NCAAF · 1 month ago

10 Potential Upsets for College Football Week 2

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

Arizona State at Mississippi State - 7:30 on ESPN2
Arizona State won the Big 12 last season, but do you remember the week two matchup against the lowly Mississippi State Bulldogs? That game occurred in Tempe, and Arizona State only won by a touchdown. Mississippi State looked much improved last week against Southern Miss, and they now get the Sun Devils in Starkville. ASU was unimpressive against Northern Arizona, and I think the Bulldogs will actually win this game outright. Give me more cowbell!

Arizona State (-6.5) at Mississippi State

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James Madison at Louisville (-13.5) - Friday at 7:00 on ESPN2
The James Madison Dukes are one of the best teams in the Group of Five, and they are the favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference. They bring a physical brand of football to Louisville for a Friday night tilt against the Cardinals. Louisville should be ready for that fight, as they can respond with a pair of dynamite running backs and a Jeff Brohm offense prepared to put up big numbers. This game is an entertaining standalone contest on Friday as an appetizer.

Louisville -13.5 vs. James Madison

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UConn at Syracuse - Noon at ESPN+
The UConn Huskies have been very bad on the gridiron for a very long time, but Jim Mora Jr. has made the Huskies respectable. The Huskies were 9-4 last season (their first winning season since 2010). A veteran quarterback leads them in Joe Fagnano, and they will not be intimidated by the Orange. Syracuse is vulnerable on defense after getting battered by Tennessee last weekend.

UConn (-6.5) at Syracuse
Ole Miss at Kentucky - 3:30 on ABC
Ole Miss was probably better in 2024 than they were in 2025. They lost Jaxson Dart and a slew of very talented defensive linemen and are breaking in some new pieces to try to replace those stars. The Kentucky Wildcats still went on the road to Oxford and stunned the Rebels, pulling off a huge upset. This weekend, Kentucky is at home and hosting Ole Miss in a first road test for quarterback Austin Simmons. That makes UK a live dog despite a very weak offense.

Ole Miss (-10.5) at Kentucky
Kansas at Missouri - 3:30 on ESPN2
Kansas and Missouri have played 120 times in football, with Missouri holding a slight edge in the series (57 to 54), but the two have not played since 2011, and they have not met in Columbia since 2006. The rivalry gets renewed this weekend, and the Kansas Jayhawks enter with a ton of momentum after a 2-0 start. At the same time, Missouri dominated in Week 1 and feels good about how transfer quarterback Beau Pribula played. If Jalon Daniels is healthy for 60 minutes, the Jayhawks will be an absolute handful.

Kansas (-7) at Missouri
Memphis at Georgia State - 7:00 on ESPN+
The Memphis Tigers had to start nearly entirely over on offense coming into the 2025 season. They did put up 45 points at home last week, but that was against the Chattanooga Mocs, and they threw for less than 200 yards in the blowout. There are a ton of question marks as they hit the road for the first time, and Georgia State is a capable opponent that averaged 5.46 yards per carry against Ole Miss last week.

Memphis (-13.5) at Georgia State
South Florida at Florida - 4:15 on SEC Network
The week two in-state matchup between the South Florida Bulls and the Florida Gators is much more interesting than most people thought it would be after the Bulls dominated the Boise State Broncos last week. South Florida looked awesome, and Byrum Brown is healthy and ready to shock the world. Florida has a healthy quarterback of their own and looks like a legitimate playoff contender, but it cannot afford a loss to the Bulls. This one could be a whole lot of fun, and USF has the athletes on both sides of the ball to make it tough for the Gators.

USF at Florida (-17.5)
North Carolina at Charlotte - 7:00 on ESPN+
This one is a long shot because Charlotte has a long way to go in their rebuilding project under former Ohio head coach Tim Albin. The 49ers are not a particularly dangerous opponent. That said, the North Carolina Tar Heels looked about as bad as possible against the TCU Horned Frogs on Monday night, and they now have a road game on a short week. How will they respond to getting drubbed on national television? That’s anyone’s guess, and they do need to be leery because if they tackle like they did against TCU, they’ll fall to 0-2.

UNC (-13.5) at Charlotte
Western Kentucky at Toledo - 7:00 on ESPN+
Toledo had a respectable showing in Week 1 against the Kentucky Wildcats. Still, there should absolutely be concern about whether or not they can score enough points to keep up with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. WKU has played two games and scored 41 points (with more than 400 yards passing) and 55 points, and they are now averaging 400 yards through the air. You know precisely what you’re getting with Tyson Helton’s offense, and I think Western Kentucky wins this game outright.

WKU at Toledo (-7.5)
Tulane at South Alabama - 7:00 on ESPN+
Head coach Jon Sumrall and the Tulane Green Wave drummed the Northwestern Wildcats to open the season, but they now face a real trap game in a road contest at South Alabama. Next week, the Green Wave hosts former quarterback Darian Mensah and the Duke Blue Devils, and they will undoubtedly be looking ahead. South Alabama had a week to work out the kinks after replacing a bunch of players in the transfer portal. This is a dangerous spot for Tulane.

Tulane (-10.5) at South Alabama
Arizona State at Mississippi State - 7:30 on ESPN2
Arizona State won the Big 12 last season, but do you remember the week two matchup against the lowly Mississippi State Bulldogs? That game occurred in Tempe, and Arizona State only won by a touchdown. Mississippi State looked much improved last week against Southern Miss, and they now get the Sun Devils in Starkville. ASU was unimpressive against Northern Arizona, and I think the Bulldogs will actually win this game outright. Give me more cowbell!

Arizona State (-6.5) at Mississippi State

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James Madison at Louisville (-13.5) - Friday at 7:00 on ESPN2
The James Madison Dukes are one of the best teams in the Group of Five, and they are the favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference. They bring a physical brand of football to Louisville for a Friday night tilt against the Cardinals. Louisville should be ready for that fight, as they can respond with a pair of dynamite running backs and a Jeff Brohm offense prepared to put up big numbers. This game is an entertaining standalone contest on Friday as an appetizer.

Louisville -13.5 vs. James Madison

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10 Potential Upsets for College Football Week 2

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