Top 3 college football games to watch in Week 2, including Texas vs Michigan

Week 1 of college football is in the books and did not disappoint with games that came down to the wire like USC’s 27-20 win over LSU, Penn State showing it is a legitimate early College Football Playoff contender with a rain delay-filled 34-12 road victory against West Virginia and Notre Dame earning additional respect with its 23-13 win away from home over Texas A&M.

Heading into Week 2, there’s plenty of action to stay updated with as a whole new slate of games is on the horizon.

Here’s a look at the three biggest games to look into this week:

1. No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan

This contest truly has it all as the defending national champions look to prove they still have the “it factor” even without head coach Jim Harbaugh and star quarterback JJ McCarthy. It has been so far, so good for Michigan as the Wolverines took down the Fresno State Bulldogs, 30-10 to open the season.

But there is no question that Texas is a completely different animal as one of the teams expected to not only make it into the College Football Playoff but also to progress well within it. The Michigan offense had its stutters last week despite a solid defensive effort that forced a pair of interceptions off of Bulldogs quarterback Mikey Keene, and quarterbacks Davis Warren and Alex Orji can’t hold a candle to McCarthy.

This one is going to come down to a difference in quarterback play, and Quinn Ewers has the definite edge as one of the top five signal-callers in the country.

2. No. 14 Tennessee at No. 24 NC State

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava may have even surpassed the lofty expectations when he took the field for his college football debut, even if Tennessee was playing a bit of a cupcake opponent as the Volunteers hammered the Chattanooga Mocs, 69-3. It was a close competition between Iamaleava and Penn State’s Drew Allar as to who held the best quarterback performance of the week, with the Tennessee signal-caller completing 22 of his 28 passing attempts for 314 yards with 3 passing touchdowns.

NC State comes off of a 38-21 win over WCU. How both teams perform here going up against a ranked opponent for the first time this season will serve as a true measuring stick as to just where both squads are, and could expose any issues that need additional fixing. With a lot of teams across the nation opening up the season against a “lesser opponent”, that sort of test will be taking place for many programs in Weeks 2 and 3.

Tennessee is highly favored — and rightfully so — but if NC State can show it can contend against a team as highly heralded by the national media as Tennessee is right now, this one could get interesting. On the other side, Iamaleava has the chance to double down on what he did last week.

3. Kansas State at Tulane

college football Week 2 — Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

This has been an exciting matchup in the past, and in the midst of the beginning of the Jon Sumrall era, this Tulane team has a lot of intrigue behind it.

The last time the Green Wave and the Wildcats went up against one another, Tulane pulled off a shocker as a heavy underdog with a 17-10 victory on the road. That seemed to mark the turning point in what was a historical season for the Green Wave, marking what some argue as the greatest year-over-year turnaround in college football history.

The team went from 2-10 to 10-2 that year, winning the Cotton Bowl over USC, 46-45 in thrilling fashion.

This time around, we can expect to see a pair of run-heavy offenses who shouldn’t be expected to utilize the passing game nearly as much as they do the ground-and-pound. This is going to come down to which team can establish just that more effectively and prove they can stand up to a bit higher-level competition after the expected wins they delivered in Week 1.

Crissy Froyd covers college football for Sportsnaut.com Follow on X @crissy_froyd