College Football Cheat Sheet: Week 2

The college football sprint is off and running. After a fun opening weekend, we have now shifted to Week 2. We’ve got conference games, rivalry matchups, one huge SEC vs. Big Ten non-conference clash, and plenty of buy games.

KSR’s College Football Cheat Sheet is back to set the table for the weekend. Full schedule, top games, matchups to watch, and much more. Let’s football.

The Slate

Top 10 Games

1. No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan
2. No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 NC State
3. Colorado at Nebraska
4. Iowa State at No. 21 Iowa
5. Boise State at No. 7 Oregon
6. No. 17 Kansas State at Tulane
7. No. 19 Kansas at Illinois
8. South Carolina at Kentucky
9. App State at No. 25 Clemson
10. Arkansas at No. 16 Oklahoma State

College Football Gambling Corner

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Sherrone Moore’s first big test

After a Michigan sign-stealing scandal rocked college football, the Big Ten Conference stepped in and suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore stepped in as interim head coach and led the Wolverines to victories over Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State. That run helped secure the full-time job for Moore.

Now the first real test has arrived for the new head coach in Ann Arbor.

Top-five Texas comes to town with one of the best rosters in college football and an explosive offense. Meanwhile, Michigan labored to move the ball with Davis Warren making his first career start at quarterback. With FOX giving this top-10 contest the big viewing window treatment, the entire college football audience will at least have one eye on this game on Saturday.

Texas is a more known commodity at this point under Steve Sarkisian. Week 2 could tell us where Michigan sits in this reset year after winning the national championship. The Wolverines could be heading to another playoff berth or might slip to 8-4. The Week 1 victory over Fresno State was not super impressive and Texas could really challenge this football team in multiple areas.

A measuring stick for the home team at the Big House.

Resume-building opportunity in Charlotte

The Nico Iamaleava era got off to an incredible start at Tennessee in Week 1. The Grayson McCall era got off to a rocky start at NC State. Now the two programs will meet in Charlotte for a resume-building opportunity.

Both teams appeared in the preseason top 25 poll after winning nine games last season. Each program felt like they upgraded at quarterback. This Week 2 contest was circled for each as a big non-conference opportunity to help boost a potential playoff resume.

Do not be surprised if we see a shootout.

Tennessee’s offense rolled against Chattanooga last week and rushed for 256 non-sack yards on over five yards per rush against Iowa’s top-five defense in the Citrus Bowl. The Vols will move the football and score points. But NC State can also go. McCall has accumulated 10,323 passing yards during his career and the Wolfpack added some key skill talent players via the transfer portal. This offense should be able to capitalize on a new Tennessee secondary.

Do not be surprised if we see a shootout in this ACC vs. SEC clash.

Another big stage for Colorado

Shedeur Sanders looked like one of the best players in college football when he threw for 445 yards on over 13 yards per attempt against North Dakota State, but Colorado needed him and Travis Hunter to play hero ball to squeak by the FCS powerhouse. The challenge will be much more difficult in Week 2.

Lincoln will be a madhouse this weekend with Coach Prime bringing his Buffaloes back to Memorial Stadium for this old Big Eight rivalry. Expectations are sky-high for Nebraska in year two under Matt Rhule. Star defensive coordinator Tony White returns, five-star recruit Dylan Raiola is starting at quarterback, and the Huskers upgraded on offense with multiple transfer portal additions.

Nebraska needs to win this game to keep the offseason momentum rolling. A loss could leave many questioning where Colorado sits 14 games into the Deion Sanders era. These two schools do not like each other.

A fun prime-time matchup between two hungry fan bases that want to get back into the college football limelight.

College Football Degenerate Under: Iowa State at Iowa Under 35.5

The Big Ten is again home to the lowest total in college football week. It’s time to go to Iowa City where the winner in Kinnick Stadium will claim the Cyhawk Trophy.

Iowa and Iowa State are both breaking in new offensive coordinators with returning starting quarterbacks. Both teams consistently produce top-25 defenses. Each wants to win with ball control. Punts will be a factor. Iowa State’s only win in the last decade came when the Cyclones won 10-7 in 2022. Finding points will not be easy.

The first big Big Ten game on CBS will be an absolute slugfest.

The rest of the college football card

— Arkansas travels to Stillwater to face ranked Oklahoma State in a game that could help Sam Pittman cool off some of that hot seat pressure. The Big 12 vs. SEC contest should tell us where Bobby Petrino‘s offense is with Boise State transfer Taylen Green at quarterback.

— Tulane hosts Kansas State in a very interesting Group of Five vs. Big 12 clash. K-State is seen as a College Football Playoff contender but did not look great last week against an FCS opponent. Could Jon Sumrall‘s first team in New Orleans pull off a big upset?

— Pittsburgh and Cincinnati reunite a former Big East rivalry in Nippert Stadium on Saturday. Second-year Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield could use a big win while Pat Narduzzi‘s offense is switch to a spread offense under new play-caller Kade Bell. Underrated game in the noon window that could end with both teams scoring over 30 points.

— Auburn barely got out of Berkeley with a win last September and now the Golden Bears make the return trip to the Plains. The Tigers exploded on offense in Week 1 but Justin Wilcox‘s defense should provide a stiffer test. Another big scoring output from Hugh Freeze‘s offense could tell us that the Tigers might need to be taken seriously this season.

— Unranked Illinois faces ranked Kansas in a Big Ten vs. Big 12 non-conference matchup. The latter could use a road win against the big two. Bret Bielema‘s offense looked surprisingly explosive in Week 1. We could get an entertaining night game in Champaign.

— Clemson needs to be very careful against App State on Saturday night. The Mountaineers are always a threat to pull an upset and have covered six straight against power conference foes. Could you imagine the takes if Dabo Swinney started 0-2?

— The after dark slate is outstanding with eight games starting at 10:00 p.m. ET or later. Boise State-Oregon is the most significant but Mississippi State-Arizona State and Texas Tech-Washington State could be track meets. We could get some high-quality entertainment after midnight.