Anybody that wants to know how quickly the perception of a college football team can change should look at what happened to Stanford, Nebraska and Texas after all three teams were stumped last weekend – including one spectacular last-minute heartbreak that ended the Cornhuskers incredible win streak in season openers. It’s impossible to watch every single game on the schedule in Week 2 but we’ve narrowed the list down for you to provide the four best games for the week.
No. 7 Oregon Ducks @ No. 5 Michigan State Spartans
Saturday, 8:00 PM ET
A game that features two top 10 teams looking to make an early statement will undoubtedly be in the spotlight when the Ducks visit Michigan State on Saturday night. The Spartans lost only twice last season but one of those defeats came against Oregon in blowout fashion and they will try to avenge that loss this weekend. Michigan State is listed as a small favorite for this game according to most sportsbooks and a big part of that is the fact that they are 13-1 over their last 14 games at home.
The Ducks offense looked good in their opening win but not as strong as they typically are, which is understandable as they’re breaking in a new quarterback. However,their defense allowed 42 points at home to Eastern Washington and if the offense stalls against a stout Michigan State defense then Oregon could find itself in trouble on the road in this Week 2 showdown.
No. 14 LSU vs. No. 25 Mississippi State
Saturday, 9:15 PM ET
LSU might have beaten McNeese State anyways (had they not been rained out) but the fact that their Week 1 game was washed away has to be considered a major loss as it was their one chance at a dress rehearsal ahead of this week’s showdown with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are one of a record 10 SEC teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this week following their Week 1 win over Southern Mississippi and with so much talk about whether or not they deserved to move up in the rankings they will be motivated to pull off an upset.
The Tigers will have a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball and if they stumble early on it could contribute to an excellent finish in another game that college football fans can’t miss this weekend.
No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners @ No. 25 Tennessee Volunteers
Saturday, 6:00 PM ET
Call this the “prove it” game. The Sooners are coming off a down season and have a number of question marks they have to answer – including at the quarterback position. It started off well as the Sooners easily rolled to a 41-3 win over Akron as new starter Baker Mayfield set a school record for passing yards in a season opener (388). However, now they’ll get a much sterner test at Rocky Top when they face the Volunteers.
The Vols have been a close-but-no-cigar outfit in the SEC under Butch Jones but this is the year they are supposed to breakout. Last year, they were one of the youngest teams in the country and this year, that youth and potential is supposed to bear fruit. They looked great in their home opener against Bowling Green, rolling to a 59-30 victory, but nobody will mistake that for a “we’ve arrived” type of win. However, a win over Oklahoma would. We’ll see if they can take care of business on the checkerboard.
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Kentucky Wildcats @ South Carolina Gamecocks
Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
South Carolina did earn a quality 17-13 win in their Week 1 opener against North Carolina but few people were left impressed. For starters, quarterback Connor Mitch was a paltry 9-of-22 for 122 yards. While the defense bent but didn’t break and only allowed 13 points, the flipside of it is that they had two end zone interceptions. Without those, North Carolina probably wins.
So while many are wondering if South Carolina is for real, the same thoughts are happening in regards to Kentucky too. They’re supposed to be a team on the rise but nearly failed miserably in their opener against Louisiana-Lafayette. After jumping out to a 21-0 lead, they barely hung on for a 40-33 win.
Has Kentucky climbed to South Carolina’s level? Or has South Carolina fallen to Kentucky’s? We’ll find out this weekend.
