College GameDay Reveals Bold Projections for College Football’s Week 2 Games

What the guys on ESPN's College GameDay are predicting for college football's most important Week 2 games, with some big SEC vs. Big Ten matchups set for today.

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Act 2 of the 2026 college football season has already been pretty active, as Miami cruised in a 70-point victory and Missouri pulled away from Kansas in another tough Border War game, and now the Week 2 schedule begins in full as College GameDay locks in their projections for Saturday’s winners and losers.

Oklahoma-Michigan. Arizona-BYU. Alabama-Kentucky. And most notably, Ohio State-Texas highlights an active second slate of games that will undoubtedly have real consequences when it comes time to slot teams for the College Football Playoff bracket.

Now, let’s turn to McAfee, Saban, Herbie, and Des to lock in our final projections for college football’s second 2026 matchups.

College GameDay Week 2 Predictions

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Joined by guest picker, the actor Glen Powell, here is what Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and Kirk Herbstreit are picking today...

Arizona State at Texas A&M: Glen Powell, ever the Longhorn fan, refused to think the Aggies could win, but everyone else on GameDay’s desk more rationally selected A&M to pass an early non-conference test against the Sun Devils.

Tennessee at Georgia Tech: A unanimous decision in favor of the Volunteers to represent the SEC on the road against a Yellow Jackets side that already has a loss to Colorado.

Iowa State at Iowa: Expect another low-scoring affair in the annual Cy-Hawk Trophy game, but one in which the Hawkeyes are projected to come out victorious against the Matt Campbell-less Cyclones.

Memphis at Boise State: A notable early battle of Group of Six playoff hopefuls out west saw some disagreement among College GameDay pickers, as Pat McAfee was alone in siding with Memphis to pull off the upset on the road.

Mississippi State at Minnesota: One of the more overlooked SEC vs. Big Ten battles this weekend, Nick Saban and Glen Powell are taking the SEC side of the equation, speaking highly of the Bulldog skill talent on the field, while the others like the Gophers.

Alabama at Kentucky: There’s been talk that the Wildcats could test the Crimson Tide in this SEC opener after new coach Will Stein’s solid debut last weekend, but GameDay is still uniformly behind Alabama to avoid the road upset. With the exception of Kirk Herbstreit, who is confident in Kentucky to pull it off.

Arizona at BYU: Desmond Howard stood alone in taking the Wildcats on the road, with the others liking the Big 12 runner-up Cougars to make a stand at home.

Oklahoma at Michigan: UM alum Des predictably is taking the Wolverines, but the others expect the Sooners to prevail on the road as favorites.

Ohio State at Texas: It’s unanimous in favor of the Longhorns to avenge last season’s loss to the Buckeyes under the lights.

Who We Like in College Football’s Week 2 Games

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Oklahoma is a nearly six point favorite against Michigan, and should have the decisive advantage when setting its elite defensive front seven alignment against a Wolverines offense that failed to generate much of any momentum against a MAC opponent last week. Oklahoma over Michigan.

Alabama is favored by 10 on the road against Kentucky in the SEC opener, and while they have a clear edge defensively, the ways Will Stein has retooled his offense, including quarterback Kenny Minchey, could be enough to make this closer than expected. Alabama over Kentucky.

In the Big 12, a very consequential matchup finds BYU in a rematch against insurgent Arizona and quarterback Noah Fifita, but the Cougars should also have the better defense on the field, but expect the Wildcats to keep this close, too, in a game that playoff selectors will be watching closely. BYU over Arizona.

No. 1 Ohio State may have a technical advantage in most positional groups, but it could have its struggles at Texas setting a new-look defense against an improved Arch Manning, who is armed and dangerous with elite receiver skill and a potent backfield behind him. Texas over Ohio State.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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