College Football Straight Up Picks for Every Top 25 Game in Week 2 (Ohio State Will Beat Texas in Rematch)

Week 1 of the college football season is in the books so it's time to look forward to the Week 2 slate.

There are a few marquee matchups this weekend, including No. 1 Ohio State taking on No. 4 Texas, but there are also plenty of lopsided affairs this week as has become the case during out of conference play.

With that being said, it's time to take a look at my pick to win each game involving a top 25 team. We don't care about point spreads in this article, we only care about winners.

College Football Week 2 Picks

Florida A&M vs. No. 7 Miami Prediction

Pick: Miami N/A

Norfolk State vs. No. 25 Virginia Prediction

Pick: Virginia N/A

Villanova vs. No. 24 Louisville Prediction

Pick: Louisville -10000

No. 23 Missouri vs. Kansas Prediction

Pick: Missouri -230

Missouri is in a league above the Jayhawks this season. The Tigers had an adjusted EPA per play of +0.27 last season, the 18th-best mark in the country. I don't expect them to drop off much in 2026, while Kansas may improve on last year's numbers, but they have yet to catch up to their rival.

If there was one downside of the Tigers' offense this season, it was the play of their quarterback, Austin Simmons, but after his Week 1 performance, where he gained 252 yards through the air along with four touchdowns, I have plenty of confidence in him for this Week 2 game.

Howard vs. No. 5 Indiana Prediction

Pick: Indiana N/A

No. 6 Oregon vs. Oklahoma State Prediction

Pick: Oregon -2500

Arizona State vs. Texas A&M Prediction

Pick: Texas A&M -710

No. 16 Penn State vs. Temple Prediction

Pick: Penn State -4000

No. 11 Oklahoma vs. Michigan Prediction

Pick: Oklahoma -215

You're a brave soul if you're considering betting on Michigan as only slight underdogs to Oklahoma after needing a second added on the clock to complete a game-winning Hail Mary against Western Michigan. Unless that was their worst possible performance and they look like a completely different team on Saturday, the Sooners are going to cruise past them.

Western Kentucky vs. No. 2 Georgia Prediction

Pick: Georgia N/A

No. 12 Alabama vs. Kentucky Prediction

Pick: Alabama -410

Rice vs. No. 3 Notre Dame Prediction

Pick: Notre Dame N/A

Arizona vs. No. 15 BYU Prediction

Pick: Arizona +225

I think Arizona is one of the more underrated teams in the country right now. People forget they had a top 20 defense in college football last season, ranking 16th in defensive success rate. They ranked far better than BYU defensively, and their offensive numbers weren't too far off. If their defense brings their best on Saturday, they could give the Cougars some fits.

Utah State vs. No. 19 Washington Prediction

Pick: Washington -4500

Southern vs. No. 22 Houston Prediction

Pick: Houston N/A

No. 18 Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech Prediction

Pick: Tennessee -530

Louisiana Tech vs. LSU Prediction

Pick: LSU N/A

No. 13 Texas Tech vs. Oregon State Prediction

Pick: Texas Tech -4500

Iowa State vs. No. 21 Iowa Prediction

Pick: Iowa -690

Iowa State defeated an FCS team, Southeast Missouri, but a score of just 38-10 in Week 1. That's concerning as they move on to face power conference competition. This is going to be a rebuild year for the Cyclones, so I expect them to get steamrolled by a Hawkeyes team that is coming off a 40-0 win against Northern Illinois

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Texas Prediction

Pick: Ohio State +100

I'm not ready to crown the Longhorns as the better team, and I'm also not willing to bet on Arch Manning far surpassing his 2025 performance against this Buckeyes team.

Ohio State finished as the far better team last season, even after their Week 1 meeting. They finished the year first in offensive success rate and eighth in defensive success rate. Texas finished the year 80th and 30th in those two metrics.

Have they improved enough in the offseason to justify being favored this weekend? I don't think so. I'll back Ohio State to win again.

Charlotte vs. Ole Miss Prediction

Pick: Ole Miss N/A

Arkansas vs. No. 20 Utah Prediction

Pick: Utah -520

Louisiana vs. No. 14 USC Prediction

Pick: USC -10000

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