Laken Litman
College football and soccer analyst
There were not many surprises in Week 1 of the 2024 College Football season. Favorites for the national championship title such as Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Oregon performed well – but the Ducks had trouble eliminating their FCS opponent Idaho.
Notre Dame earned a clear road win over Texas A&M and LSU lost to USC, leading to an angry postgame press conference with head coach Brian Kelly.
Meanwhile, Florida State, which entered the season ranked No. 10 in the country, fell out of the AP Top 25 poll after starting 0-2 following losses to Georgia Tech and Boston College.
There are only two matchups between the seeds this weekend – No. 3 Texas vs. No. 10 Michigan and No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 North Carolina State – but the Week 2 schedule is still full of excitement.
Here are the top five games to watch this weekend:
No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan (12:00 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)
Betting offer: Texas -7, TOTAL: 42
It’s the game of the week and there will be no shortage of stars. Matthew McConaughey, Derek Jeter, Michael Phelps and Will Ferrell are all expected in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
This is a huge opportunity for both teams. Texas is currently a 7-point favorite on the road and expectations are high after a convincing 52-0 win over Colorado State to open the season. Last year, on the same weekend, the Longhorns went to Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama, ending the Crimson Tide’s 21-game home winning streak. Michigan is currently on a 23-game home winning streak and yes, Texas is aware of it. The key for the Longhorns is to make the Wolverines’ new quarterback Davis Warren uncomfortable, as well as Alex Orji, who may get more plays this week than last week.
Michigan left fans a little nervous with its narrow 30-10 win over Fresno State. Sherrone Moore’s team will need to control the line of scrimmage against Texas. That will be paramount for an offensive line with five new starters against a Longhorns defensive front that also has some new faces.
Baylor at No. 11 Utah (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)
Betting offer: Utah -14.5, TOTAL: 55
Utah was widely tipped to win the Big 12 in its debut season, and Baylor presents its first challenge. Sort of. Although this matchup is technically between two conference opponents, it is designated as a nonconference game and does not count for rankings. That’s because this is the second game between the programs in a home-and-away series that was scheduled when Utah was still part of the Pac 12.
Regardless of the odd twist, it should be an interesting game. Utah QB Cam Rising is back from injury and threw for 254 yards (10 of 15) and five touchdowns in a 49-0 win over Southern Utah last week. The Bears defense should be a more formidable unit, but Rising isn’t Utah’s only weapon. Running back Dijon Stanley, who caught three passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns last week, has emerged as an explosive threat.
Meanwhile, Baylor’s new quarterback Dequan Finn, who transferred from Toledo, completed 14 of 22 passes for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 45-3 win over Tarleton State in Week 1. He outplayed incumbent starter Sawyer Robertson and can’t afford any mistakes against Utah’s stingy defense.
No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 North Carolina State in Charlotte, NC (7:30 p.m. ET)
Betting offer: Tennessee -9, TOTAL: 60.5
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava impressed in just his second start, completing 22 of 28 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns in a 69-3 win over Chattanooga. RB Dylan Sampson rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns while 14 different receivers caught. If this team can stay consistent given the challenging schedule ahead – after NC State, the Vols have games against Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia – they could be a College Football Playoff contender.
Can NC State pull off an upset? The Wolfpack had a close call last week, falling to Western Carolina 38-21. Transfer QB Grayson McCall completed 65% of his passes for 318 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception. But this week he faces one of the best defensive lines in the country, led by future top NFL draft pick James Pearce Jr. How McCall handles that pressure will determine how the Wolfpack plays today.
Colorado in Nebraska (7:30 p.m. ET)
Betting offer: Nebraska -6.5, TOTAL: 55.5
This will be an exciting quarterback battle.
Nebraska freshman Dylan Raiola just finished his first college game, completing 19 of 27 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-7 win over UTEP. Before signing with the Cornhuskers, Raiola had promised to play for Ohio State and Georgia. The former five-star recruit ultimately chose Matt Rhule and the program where his father was an All-American center. Anticipation for the rising star was huge, so much so that 86,000 fans filled Memorial Stadium to see his first game.
(Read more: College football week 2 preview: Michigan hosts Texas, Shedeur Sanders vs. Dylan Raiola)
Lincoln will be rocking again when Coach Prime and Colorado come to town. QB Shedeur Sanders, who is expected to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, is coming off a close win over North Dakota State. He completed 26 of 34 passes for 445 yards, with four touchdowns and an interception, with three of those scores coming with two-way star Travis Hunter. Sanders and Hunter are two of the faces of college football and are often the two most talented players on the field on any given day, but will face a stauncher Cornhuskers defense this week.
Boise State at No. 7 Oregon (10pm ET)
Betting offer: Oregon -19, TOTAL: 61
Everyone is pumped about Oregon after last week’s close 24-14 win over FCS Idaho. The Vandals were able to put pressure on transfer QB Dillon Gabriel, who is considered the favorite for the Heisman Trophy, and sacked him three times. After the game, Ducks players and coaches said penalties, mistakes and a lack of running ability contributed to their problem scoring more points. That could change quickly if Dan Lanning gets his team out of Week 1.
The Broncos’ biggest threat comes from running back Ashton Jeanty, who rushed for 267 yards and scored six touchdowns in a close 56-45 win over Georgia Southern last week. Will he be as much of a threat against a tougher Ducks defense? For Boise State, this will be their toughest test of the season on the road to what the team hopes will be a spot in the expanded CFP.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of Strong Like a Woman, which will be published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on @LakenLitman.
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