What To Watch For In Week 2 Of The 2021 College Football Season

Third-ranked Ohio State’s home opener against No. 12 Oregon is undoubtedly the biggest game of the weekend, with both teams hoping to use Saturday afternoon’s result as a springboard to the College Football Playoff.

However, there are several other big-time games on the schedule, including No. 5 Texas A&M at Colorado (3:30 p.m. on FOX), No. 10 Iowa at No. 9 Iowa State (4:30 p.m. on FOX), No. 15 Texas at Arkansas (7 p.m. on ESPN) and No. 21 Utah at BYU (10:15 p.m. on ESPN).

The Aggies are coming off of a concerning five-turnover game against Kent State, including three interceptions from quarterback Haynes King, and that simply cannot happen against the Buffaloes, who are looking for a signature win under second-year coach Karl Dorrell.

Expect both teams to keep the ball on the ground to protect their young quarterbacks from making mistakes. Perhaps this game comes down which team is more equipped to kick in the mile-high air, though.

Meanwhile, this marks the first time in the 67-game series that both the Cyclones and Hawkeyes are ranked in the top 10. That means this game will serve as the ultimate measuring stick of where Iowa State stands nationally, with Iowa looking like a contender in the Big Ten West early on, as well.

This game could also be dictated by the running game, as the Cyclones’ Breece Hall and Hawkeyes’ Tyler Goodson are two of the better rushers in the country. Iowa has won the last five meetings by establishing the run and winning the turnover battle, and that will be key on Saturday afternoon.

The Longhorns, on the other hand, kicked off the Steve Sarkisian with an impressive win over Louisiana, but now hit the road for what could be a tough test against the Razorbacks, who look much improved under second-year coach Sam Pittman.

Arkansas trailed Rice at halftime in its opener, but scored 31 second-half points to win big. If the Razorbacks can put together a full four quarters, this game between former Southwest Conference rivals could be interesting late.

Lastly, don’t let the fact that the Utes have won nine straight games against the Cougars fool you, Saturday night’s Holy War could be the best game of the day. Seven of those games were actually decided by one score or less, and this year’s matchup should be no different as the teams seem pretty evenly matched.

In the end, this game will likely come down to which quarterback, BYU’s Jaren Hall or Utah’s Charlie Brewer, doesn’t make a mistake late.

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