Dan Mullen makes picks for Texas-Michigan, other top Week 2 games

Week 2 is upon the college football world and that means it’s time for plenty of picks and prognostications. And ESPN analyst Dan Mullen dove into a half dozen matchups with his picks for the week.

From a titanic showdown in Ann Arbor to a matchup in New Orleans, Mullen managed to hit quite a few hot-spots with his pick of games. And he’ll hopefully look to do a bit better than Week 1, where he went 3-3, both against the spread and straight up.

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Check out Mullen’s Week 2 picks below.

Texas (-7.5) over Michigan

With Michigan looking less-than-scary on offense in the opener, Texas has become the popular pick to not only win, but cover the spread that’s sat around a touchdown (with or without the half point hook) for much of the week. Mullen is no different from the pack in this regard.

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And with the Longhorns having so much continuity, it’s not a stretch to see them picking up yet another signature Week 2 road win just like last year. The biggest test will come when the Longhorns offense faces down Michigan’s still-elite defense.

NC State (+8.5) over Tennessee, Tennessee wins

Tennessee looked sharp in the opener, pouring on the points as quarterback Nico Iamaleava looked the part of a star. And though it’s enough for the Volunteers to get the win, in Mullen’s eyes, it might not be enough to cover.

But playing at a neutral site in Charlotte, Mullen thinks NC State has enough going to hang around and at least cover the 8.5-point spread. A strong performance from Wolfpack quarterback Grayson McCall could also go a long way to covering the spread.

Arkansas (+7.5) over Oklahoma State, Oklahoma State wins

Both Arkansas and Oklahoma State cruised to Week 1 wins, but it was the Razorbacks that hung 70 and the Razorbacks are who Mullen is picking to cover the spread as a road underdog. Even still, Mullen thinks the Cowboys pull off the outright win at home.

And given how potent the Arkansas offense looked in Week 1 — albeit against far lesser competition — the spread being slightly more than a touchdown doesn’t seem to be a hard cover. It quarterback Taylen Green has another strong performance, the Razorbacks could even be sniffing a road upset.

Nebraska (-7.5) over Colorado

While Texas-Michigan might have the biggest playoff implications, this Week 2 showdown has plenty riding on it, from assessing the progress of a pair of second-year head coaches to seeing how a pair of heralded quarterbacks perform. And Mullen is going with the home team, Nebraska, to not only win, but cover.

Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule seems to have struck quarterback gold with true freshman Dylan Raiola and the rest of the team seems to be developing as expected. And that recipe, for Mullen, seems to win out over Colorado’s transfer-heavy approach to bolster the skillsets of the likes of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.

(Note: Mullen’s pick graphic bolded Colorado to indicate the Buffalos winning, but had Nebraska covering the spread as a favorite, meaning the Huskers would win.)

Iowa (-3) over Iowa State

The annual CyHawk rivalry game is, traditionally, a bit of a slog and the line for the 2024 showdown between Iowa and Iowa State reflects as much. But after the Hawkeyes showed seriously life on offense in Week 1, Mullen is picking them to get the win, and cover.

The Hawkeyes are also a safe bet, historically. Iowa has won eight of the last 10 matchups in this rivalry and leads the all-time series 47-23.

Kansas State (-9) over Tulane

Both Kansas State and Tulane rolled in Week 1, but Mullen is siding with the Power 4 outfit in this non-conference showdown. And even though the Wildcats are on the road, Mullen sees them covering the big number.

With sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson running the show, Mullen sees the Wildcats rolling over a Tulane team that is doing some roster re-tooling in 2024.

So, after a Week 1 where a few of his picks went awry (Florida covering as a 2.5-point underdog against Miami, for example), Mullen is certainly hoping to be right on the mark with his Week 2 predictions.