After Week One's madness of high stakes ranked-on-ranked action, this is... not that. But it's a full fun couple days of college football with some offbeat rivalry games in an unseasonably cool early fall. Enjoy it!
Friday
James Madison @ Louisville (-15) - 7/6 ESPN 2: Jeff Brohm's teams are usually a lot of fun to watch - JMU probably won't be able to hang, but they're a solid program (and one that I've never met a bad alumni. Good, social folks). Miller Moss should be able to play loose out from under the psychodrama that is Lincoln Riley USC Football.
Northern Illinois @ Maryland (-16) - 7:30/6:30 BTN: We all know what Northern Illinois is capable of after last year. Maryland Football in the Big Ten is a pretty joyless experience, even when Taulia Tagovailoa was slinging it around last year. Freshman QB Malik Washington looked great against FAU.
Saturday
Early
San Jose State @ #7 Texas (-36) - 12/11 ABC: After last weeks defensive heavyweight battle in the Shoe, this is a gentle walk in the park against a lower-level G5 program that lost all of its good players from a good-by-their-standards team last year. Enjoy the demolition.
Iowa @ #16 Iowa State (-3) - 12/11 FOX: El Assico returns! Matt Campbell didn't shit the bed in a major televised rivalry game in Week Zero, but the chance comes to do it again against a powerfully mid Hawkeyes squad.
#11 Illinois (-2.5) @ Duke - 12/11 ESPN: Bert! Manny Diaz! Durham! This is actually a fun, good matchup of coaches Texas fans have plenty of history with (provided Duke playing with their food against Elon was just a vanilla first game and not a sign of deeper badness).
Baylor @ #17 SMU (-4) - 12/11 CW: Will the wheels fully fall of the Aranda train? Is SMU a paper tiger or for real? Could be a fun one at Gerald Ford (not that one) Stadium.
Mid-Afternoon
Kansas @ Mizzou (-6.5) - 3:30 / 2:30 ESPN2: Border War! A pretty intense rivalry between two often overlooked schools. Neither is ranked, but neither is actually bad either, and Liepold and Drinkwitz are quality coaches.
#20 Ole Miss (-9) @ Kentucky (-6.5) - 3:30 / 2:30 ABC: Kentucky annoyingly avoided the upset against Toledo (barely) but now it's definitely time for prime sad Stoops face.
West Virginia (-3) @ Ohio - 4/3 ESPNU: Why on earth is this game happening. Ohio nearly upset Rutgers in Piscataway and now they get another bad P5 school, this time in Athens (the Midwestern one). As you can see by the line, The 'eers on are upset alert.
South Florida @ #13 Florida (-19) - 4/3 SECN: South Florida's upset of Boise State means this game has a little more life than expected. The Gators should roll, but the USF defense can cause those talented but fragile skill players some problems.
Primetime
#15 Michigan @ #18 Oklahoma (-5.5) - 7:30 / 6:30 ABC: A matchup of great programs, beautiful jerseys, and mid-to-decent football teams. Here's hoping the Michigan defense pounds Mateer and Ott to dust behind that suspect OL and terrorizes their JUCO caliber WRs.
#12 Arizona State (-7) @ Mississippi State - 7:30 / 6:30 ESPN2: Is ASU for real again? Does Miss State have any juice at all this year? Even if it's uncompetitive, watching Sam Leavitt made a bunch of rednecks sad is a joy.
Vanderbilt (-4.5) @ Virginia Tech - 7:30 / 6:30 ACCN: A chance to watch Diego Pavia in a cool venue and another measuring stick for the bottom half of the SEC.
UCLA (-2) @ UNLV - 8 / 7 CBSSN: Dan Mullen's UNLV is 2-0. Nico Iamaleava looked like butt as UCLA got smoked 43-10 by a revitalized Utah. There's a chance for some fun on Saturday in Vegas.
After Dark
Stanford @ BYU (-19) - 10:15/9:15 ESPN: You guys want to see a dead tree?