College football Week 2: Picks and preview

Remember the name Hank Bachmeier. He's the freshman quarterback who overcame a rough start at Florida State last weekend to throw for 407 yards and help Boise State score 23 unanswered points to stun the Seminoles 36-31. Bachmeier and the Broncos are back on the blue turf to face a solid Marshall team. The Thundering Herd is 0-16 against Top 25 teams since winning at then-No. 6 Kansas State in September 2003.

Prediction: Boise State 35, Marshall 21 

The Hawkeyes took some time to get going against Miami (Ohio) last weekend, scoring 28 points in the second half. Iowa could have an easier time in its Big Ten opener. Rutgers has dropped 12 consecutive Big Ten games since beating Maryland on Nov. 4, 2017. 

This has the potential to be fun. Syracuse allowed 234 yards while pitching a shutout at Liberty. The hosts, the betting favorite in this contest, pummeled Howard, 79-0 last weekend. The Orange will pose a greater challenge than Howard, but the Terps should prevail.

Prediction: Maryland 31, Syracuse 17 

Army needed a late fourth-quarter touchdown to beat Rice, 14-7, at home last week. Ailing key contributors Jon Runyan Jr., a left tackle, and Donovan Peoples-Jones, a receiver, could be back for Michigan  After spotting Middle Tennessee a 7-0 lead in the opener, the Wolverines took care of business. Things might follow the same path in this one.

Prediction: Michigan 30, Army 13

QB Justin Fields made quite the impression in his Ohio State debut, at least early on, in a 45-21 win over Florida Atlantic. The versatile Fields and his Buckeyes should face a stiffer test from former OSU assistant Luke Fickell's Bearcats in the coach's return to Columbus. This is the first meeting between the schools since Ohio State's 50-28 win in 2014. The final result could be closer than you might think.

Prediction: Ohio State 30, Cincinnati 20 

While the Utes' offense still needs some fine-tuning, its defense seems poised to be one of the best in the country. In an opening win against BYU, the Utes held the Cougars to 300 yards. A year ago, Utah limited Northern Illinois to 228 yards. The Huskies, the reigning Mid-American Conference champs, have a solid defense, but their offense  looks suspect under new coach Thomas Hammock. 

Prediction: Utah 33, Northern Illinois 9 

Clemson won at Texas A&M last season, 28-26. The Aggies are better than they were last season, but an upset at Death Valley might be too much to ask. Clemson hasn't lost a non-conference game at home since November 2012. 

Clemson 27, Texas A&M 17 

Colorado won a wild affair a year ago, 33-28, in Lincoln. It was a coming-out party of sorts for Buffaloes receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (10 receptions, 177 yards).The Cornhuskers didn't exactly cruise against South Alabama at home (amassing just 276 total yards in the 35-21 win) last weekend. 

Prediction: Colorado 35, Nebraska 31

News alert: Jonathan Taylor is good. The Badgers' Heisman Trophy contender ran for 135 yards and totaled four touchdowns in the 49-0 rout at South Florida. Wisconsin limited the Bulls to 157 yards. That doesn't bode well for Central Michigan.

Prediction: Wisconsin 32, Central Michigan 7 

If Tua Tagovailoa was not the Heisman front-runner before the season started, he could be after going 26-of-31 for 336 yards with four TDs against Duke. He did that in less than a full game, and we'd be surprised if the Alabama star quarterback sees any action beyond the middle of the third quarter.

Prediction: Alabama 51, New Mexico State 0

Georgia made things look relatively easy against SEC foe Vanderbilt in its opener. Imagine what could happen in this one. A deep Georgia team should be able to show off its depth against this FCS opponent.

Prediction: Georgia 55, Murray State 7

Washington State looked like a well-oiled machine, even with a new quarterback, while dismantling New Mexico State 58-7 last week. Keep an eye on running back Max Borghi (10 carries 128 yards), who could again be in for a big game. This also might be another confidence-boost opportunity for the Cougars defense.

Prediction: Washington State 52, Northern Colorado 7

While preparations for both schools continue for this game, much could depend on any potential impact from Hurricane Dorian. If we throw out the first quarter, FAU outscored Ohio State 21-17 the rest of the way of last week's 45-21 defeat. UCF won't have it as easy as it did vs. Florida A&M, but the Knights should still put this one away relatively easily.

Prediction: UCF 33, FAU 17

Jalen Hurts elevated his Heisman status after totaling 508 yards and six touchdowns in last week's win over Houston. More noteworthy: The Sooners' defense allowed just 17 points to a quality offense over the first three quarters. Facing an FCS squad at home, Oklahoma's defense should dominate.

Prediction: Oklahoma 65, South Dakota 14

In a comeback win over Oregon in Week 1, Auburn freshman QB Bo Nix and the Tigers' defense shined. Tulane is 0-29 against Top 25 teams since 1996.

Prediction: Auburn 31, Tulane 15

Back in action after a week off, Florida faces an FCS team that's been outscored 177-26 in its last three games against Top 25 teams. Florida's defense clamped down in the second half in the opener vs. Miami, but its offense managed just 304 yards against the Hurricanes. Quarterback Feleipe Franks did show some moxie on the go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter.

Prediction: Florida 40, UT Martin 20

The Spartans' offense might again be an issue, but the defense could be the best in the Big Ten. Michigan State held Tulsa to 80 yards and defensive end Kenny Willekes was the star in the 28-7 win last week. The Spartans have dominated the series with Western Michigan, but the Broncos usually make them sweat a little.

Prediction: Michigan State 24, Western Michigan 10 

The Ducks managed just 332 yards in blowing a 15-point, third-quarter lead against Auburn. There was plenty of blame to go around, as Oregon failed on both sides of the ball. The Ducks can't afford to let their opening loss linger. Nevada came from 31-14 down in the third quarter to beat Purdue last weekend.

Prediction: Oregon 32, Nevada 17

Penn State coach James Franklin apparently is having to defend himself for the Nittany Lions' lopsided 79-7 win over Idaho last weekend. Buffalo is not as talented as it was last season, when it reached Mid-American Conference Championship. Buffalo lost to Penn State 27-14 in 2015.

Prediction: Penn State 27, Buffalo 10

This has the potential to be the best game of the weekend. Great storylines. A huge prime-time matchup back in Austin. Sam Ehlinger against LSU's uber-talented secondary. Joe Burrow proving he should be mentioned along with the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the country. The Tigers are favored, and this feels like it's going to be an instant classic.

Prediction: Texas 20, LSU 19 

The matchup between talented quarterbacks in Stanford's K.J. Costello and USC's JT Daniels should have been the highlight of this early-season showdown. Instead, Costello is iffy after taking a shot to the head in last weekend's win over Northwestern, and Daniels suffered a season-ending ACL and meniscus tear vs. Fresno State in the opener. True freshman Kedon Slovis will start for the Trojans against a Cardinal defense that held Northwestern to 210 yards.

Prediction: Stanford 16, USC 10 

Washington quarterback Jacob Eason threw for four TDs in an opening win against Eastern Washington. Eason may not be taking snaps from star center Nick Harris, who's injured. Though the Huskies lost at Cal in 2018, they've won five of the last six at home in the series.

Prediction: Washington 29, Cal 14 

Kelly Bryant, a transfer from Clemson, threw for 423 yards with two touchdowns in his debut for Missouri. He also had two turnovers in the 37-31 loss at Wyoming last weekend. The Tigers must run the ball better and their defense must improve after yielding 27 second-quarter points to the Cowboys. West Virginia, meanwhile, did not have an easy time beating FCS power James Madison, 20-13, in its opener and should have it even tougher this weekend.

Prediction: Missouri 31, West Virginia 30  

UCLA is in danger of starting 0-2 for a second straight season. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed just eight passes and was responsible for four turnovers in last week's 24-14 loss at Cincinnati. SDSU managed two field goals in its opener vs. Weber State, but that was enough for a 6-0 win. UCLA won the most recent meeting in 2009.

Prediction: UCLA 12, San Diego State 10

Tennessee's home loss to Georgia State last week may be the worst in school history. That might not bode well for coach Jeremy Pruitt, even if his team bounces back to beat BYU. That's far from a sure thing. Even though BYU has a middling offense, it played rival Utah tough for a half before losing 30-12 last week.

Prediction: Tennessee 20, BYU 14