Here we analyze the NCAAF Week 2 Top Games! Moving into Week 2 of the college football season means that a few more teams are moving into conference play.
As the newly enlarged ACC, SEC and Big Ten schedules show, there are also some new matchups for sports betting enthusiasts to familiarize themselves with, such as Utah taking on Baylor down up in Salt Lake City in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
The Utes are 14-point favorites in that showdown – but should you include it in your wager list?
We have several matchups for you to include – and one that you should leave alone.
NCAAF Week 2 Top Games to Watch and Bet On
BYU Cougars (+11) at SMU Mustangs (O/U 56)
Friday, September 6, 7:00 pm ET, ESPN2
SMU struggled mightily for the first three quarters in their season opener at Nevada, trailing going into the fourth before scoring 16 unanswered points to come away with a 29-24 win.
They routed Houston Christian last year, but that was an FCS tomato can.
BYU is a Big 12 team that opened their season last week with a 41-13 thumping of Southern Illinois.
This 11-point line seems a bit large, and let’s also remember a few things – Friday night games are disruptive in terms of travel and can make life hard for the road team.
SMU tends to do poorly with prosperity, especially when they don’t play at home on Saturdays.
However, BYU has a pass defense that can get torched.
The Cougars should have the advantage in the trenches, and it’s hard to predict which SMU offense and defense will show up in terms of effort and energy. Stay away!
^Arkansas Razorbacks (+8) at Oklahoma State Cowboys (O/U 62.5)
Saturday, September 7, 12:00 pm ET
Oklahoma State would love to get into the 12-team College Football Playoff, but if they’re going to get there, they need to stop SEC spoiler Arkansas at home in Week 2.
The Cowboys are favored by just over a touchdown, but if you look at Arkansas’ recent history as underdogs, they have covered in 17 of their last 26 games as dogs since 2020, when Sam Pittman became the head coach.
In 19 of their last 26 games, Arkansas has also seen their game point totals go over the line.
Oklahoma State doesn’t have an ironclad defense, and their offense can pour on the points as well, as we saw in their 44-20 win over South Dakota State in Week 1.
So I’m going with Arkansas to cover, take the over.
^Iowa State Cyclones (+2.5) at Iowa Hawkeyes (O/U 35.5)
Saturday, September 7, 3:30 pm ET, CBS/Paramount+
Don’t look now, but the Iowa Hawkeyes have installed a new offense – and it works.
It took a while to get up and running, as they only managed six points in the first half against FCS for Illinois State in Week 1.
However, they stacked up 34 points in the second half. Now comes Iowa State – a team with a top defense and an intriguing signal-caller in Rocco Becht.
Becht had a terrific freshman campaign, and he completed 77 percent of his passes in the team’s season opener against North Dakota (also an FCS opponent), picking up 267 yards through the air and accounting for two touchdowns.
Iowa has Cade McNamara, the former Michigan quarterback, running the offense. He had a tough 2023 due to a knee injury, but he’s healthy now, and with the new offense, the Hawkeyes averaged over seven yards a play.
McNamara went 21 of 31 for 251 yards and three scores. Iowa has won 11 of the last 15 games in this Cy-Hawk rivalry.
NCAAF Pick: Iowa to win and cover.
^Houston Cougars (+29.5) at #16 Oklahoma Sooners (O/U 49.5)
Saturday, September 7, 7:45 pm ET
Oklahoma dominated Temple in their season opener, 51-3, covering a 42.5-point spread.
Quarterback Jackson Arnold threw for 141 yards and four scores before getting to watch and rest the remainder of the game.
The Sooners also ran for a touchdown and picked up 220 yards on 36 carries, picking up 6.1 yards per carry. Houston lost to UNLV, 27-7, in Willie Fritz’s debut as head coach for the Cougars.
The offense lost a lot of talent through the transfer portal after Dana Holgorsen joined Sonny Dykes’ staff at TCU, so this is not the run-and-gun Cougar offense that we’ve seen in seasons past, at least not yet.
NCAAF Pick: Oklahoma to win and cover.
^The Top 10 Games of Week 2 🍿 pic.twitter.com/pep7KPGLX5
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) September 2, 2024
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