This article covers the most exciting week 2 College Football games to watch and top 5 upsets. Saturday is right around the corner and that means college football is kicking off. Time to get into a weekly cadence of highlighting the best games to watch. Also determining the potential upsets lurking below the radar.
I analyzed college football games for the entire 2022 season, had a modest success rate of 73.9% for top 5 exciting games and 40.0% for top 5 upsets. Adding in the top 10 conference championship games, all bowl games and the College Football Playoff (CFP), my adjusted success rate was 57.1% (104/182 games). Hoping my skills don’t regress in 2023 and continue to improve, for a third year player trying to avoid jumping in the transfer portal before lunch.
2023 Week 1 Picks Recap
Top 5 games to watch – 3/5 thanks to Washington, Penn State and UCLA
Top 5 upsets that could happen – 3/5 thanks to Fresno State, Houston and Florida State
Overall picks – 6/10 and I’m above the mean
Week 2 College Football Top 5 Games to Watch
5. Nebraska vs. Colorado
Early afternoon kickoff (12:00 PM EDT) on 9/9/23 from Boulder, Colorado. First year head coach Matt Rhule brings his Cornhuskers squad into Folsom Field, to renew a rivalry that dates back to the Big 8. Nebraska continues to find weird ways to lose close games in the fourth quarter. Junior QB Jeff Sims (114 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 91 rushing yards) is the cornerstone of the offense, but he’s definitely not Lamar Jackson. Defensive unit is sound on paper, but they struggle getting off the field on key third down plays. Primetime effect was real in Week 1 as the Buffs upset TCU on the road in an exciting game (45-42). WR/CB Travis Hunter showed why he was rated the top high school football recruit in early 2022. QB Shedeur Sanders threw for a school record 510 yards and 4 TDs. Rhule was one of the first FBS coaches to call out Deion Sanders use of the transfer portal in flipping the Colorado roster prior to the 2023. Karma is best served cold and at altitude.
Prediction: Colorado makes just enough defensive plays to win by 7 points
4. Vanderbilt vs. Wake Forest
Early afternoon kickoff (11:00 AM EDT) on 9/9/23 from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. SEC vs ACC matchup. Commodores are off to a surprising start at 2-0, thanks to wins over Hawaii and Alabama A&M. Sophomore AJ Swann (452 passing yards, 5 passing TDs) might be a diamond in the rough. Need to find a consistent a running game to take the game management pressure off Swann. Demon Deacons have been an underrated team since 2021 and head coach Dave Clawson continues to pile up victories. QB Mitch Griffis has a good stable of WRs and TEs (Jahmal Banks, Cameron Hite, Wesley Grimes). Hard game to get a read on and both teams won’t have the luxury of starting slow due to an early kickoff.
Prediction: Boring first half leads to Wake Forest running their offensive system in the second half and winning by 10 points
3. Oregon vs. Texas Tech
Evening kickoff (7:00 PM EDT) on 9/9/23 from Lubbock, Texas. Intriguing PAC-12 vs. Big 12 matchup under the lights. Oregon historically plays well in early season non-conference matchups, as long as they aren’t playing the SEC. Second year head coach Dan Lanning has the luxury of QB Bo Nix (287 passing yards, 3 passing TDs) running the offense. Ducks go five deep at RB and three deep at WR. Expect another big statistical season in Eugene, OR. Red Raiders are still mad about a 2OT loss to Wyoming (35-33) in Week 1. Only averaged 2.8 yards per carry on the ground, which won’t cut it against mid-tier and up FBS teams. QB Tyler Shough is anxious to lead Texas Tech back to relevance, but he needs to rely on his teammates and not be a one man show.
Prediction: Oregon imposes their will starting in the second quarter and coasts to a 14+ victory
2. SMU vs. Oklahoma
Evening kickoff (6:00 PM EDT) on 9/9/23 from Norman, Oklahoma. Not quite the Red River Showdown, but it is a Texas school vs. an Oklahoma school. Mustangs have an opportunity to make some noise against the Big 12 in 2023, with this game and playing TCU in Week 4. Sophomore RB LJ Johnson Jr. (128 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 9.1 yards/carry) looks like the real deal. Wonder if Jimbo Fisher will regret losing Johnson in the transfer portal. Sooners were methodical in their Week 1 victory over Arkansas State (73-0), but they still can’t run the ball. Not convinced QB Dillon Gabriel has the aptitude to lead this squad in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. Jury verdict is still pending on second year coach Brent Venables. Need a statement victory to quiet the booster whispers in Norman, Oklahoma.
Prediction: High scoring game and Oklahoma wins by 8+ points
1. Texas vs. Alabama
Primetime kickoff (7:00 PM EDT) on 9/9/23 from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Best regular season game of 2022 gets a part deux. Way too much hype heading into this matchup for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his Longhorns squad. Sophomore QB Quinn Ewers (260 passing yards, 3 passing TDs) played like Superman against Alabama in 2022, before sustaining a shoulder injury. Three-headed running attack (Jaydon Blue, Jonathon Brooks, CJ Baxter), will try to keep the Crimson Tide defense on their heels. Nick Saban just started his seventeenth season at Alabama and he’s ready to teach one of his proteges a lesson on the field. QB Jalen Milroe looked comfortable running the offense in Week 1 (194 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 48 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs). He’s not Jalen Hurts yet, but off to a great start. WRs Isaiah Bond and Jermaine Burton have the potential to be a thunder and lighting combination in the passing game.
Prediction: Tight game into the fourth quarter and Alabama wins by 9 points
Week 2 College Football Top 5 Upsets that might happen
5. Ole Miss vs. Tulane
Rebels had a ho-hum win over Mercer in Week 1 (73-7). The play of QB Jaxson Dart has enabled head coach Lane Kiffin to stay quiet and focus on game planning. Dart has a striking resemblance to Ronnie “Sunshine” Bass in Remember the Titans. Green Wave are still walking tall due to their 12-2 record in 2022. The entre team knows they can hang with the top-tier FBS teams, but this matchup all depends on one factor. Starting QB Michael Pratt will be a game time decision due to a gimpy left knee. If Pratt plays, Tulane has a chance to flip the betting line as a 7.5 point home underdog.
4. Texas A&M vs. Miami
This blogger’s two least favorite programs play at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher’s salary is $9,000,000 per year. Landed the #1 ranked recruiting class in 2022, which lead to a 5-7 record. Fixed his low scoring offense by hiring Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator for 2023. You can put lipstick on a pig to make it look better, but its still a pig. Second year head coach Mario Cristobal has a Herculean task to make the Hurricanes relevant again and competitive on the field. Cristobal will dip into his bag of play calls he learned under Nick Saban, to beat the Aggies despite being a 3.0 point home underdog.
3. Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh
Bearcats vs. Panthers sounds like a steel cage wrestling match at the local zoo. Cincinnati has a talented but misguided QB, Emory Jones (345 passing yards, 5 passing TDs). Jones had stops at Florida and Arizona State, before landing with the Bearcats. RB corps goes three players deep. WR corps goes six players deep. Pittsburgh still has the coolest uniforms in FBS and an underrated head coach, Pat Narduzzi. Narduzzi is in his ninth season leading the Panthers and he took several jabs at Deion Sanders during the off-season. Expect Cincinnati to hang around and flirt with stealing a road victory despite being a 6.5 point road underdog.
2. Wisconsin vs. Washington State
Made a mistake last week by picking against the Cougars when they played at Colorado State. PAC-12 has a serious chip on their shoulder, with all teams winning games in Week 1. Washington State has added motivation due to being one of two teams currently left in the PAC-12 for the 2024 season. Badgers historically start seasons slow and don’t score many points. New head coach Luke Fickell, will change that trend over the next two to three years. Hard sell to buy Wisconsin being a 5.0 point road favorite and weird things happen in late games played in the Pacific Northwest.
1. Oklahoma State vs. Arizona State
Big 12 vs. PAC-12. Don’t have a feel yet for Mike Gundy’s team this year. Freshman QB Garret Rangel tried to manage the game too much, and not make mistakes for the Cowboys offense in Week 1. Defense is still reloading after two great seasons. Sun Devils are a wreck after the Herman Edwards coaching era, but they have a new lease on life by heading to the Big 12 in 2024. Head coach Kenny Dillingham and QB Jaden Rashada are unknown names early in the 2023 season, but they have a chance to grab a home win despite being a 2.5 point underdog.
Storylines to follow heading into Week #3
- Crank up the hype machine for Tennessee vs. Florida in Gainesville.
- Who is the Heisman Trophy front runner after Week #2?
Same bat time, same bat channel next week. I’ll review the results of College Football Top 5 Week #2 and try again in Week #3.
Never walk away from the table when you’re on a heater in Vegas!
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