Stan Becton | NCAA.com | September 7, 2021 The college football fan's guide to Week 2 games College football bold predictions with B/R's Adam Kramer Share After an exciting opening week, college football is in full swing and Week 2 features exciting cross-conference games and compelling storylines. On one hand, teams will look to start the season with back-to-back wins, building momentum before conference play picks up. On the other hand, teams will look to bounce back in Week 2 to avoid a dreaded 0-2 start. Two matchups feature two ranked teams this week: No. 12 Oregon at No. 3 Ohio State and No. 10 Iowa at No. 9 Iowa State. Week 2 preview: Top games to watch No. 12 Oregon at No. 3 Ohio State | 12 p.m. | FOX Week 2 is highlighted by the matchup of No. 12 Oregon and No. 3 Ohio State. There are stars throughout both rosters, including one of the best defensive players in college football — Oregon's DE Kayvon Thibodeaux. It remains to be seen if the stud DE will play after suffering an injury in Week 1. If healthy, Thibodeaux and crew will look to get the Ducks their first win in school history against a Buckeye team that scored 45 points in Week 1. This game has the potential to be a game of the year candidate. Players to watch: QB CJ Stroud (OSU), WR Garrett Wilson (OSU), WR Chris Olave (OSU), DT Haskell Garrett (OSU), QB Anthony Brown (ORE), DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (ORE), LB Noah Sewell (ORE) RANKINGS: All major college football polls No. 10 Iowa at No. 9 Iowa State | 4:30 p.m. | ABC It was a tale of two cities in the state of Iowa during Week 1. In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes routed then-No. 17 Indiana. Two hours away in Ames, the Cyclones barely came away with a victory over an FCS Northern Iowa team. Iowa State will look to put that game behind them with in-state rival Iowa coming into town for a top 10 matchup. Each team faces the challenge of slowing down a dynamic running back as RB Tyler Goodson and RB Breece Hall are two of the best in the sport. As always, this rivalry should be exciting. Players to watch: RB Tyler Goodson (Iowa), C Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa), DE Zach VanValkenburg (Iowa), QB Brock Purdy (ISU), RB Breece Hall (ISU), DB Will McDonald (ISU) No. 21 Utah at BYU | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN The Holy War returns in Week 2 when Utah visits BYU. The in-state rivalry is always intense as 100 games have been played all-time between the two schools. The Utes enter the game with a win under their belt after new transfer quarterback Charlie Brewer threw two touchdowns in his first game wearing crimson and white. The Cougars are coming off a solid win over Arizona in Las Vegas. Despite Utah's recent ranking in the AP Poll, look for the underdog BYU to lean on their home crowd and challenge their rival. SCHEDULE: Full FBS tv schedule and times Players to watch: QB Charlie Brewer (Utah), RB Tavion Thomas (Utah), LB Devin Lloyd (Utah), DE Mika Tafua (Utah), RB Tyler Allgeier (BYU), WR Neil Pau'u, C James Empey (BYU), LB Payton Wilgar (BYU) LATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: Georgia wins 2021 CFP national title RANKINGS: AP Top 25 Poll | USA Today Coaches | CFP top 25| Every poll, explained | AP Poll accuracy MORE: Longest active road winning streaks | 15 of the most successful walk-ons HISTORY: National champs | Winningest teams | Coaches with most titles Big Week 2 questions Who will bounce back after an opening week loss? Eight ranked teams lost their season-opening game in Week 1, with three losses coming to unranked teams. To avoid falling into a 0-2 hole, teams will try to bounce back this week. However, teams like Miami (FL) and Washington face tough opponents in Appalachian State and Michigan; their road to a first victory won't be easy. Big-name players also struggled in Week 1 and will look to bounce back. Quarterbacks Sam Howell (North Carolina) and DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson) opened the 2021 season as Heisman candidates, but each struggled in their opening losses with QBRs of 41.1 and 36.7, respectively. The two direly need a bounce-back performance in Week 2, not only individually, but also to get their teams going in the right direction. RECAP: Georgia def. Clemson | Virginia Tech def. North Carolina What FCS team will land the next upset? There were six FCS-over-FBS upsets in Week 1, tripling the total from last season. With 37 FCS vs. FBS games on the schedule in Week 2, the opportunity is ripe for another upset. FBS teams should be on alert, especially with seven ranked FCS teams on the weekend slate. UPSET ALERT: Track the latest FCS-over-FBS upsets here AP Poll Ranking Coaches Poll Alabama 1 Alabama Georgia 2 Georgia Ohio State 3 Ohio State Oklahoma 4 Oklahoma Texas A&M 5 Texas A&M Clemson 6 Clemson Cincinnati 7 Notre Dame Notre Dame 8 Cincinnati Iowa State 9 Florida Iowa 10 Iowa State Penn State 11 Oregon Oregon 12 Iowa Florida 13 Penn State Southern California 14 Southern California Texas 15 Texas UCLA 16 UCLA Coastal Carolina 17 Wisconsin Wisconsin 18 Utah Virginia Tech 19 Coastal Carolina Ole Miss 20 Ole Miss Utah 21 Virginia Tech Miami (FL) 22 North Carolina Arizona State 23 Oklahoma State North Carolina 24 Miami (FL) Auburn 25 Arizona State Way-too-early 2022 FCS playoff bracket predictions It's May and the FCS playoffs aren't until November, but that doesn't matter because we predicted the 24-team 2022 FCS playoff field anyway. READ MORE 9 potential breakout FCS football teams in the 2022 season Here's a look at the potential breakout FCS teams for the 2022 season. READ MORE Colleges and conferences with the most players drafted in the 2022 NFL draft Georgia had 15 players selected in the NFL draft, eclipsing the previous modern-era record of 14 picks, which was set by Ohio State in the 2004 NFL draft and later tied by LSU in 2020. The Bulldogs have five defensive players selected in the first round from a unit that allowed a national-best 10.2 points per game last season. READ MORE