dame @ North Carolina State (ABC): ND?
  • Nebraska @ Colorado (FOX): Buffs.
  • Utah @ Baylor (ESPN): turns on TV, sees Utah losing what the heck Utes?!?
  • Purdue @ Virginia Tech (ESPN2):  Trains.
  • Troy @ Kansas State (FS1): K-State.
  • Youngstown State @ Ohio State (BTN)
  • James Madison @ Virginia (ESPNU): JMU?
  • Ball State @ Georgia (SEC): UGA.
  • Delaware State @ Army (CBSSN)
  • Holy Cross @ Boston College (ESPNX/ESPN+)
  • Delaware @ Pennsylvania State (Peacock)

1:00: South Carolina State @ Georgia Tech (ACCNX/ESPN+): So it turns out our game hasn’t actually started yet because it’s storming in Atlanta. So that gives me chance to write something quickly. It’s pretty much this: that second quarter was good. Everything else… not so much. Also a great demonstration of how much the previous administration cratered the program is this. I went to the same bar in Seattle I watched Geoff’s first game at in 2019. Now, that was a Thursday instead of a Friday, but regardless, the place was completely packed out. For Brent’s first game as the full-time guy? There were like maybe 10 of us. Yeah.

1:30: New Hampshire @ Central Michigan (ESPN+)

2:00: Eastern Illinois @ Bowling Green (ESPN+)

2:15: Charleston Southern @ Clemson (ACCN)

3:00:

  • Southern Utah @ Brigham Young (ESPN+)
  • Eastern Kentucky @ Kentucky (ESPN+)

3:30:

  • Iowa @ Iowa State (“El Assico”; FOX): Okay, we’re through the early games, now on to the cutting, hard-hitting analysis you’ve come to expect from this site. So yeah, Iowa’s going to win this game, the question is what wacky score that is short of the 25 Brian Ferentz needs to keep his job.
  • Nevada-Las Vegas @ Michigan (CBS): Michigan, please stop acting like your suspended head coach is dead. Sincerely, the entire rest of the college football internet.
  • Texas A&M @ Miami (ABC): This is a bit of a statement game for both teams, in the sense that they both need to win to show that the plan, so to speak, is working. I think TAMU is better, but any result here wouldn’t surprise me.
  • Mississippi @ Tulane (ESPN2): I think this is going to be a fun one. The Sugar Bowl champs face an old rival in New Orleans for the first time since 2010 and they have a legitimate chance to win for for the first time since 1988. That said, I don’t exactly expect it, as Ole Miss figures to just have too many weapons on offense.
  • Richmond @ Michigan State (BTN)
  • Texas-El Paso @ Northwestern (BTN): I wouldn’t advise watching this. Northwestern, I guess?
  • Wagner @ Navy (CBSSN)
  • Western Michigan @ Syracuse (ACCNX/ESPN+)
  • Texas State @ Texas-San Antonio (ESPN+)
  • Southern Illinois @ Northern Illinois (ESPN+)
  • Texas Southern @ Toledo (ESPN+)
  • Miami @ Massachusetts (ESPN+)

4:00:

  • Marshall @ East Carolina (ESPNU): I have nothing to tell you about this game. Sorry.
  • Kent State @ Arkansas (SEC): Womp.
  • California Polytechnic @ San Jose State (NBCSBA)

5:00:

  • Tulsa @ Washington (Pac12): UDub all the way here.
  • Austin Peay @ Tennessee (ESPN+)
  • Southeastern Louisiana @ South Alabama (ESPN+)

5:15: Appalachian State @ North Carolina (ACCN): Last year, this game was an absolutely barnburner, with UNC holding on for a 63-61 win. I suspect that… will not be the case this year.

6:00:

  • Lafayette @ Duke (ACCNX/ESPN+)
  • Ohio @ Florida Atlantic (ESPN+)
  • Duquense @ West Virginia (ESPN+)
  • Southern Methodist @ Oklahoma (ESPN+)
  • Morgan State @ Akron (ESPN+)
  • New Mexico State @ Liberty (ESPN+)
  • Fordham @ Buffalo (ESPN+)
  • Alabama-Birmingham @ Georgia Southern (ESPN+)
  • Louisiana @ Old Dominion (ESPN+)

6:30:

  • Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (CW):
  • North Texas @ Florida International (ESPN+)

7:00:

  • Oregon @ Texas Tech (FOX): This one might be fun, but I don’t think TTU is quite there yet.
  • Texas @ Alabama (ESPN): Ah, here we go. The helmet game of helmet games. This is a step up for both teams after cruising in Week 1, and it’ll be interesting to see if Texas can actually do the thing this year. That said, I think Bama at home will just be too much in the end.
  • Central Florida @ Boise State (FS1): I almost typed that this should be a fun G5 vs. G5 matchup and then remembered UCF is in the Big 12 now. Sorry y’all! But yeah, the Gus bus should continue to roll.
  • Houston @ Rice (NFL): Houston might be bad-bad but they’re not terrible enough to lose to Rice.
  • Middle Tennessee State @ Missouri (ESPN+)
  • Memphis @ Arkansas State (ESPN+)
  • Jacksonville State @ Coastal Carolina (ESPN+)
  • Connecticut @ Georgia State (ESPN+)
  • Northwestern State @ Louisiana Tech (ESPN+)
  • Houston Christian @ Western Kentucky (ESPN+)
  • Florida A&M @ South Florida (ESPN+)

7:30:

  • Wisconsin @ Washington State (ABC): Speaking of fun inter-sectional matchups… there should be some offense here! Wisky’s new Air Raid-ish offense goes on the road to Pullman, and Wazzu is no slouches themselves. I’ll take the Cougs at home.
  • California-Los Angeles @ San Diego State (CBS): I don’t think the Aztecs can score enough points to win here.
  • Charlotte @ Maryland (NBC): Terps.
  • Eastern Michigan @ Minnesota (BTN): Gophers.
  • Temple @ Rutgers (BTN): Rutgers.
  • McNeese State @ Florida (ESPNU)
  • Arizona @ Mississippi State (SEC): I think Arizona is kind of bad, so the Bulldogs should roll.
  • Furman @ South Carolina (ESPN+)
  • Grambling State @ Louisiana State (ESPN+)

8:00:

  • Air Force vs. Sam Houston State (@Houston, TX; CBSSN): Falcons all the way here.
  • Nicholls State @ Texas Christian (ESPN+)
  • Lamar @ Louisiana-Monroe (ESPN+)

8:30: Southern Mississippi @ Florida State (ACCN): The Noles got a huge win last week against LSU. I suspect we won’t be taking much away from this one.

9:00: California-Davis @ Oregon State (Pac12)

10:30:

  • Stanford @ Southern California (FOX): Time of the late night slate. First off, I don’t know how good or bad Stanford is, I know that USC’s defense is still bad, but at least against Stanford it shouldn’t matter.
  • Auburn @ California (ESPN): I may be able to get over to Berkeley for this one. I have no read on either team so far. I’m picking Cal because that would be more fun both in general and specifically because it’s going to get the Auburn boosters restless again.
  • Oklahoma State @ Arizona State (FS1): Oklahoma State should roll.