CFB Week 2 Preview: Time To Eat.

By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast

Week Two: A Buffet of Games

We are officially bathing in an overflowing amount of action and it feels amazing. It was a great pleasure to get all three screens cooking Saturday and that pattern will gladly continue through January. We’ve already been thrown the Coach Prime storyline and the bandwagon couldn’t be filling up faster. We’re also doing a lot of toasting to conferences and rivalries that may never look the same after this season, and this season is already giving off “farewell tour” vibes before the Great Realignment of 2024.

The Week One board was an appropriately mixed bag of highs and lows in the picks world. The obvious play of the week picking Coach Prime was lots of fun. A massive shoutout has to be given to the Penn State Nittany Lions for scoring a meaningless TD that meant the world to Penn State backers (like us). For the Sunday night showcase, Noles fans were pleased to see that Jordan Travis is indeed HIM and they look to be an ACC and playoff contender this season. Now we turn to week two and another scintillating spread of matchups across the CFB landscape.

Must Watch “Main Screen” Games

#11 Texas @ #4 Alabama (-7.5) – 7 pm ET – Both teams came off of victories where they sleptwalk and won with ease, so the first quarter should show you who’s ready to rock and roll in this one. As much as I would love to believe in my local Longhorns to get a landmark win in T-Town, it’s hard to picture it coming to fruition. I foresee an absurd amount of points scored if nothing else. 

#25 Iowa @ Iowa State (+4) – 3:30 pm ET – The CyHawk series in week two? Don’t mind if we do! An ages-old in-state rivalry kicks the season into overdrive for both sides, what a way to get it going this fall. Of the two teams, Iowa looked more pedestrian in their week one win, but Iowa QB Cade McNamara should find more form as the weeks progress.

Nebraska @ Colorado (-3) – 12 pm ET  – Until Coach Prime loses, he’s in must-watch territory for college football fans and bettors. There’s no doubt Coach Prime and his Colorado Buffs surprised Vegas, coming into Fort Worth and beating TCU as a 20-point underdog. Now they host Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers for their “Are they for real?” game. Get it now at -3 just like last week, before the public money comes rolling in on Coach Prime’s crew.

Tier Two “Second Screen” Games

Ball State @ #1 Georgia (-42) – 12 pm ET – The two-time defending champs started quite slow against UT Martin and still won 48-7 and did not cover the 50-point spread. Now they have a 42-point spread to cover against Ball State. Weirdly, I like their chances to cover this week a lot more than last week now that the rust is shaken off.

#15 Oregon @ Texas Tech (+6.5) – 7 pm ET – Coming off of an embarrassing loss at home to Wyoming, the Red Raiders try to spoil the Ducks’ clean slate early in the year. This line soared after Tech’s bad loss and it should be over a touchdown by the end of the week.

#23 Texas A&M @ Miami (+4) – 3:30 pm ET – Texas A&M standout QB Connor Weigman looked great…against New Mexico. Let’s see how he looks as he goes a big step up in competition to a Miami squad that looks impressive on D in week one. There should be a shootout in Palm Gardens.

#19 Wisconsin @ Washington State (+6) – 7:30 pm ET – The surprise of my night last Saturday was Wazzou putting up a 50 burger against Colorado State – did not have that in my plays. Now that same offense gets a more brutal test from the same plodding Wisconsin team you know well, so this is a good clash of styles matchup. 

*Bonus Gem – #22 Ole Miss @ #24 Tulane (+6) – 3:30 pm ET – No respect for the green wave with that line!

The “Tablet Game” Night Capper

Oklahoma State @ Arizona State – 10:30 pm ET – Admittedly you could feast your blurred eyes on this or #6 USC vs. Stanford, but that should be over early. I’m more interested in the Tempe after-dark party atmosphere in this Big 12 vs. Pac 12 clash.

**Midnight Snack Game is UAlbany vs Hawaii kicking off at 11:59 pm ET

Week Two Plays To Watch

Colorado -3 – Get it now before it sells out and the price changes – last week was too much fun.

Miami +4 – Great spot for them at home, and they have the offensive firepower to match the Aggies.

Wisconsin -6 – Going against the grain here – The Badgers looked meh last week and Wazzou looked great. The ziggers will play off of last week but I zag here.

Tulane +6 – The disrespect in this line is palpable.

Stanford/USC Over 68 – For a fun nightcap OVER pick!