College Football Week 2 Predictions: Kansas and Texas Among Best Bets
Week 1 of the college football season was electric, headlined by Colorado (+21) upsetting TCU on the road. Week 2 began on Thursday evening with a matchup between Murray State and Louisville, but all of this weekend’s marquee games are on Saturday.
Newly-ranked #22 Colorado will host Nebraska as they look to prove their Week 1 win was not a fluke. #20 Ole Miss and #24 Tulane play at 3:30 p.m EST on ESPN, with #11 Texas and #3 Alabama being the game of the week at 7:00 p.m. EST, also on ESPN.
Each week this season, we will be taking a look at betting lines, offering a few leans for the community to consider tailing before Saturday kicks off.
Week 2 College Football Predictions
Illinois vs. Kansas (-3)
Last weekend, Illinois only barely escaped with a 30-28 victory against Toledo. The Fighting Illini were outgained 416-374 on the day and were clearly struggling on both sides of the football. In 2022, Illinois allowed only 12.8 points per game. Yet, they were among the luckiest defenses in college football when it came to turnovers and yards allowed per point allowed. This past summer, they lost an abundance of talent to the NFL Draft, including three defensive backs, who were each selected in the first three rounds. It is never easy to win on the road, but especially when the defense is a major question mark. Regardless of whether Jalon Daniels plays this week, Kansas should be able to cover a field goal.
Nebraska vs. #22 Colorado, Under 59
In their season opener against Minnesota, Nebraska had only 295 yards of total offense and committed four turnovers. The end result was a 13-10 defeat. Quarterback Jeff Sims has always struggled to take care of the football, and he enters this weekend with a career 31-to-26 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Still, Nebraska’s defense played exceptionally well, allowing only 2.2 yards per carry on the ground and 196 passing yards. They should be able to, at least, slow down Shedeur Sanders and company. Despite scoring 45 points against TCU, Colorado had only 55 rushing yards on 34 attempts. Facing a better defense in Week 2, the offense likely takes a step back. The data strongly supports the under in this matchup.
#20 Ole Miss vs. #24 Tulane, Over 66
Ole Miss is the more talented team in this cross-conference battle, but it is difficult to justify trusting a team with a lackluster defense to cover more than a touchdown on the road against another ranked team. However, Ole Miss’ offense should face little resistance against a Tulane defense that lost each of their top five tacklers from 2022. Tulane’s offense is led by Michael Pratt, who was nearly flawless in Week 1, with 294 passing yards, four touchdowns, and only one incompletion. Expect both of these offenses to find success on Saturday in what could shape up to be one of the highest-scoring games on the slate.
#23 Texas A&M (-4) vs. Miami
Texas A&M enters the weekend ranked #23 in the country, but they have one of the most talented rosters in the nation and are a legitimate title contender this fall. Facing New Mexico last weekend, Texas A&M was dominant in all phases of the game – throwing for six touchdowns and averaging a healthy 4.6 yards per carry on the ground. Defensively, they had an interception, allowed only 2.8 yards per carry, and forced six punts. Miami dominated their Ohio cousins to open the year, but Tyler Van Dyke once again looked less than stellar. A strong offensive line should afford Miami some success on the ground in this matchup, but two new coordinators will face an extremely tough test here. The strength of the Texas A&M defense in their defensive line, with all four of last year’s starters returning. If they can contain Miami’s rushing attack, this game could get ugly.
#11 Texas (+7.5) vs. #3 Alabama
Both Texas and Alabama had a tune-up game last weekend, making it difficult to earnestly assess the strength of either of these rosters. However, we can still make note of roster turnover from the offseason, which is alarming in Alabama’s case. No school in the country came even close to matching Alabama’s losses to the NFL Draft this past summer. Alabama had two of the top three overall picks in this year’s draft, with quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson going to the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texas, respectively. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs went 12th overall to the Detroit Lions. Alabama also lost five players who were selected in the second or third round, and two additional defensive players who went on Day 3 in rounds five through seven. Even by Alabama’s standards, this was an extraordinary loss of talent. Facing a Texas team that has 10 returning offensive starters, the home favorites could be in trouble here.