The Weekend’s Big 5
Michigan’s trip to Notre Dame is one of this weekend’s top college football games.
The Week 2 college football schedule got underway Thursday with Arizona fending off UT-San Antonio in a game that was much closer than most expected.
The schedule continues Friday with a pair of games, including an ACC matchup between Pittsburgh and Boston College.
While the schedule remains somewhat weak at this early stage of the season, Betting Sports has sifted through the docket and found the weekend’s top five games to tune into. We start with a pair of rivals going head-to-head in the Big 12.
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No. 20 Kansas State at Iowa State
Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA (Sat, 12:00 p.m. ET)
No. 20 Kansas State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) took care of business in Week 1, thumping Stephen F. Austin 55-16. Now the Wildcats will look to get their Big 12 campaign off to a success start against their long term rivals.
Iowa State (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) was on the wrong end of a 34-14 score line last weekend, falling to North Dakota State of the FCS. That’s a bad omen for a team that hasn’t had a winning season in five years. The Cyclones have dropped six straight, and 20 of the last 24, against the Wildcats, but will be hoping to pull off a shocker in this one.
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No. 14 Southern California at No. 13 Stanford
Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA (Sat, 3:30 p.m. ET)
In a Pac-12 showdown that has the potential to be the game of the weekend, No. 13 Stanford (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) will host No. 14 Southern California (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) in what is turning into one of the conference’s best rivalries.
The Cardinal began the season with a definitive shutout of the Big Sky’s UC-Davis. More impressively, the Trojans thumped Fresno State, a team that had success last year and could have proven to be a spoiler as Steve Sarkisian was charged with helping his team navigate some bumpy waters.
A 20-17 victory saw the Trojans snap a four-game losing streak against Stanford when these two sides met at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last season.
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No. 15 Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
LP Field, Nashville, TN (Sat, 4:30 p.m. ET)
SEC rivals go head-to-head in the confines of Nashville’s pro football stadium Saturday as No. 15 Ole Miss (1-0, 0-0 SEC) and Vanderbilt (0-1, 0-0 SEC) lock horns.
While the SEC may have higher profile teams amidst its ranks, this one will come with plenty of pomp and pageantry as the Rebels look to make it two wins on the bounce against their long-time rivals, something they haven’t done since the 2004 and 2005 campaigns.
Having opened as a 14-point underdog, the Commodores have seen their odds stretch even further this week, and will most likely enter the game with the spread above 20. But can they pull off an upset and unsettle their ranked rivals?
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No. 7 Michigan State at No. 3 Oregon
Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR (Sat, 6:30 p.m. ET)
For many, No. 7 Michigan State (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) is the pick of the Big Ten, thanks in no small part to Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller being out for the season. The Spartans’ run to a national championship could be derailed early though, as the team heads west for this high profile showdown.
No. 3 Oregon (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) put the pedal to the metal against FCS school South Dakota a week ago, putting up 41 points by the half in what turned out to be a 62-13 victory. Scoring will be a touch more difficult against the Spartans on Saturday, but most expect the Ducks to pass this early test with flying colors. The Spartans will work hard for the upset though.
The two schools have each won two head-to-head matchups, with the last meeting coming in 1999, a 27-20 Spartans’ win.
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Michigan at No. 16 Notre Dame
Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN (Sat, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Looking to redeem itself after a pair of disappointing seasons, Michigan (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) began this campaign by avoiding any banana skins against Appalachian State in Week 1. Now the Wolverines turn their attention to a more credible opponent, and one they’re very familiar with.
Notre Dame (1-0) also began the season with a victory, topping Rice 48-17 as Everett Golson accounted for five touchdowns in the season opener. The Fighting Irish now hit the field for the first of six rivalry games on this year’s (cutthroat) schedule.
While Michigan may have endured a disappointing season a year ago, the Wolverines did pick up a win over their rivals from South Bend. That’s four wins in five head-to-head meetings for the team from Ann Arbor, Mich. They enter Saturday’s game under the lights as a narrow underdog.
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