2026 NCAA College Football Week 2 Picks

NCAA College Football Week 2 Picks - Early Games

DTMagazine Home
Sports Home
NCAA College Week 2 - early games

Untitled

Fearless Rick & Coin Flip NCAA Week 2 Late Games

All times Eastern

Alabama (-10.5, 49) @ Kentucky 3:30 pm (ABC) - Big test for the Crimson Tide, playing at a place that has been tough for visitors over the past few seasons. Bama QB Keelon Russell was 18-for-30 against East Carolina last week in a 48-10 win, but he didn’t get much help from his offensive line and had no TD passes.

Kentucky blew out Youngstown State, 45-13, last week. QB Kenny Minchey was 18-for-27 for 301 yards and four scores. Alabama will have their hands full on both sides of the ball.

Coin Flip: Alabama

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Wildcats 27 Crimson Tide 24

Arizona @ 15 BYU (-7.5, 47.5) 3:30 pm (FOX) - The Wildcats got off to a solid start with a 35=7 win over Northern Arizona, but BYU looked simply awesome in their 63-7 blowout of Utah Tech.

The Wildcats return Noah Fifita for his fourth year as starting QB, but he’s never proven to be much more than a manager for a middle tier team. The Cougars, on the other hand, look ready to challenge for the Big 12 crown and that’s why they’re more than a TD favorite at home.

Coin Flip: BYU

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Cougars 30 Wildcats 17

Mississippi State (-1.5, 56) @ Minnesota 3:30 pm (CBS) - As expected, Minnesota blew away Eastern Illinois last week, 59-7, but that doesn’t make them a championship-caliber team. The Golden Gophers held their own in the Big Ten last season, going 5-4, but they suffered big losses to Ohio State, Oregon, and Iowa. They’re better than last season, but the Bulldogs, who were just 1-7 in SEC play last season, have retooled and have Kamario Taylor behind center, a major plus factor.

Taylor, a sophomore, opened his season by hitting 22 of 34 passes for 354 yards and four touchdownsDs in a blowout, 62-13, win over Louisiana-Monroe last week. Minnesota will defend better, but there is plenty of upside for the Bulldogs this year.

Coin Flip: Minnesota

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Bulldogs 41 Golden Gophers 31

1 Ohio State @ 4 Texas (-1.5, 48.5) 7:30 pm (ABC) - Arch Manning and the Longhorns return to avenge last season’s 14-7 loss to the Buckeyes, but this time they get home field advantage, which could be huge. Bigger yet, the return of Arch Manning and a strong Texas rushing attack.

Obviously, both teams are loaded, but the Longhorns have what appears to be a very strong running game and their defense is likely to be better than last year’s, which was already darn good. Ohio State has its #1 ranking on the line and are fully reloaded. Should be a fun affair.

Coin Flip: Ohio State

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Longhorns 24 Buckeyes 20

13 Texas Tech (-26.5, 53.5) @ Oregon State 7:30 pm (CBS) - The Red Raiders will be vying for a return to the CFP this season after being ousted in a quarterfinal game by Oregon, 23-0. Finishing with a 12-2 record in 2025, Tech will need to be at their best against all opponents. Their 33-10 win over Abilene Christian last week was hardly convincing, but it was, after all, just a tune-up.

Oregon State will make a game of this, just as they did in heir 33-20 loss to Houston last week. With a hug spread against them, the Beavers will play sound defense and possibly give their offense some decent field positions from which to launch drives. Figure this to be much closer than the line suggests.

Coin Flip: Oregon State

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Red Raiders 31 Beavers 20

Iowa State @ 21 Iowa (-14, 40.5) 8:00 pm (NBC) - Don’t let the line fool you. This game is traditionally very close as in-state rivalries often are.

Both teams come in at 1-0 after blowout wins, but you can toss all the stats and hype out in this Big Ten - Big 12 affair.

Coin Flip: Iowa

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Hawkeyes 21 Cyclones 10

Click here for early games.

Untitled

All information relating to the content of magazines presented in the Collectible Magazine Back Issue Price Guide has been independently sourced from published works and is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. All pages on this web site, including descriptions and details are copyright 1999-2026 Downtown Magazine Inc., Collectible Magazine Back Issue Price Guide. All rights reserved.

Untitled

IdleGuy.com September 2026, Vol. 3 #9