Ranking This Week's Top Three CFB Games: Where Does Illinois-Duke Land?

The top three outings of Week 2 all feature a Big Ten squad. But is the Illini's contest against the Blue Devils No. 1?

Nov 4, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) celebrates his touchdown pass to wide receiver Isaiah Williams (1) during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

After an unforgettable Week 1 slate that pitted six of the nation’s top 10 teams against one another, there will be just one top-25 matchup in all of Week 2: No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma. Could anything else top it? Or does the nation’s best game feature a different Big Ten squad (perhaps decked out in orange and blue)?

We’ll answer that question as we rank the top three games of the week below. (Spoiler alert: All three involve the Big Ten.)

No. 3 Iowa at Iowa State

Aug 30, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) prepares to throw a pass against the Albany Great Danes during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Indisputably the weekend’s top game in terms of rivalries (with Kansas-Missouri as an honorable mention), No. 16 Iowa State hosting Iowa will draw quite the healthy dose of viewers to kick off Saturday’s slate. The Hawkeyes will be excited to debut their new quarterback – South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski – on a massive stage, while the Cyclones will seek to string together back-to-back wins for the first time in this series in more than a decade.

The only reason this game doesn’t rank higher on our list is due to the fact that Iowa State, for once, shouldn’t have too many problems putting away its in-state rival.

No. 2 Illinois at Duke

Aug 29, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) before an NCAA game against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The game expected to be the most competitive of our three picks (per ESPN’s FPI analytics) is Illinois-Duke, which has the potential to be a barnburner – or a gritty, low-scoring affair. The Illini's Luke Altmyer vs. the Blue Devils' Darian Mensah could shape up to be quite the fascinating matchup at quarterback, while both defenses are also stout.

Luke Altmyer dropped a DIME to Hank Beatty 🚀

First career 100-yard receiving game for the @IlliniFootball WR 🙌

📺: Peacock pic.twitter.com/VvVCS9bCqh

— Illinois on BTN (@IllinoisOnBTN) August 30, 2025

Still, Illinois-Duke is typically a more enticing matchup during basketball season, though it was quite the opposite in 2024-25 at Madison Square Garden. Saturday morning’s meeting on the gridiron very well may wind up being just as much of a dud as that late February meeting on the hardwood – but with the schools reversing roles on the scoreboard.

No. 1 Michigan at Oklahoma

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood passes against New Mexico during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, August 30, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yep, after all that, we wound up picking the easy answer for our No. 1. But it’s hard to get away from a prime-time (6:30 p.m. CT) top-25 matchup on ABC – especially when it's a clash between the two premier conferences in college football.

The country finally gets to see what highly regarded Wolverines freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is made of under the bright lights, while Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer gets his first opportunity to show out in Sooners threads against top competition. And, most of all, Oklahoma gets a chance to earn some revenge for the SEC after Ohio State knocked off Texas last week.