College football picks and predictions for all 83 games in Week 2, straight-up and ATS

After the first full week of the 2026 college football season was filled with blowouts and controversy, we're onto Week 2 that should hopefully be a bit more normal but still every bit as fun. We have the Top-5 showdown between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns on deck that everyone's waiting for, but don't forget about fun games like Alabama at Kentucky, Oregon at Oklahoma State, Texas Tech at Oregon State and definitely Memphis at Boise State. And you better believe we have have picks and predictions for all of those games.

We got off to a great start, not only taking just 12 straight-up losses but also posting a winning record with our college football picks against the spread. Let's stay hot, let's stay fresh and let's make some more predictions for Week 2 for every FBS game. Just give us one second like we're in Ann Arbor... Alright, to the picks!

2026 College Football picks record — Straight-Up: 79-12 | Against-the-Spread: 49-42

College football picks for every Week 2 game, straight-up and ATS

Expert picks and analysis for the biggest Week 2 CFB games

Kentucky +10.5 vs. Alabama

At first glance, this one feels a little bit like a trap, a suspiciously low number for an Alabama team with one of — if not the — best defenses in the country to lay against a Kentucky team that went 5-7 last year. And yet I’m falling for it anyway. 

Part of that is because of the faith I have in new Wildcats coach Will Stein, a sharp offensive mind with a talented quarterback in Kenny Minchey and a very underrated offensive line featuring multiple transfers with legit power-conference track records. And part of it is that, successful debut aside, I still have lingering questions about this Bama team entering Keelon Russell’s first road start. How will he hold up? Is Ryan Coleman-Williams ready to finally find some consistency? Can the Crimson Tide, so listless in this department last year, run the ball at all against a stingy Kentucky front? 

I’m willing to take the plunge getting double digits, believing that Stein and the Cats have enough talent to keep this close in what will likely be a pretty low-scoring affair. — Chris Landers

Oklahoma -5.5 at Michigan

Speaking of traps: We all saw Bryce Underwood last weekend, right? You know, the guy who couldn’t even crack 100 yards passing against a MAC defense before that miraculous final drive? And now that same quarterback is only getting less than a touchdown against one of the most diabolical defensive minds in the country — the same defensive mind that left him fully flummoxed when they met last season?

Granted, that was in Norman, and this will be in Ann Arbor. But I don’t think that’s enough of a difference for our purposes. This Wolverines offense looks lost right now, and that’s a scary place to be when you have to face Brent Venables. Michigan will no doubt reach deep into the bag of tricks, but if they can’t block anybody — and if Underwood can’t process what he’s seeing and deliver accurate throws — it won’t much matter. — Chris Landers

Arizona State +14.5 at Texas A&M

It’s entirely possible that I’m just late adjusting my priors. I was slightly skeptical of the Aggies as true SEC contenders entering the season, given all the talent they lost from last year’s team and the departure of OC Collin Klein, and the Week 1 shutout of Missouri State didn’t do all that much to move me. 

But the Sun Devils are more of a live dog than they’re getting credit for. You never quite know which Cutter Boley you’re going to get under center, but he got a year of SEC experience last year at Kentucky, and he’s got a pair of future NFL wideouts to throw to in Reed Harris and Omarion Miller. They were nearly perfect against Morgan State, and while the competition obviously ratchets up considerably this weekend, this will be a stiff test for an A&M defense breaking in several new parts. I’ll take two touchdowns and the hook and bet on Marcel Reed getting a little bit scatter-shot. — Chris Landers

Memphis (+8.5) vs. Boise State

What a fascinating Group of Six matchup in Week 2! While Boise started out the season 0-1, they took Oregon to the brink last week. I still contend some of that was about the Ducks' performance, but it shouldn't entirely belittle the Broncos. But for an undefeated Memphis group through two weeks, they're looking to tackle their second big road test of the season, having already toppled UNLV in Vegas. Now, with the G6 spot in the College Football Playoff still very much up in the air early in the season, this could be a huge game for that race.

For starters, though, I think the spread is too wide in this one. Memphis' defense, especially up front, has the ability to put Boise State's offense into trouble. That's true on the flip side, though, as the Broncos defense can get after Marcus Stokes and Co. better than any opponent they've seen to this point. I think we could see a bit of a dogfight break out. But I'm picking the Tigers outright as well, largely because I don't think we're appreciating Stokes and Jaylin Carter enough just yet. — Cody Williams

Ohio State vs. Texas (-1.5)

There's only so much we can glean from Week 1 when it comes to the marquee Ohio State-Texas matchup. No offense, but we're not going to see a similar matchup than what we did against Ball State and Texas State respectively. However, we can look at some things, like the fact that the Buckeyes were only a middling pass-blocking team against the Cardinals and that both teams tackled a bit poorly in that game as well.

But in reality, this continues to come down to several things for me as to why I've leaned Texas for months in this matchup. For one, Arch Manning is simply a better and more dynamic player than Julian Sayin and, while Jeremiah Smith is the best receiver on the field, the Longhorns have Cam Coleman and a deeper receiving core. They also have a deeper backfield and more talented offensive line and defensive line on top of that.

When you then throw in the fact that this game is in Austin, I just see too many advantages for Texas across the board. The one concern would be a coaching advantage for Ryan Day over Steve Sarkisian, but I don't think that's substantial enough to cover the ground between these two teams on paper in my estimation. — Cody Williams

Texas Tech vs. Oregon State (+26.5)

Texas Tech is quite clearly the better team in this matchup. However, they were clearly the better team in Week 1 against Abilene Christian. Specifically, Will Hammond and the Red Raiders offense were shaky at best. Now, that's to be expected for a quarterback who's a bit inexperienced and is coming off of an ACL tear, but you still would've hoped for better than that.

Certainly, I expect that to improve as the year goes on, and Texas Tech will always have the defense to lean back on. At the same time, however, this is an Oregon State team that put up a much better fight against Houston than many people actually expected. They're not a perfect team — not by a longshot — as they rebuild under JaMarcus Shephard, but I don't think they're a pushover.

Texas Tech's defense is once again going to win the day and secure the victory, but I don't know if the Red Raiders is good or cohesive enough right now to cover a four-possession spread. — Cody Williams

Note: All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds change periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow