By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
Sports
2026 Week 2 Selected Big Ten College Football Previews
Week two in the Big Ten brings three head-to-head matchups with the SEC, a trio of contests with the ACC, and two games with the Big 12.
Rounding out our West Coast schedule are a pair of games against the Pac-12, and USC’s final non-conference game vs Louisiana.
This week, in addition to the four regional contests, I opted for the two marquee matchups between the Big Ten and SEC: Oklahoma at Michigan and Ohio State at Texas.
The Wolverines didn’t impress last week, but given the controversy surrounding their opener, their matchup with the Sooners will draw plenty of viewers.
(Minnesota hosts Mississippi State for the third meeting between the two conferences)
Here are my previews for all six games.
Saturday, September 12
9:00 AM PT, ESPN
(Dave Pash, Dusty Dvorcek, and Taylor McGregor)
Line: Oregon –22.5
Over/Under: 57.5
A year ago, when these teams met, the Ducks absolutely dominated the Cowboys. Oregon averaged 10.2 yards per play in a 69-3 beatdown that was the beginning of the end for then-OSU coach Mike Gundy.
The rematch in Stillwater this week will be the home opener for new head coach Eric Morris. The season opener did not go as planned for the Big 12 outfit as they suffered a second consecutive loss to in-state foe Tulsa on the road.
Nonetheless, the home crowd is expected to turn out for the No. 6 Ducks, who bring the nation’s longest active road win streak (12 games) to Boone Pickens Stadium.
While some Duck fans may be disappointed by UO’s season-opening performance vs. Boise State, a win against a potential Playoff team makes it easier to accept. By contrast, OSU’s loss to Tulsa has to have Cowboy fans scratching their heads.
Sure, it was Game One for the new staff, but Morris brought a slew of North Texas players with him from a team that went 12-2 and played for the AAC title, the same AAC that saw Tulsa go 1-7 in league play in 2025.
Oregon was less than stellar last week, committing 10 penalties, but that can be fixed. Defensively, UO probably should have dominated against Boise, but had way too many missed tackles.
The UO secondary will be challenged by Drew Mestemaker and the Cowboy passing attack, but I look for much more solid play this week.
This outcome isn’t likely to mirror last year’s 69-3 thrashing, but it will be one-sided in favor of the Ducks.
Winner: Oregon
ATS: Oregon
O/U: Over
Saturday, September 12
9:00 AM PT, FOX
(Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft)
Line: Oklahoma –5.5
Over/Under: 43.5
Oklahoma looked like world-beaters in their opener against UTEP. Michigan looked dreadful in their season-opening “win” over Western Michigan.
Perhaps the only thing more embarrassing than the Wolverines’ performance on the field was their fans storming the field after barely sneaking past the Broncos thanks to the inexplicable actions of Big Ten replay officials.
Aside from the game-opening and closing drives, Bryce Underwood and the Michigan offense looked dreadful against WMU. How do we think they will move the ball on a Brent Venables-led squad? The answer is they won’t!
The Wolverine defense will stifle John Mateer and the Sooner QB will not have an easy go of it in the Big House, but the Sooners will score enough to get the win,
Winner: Oklahoma
ATS: Oklahoma
O/U: Under
Saturday, September 12
12:30 PM PT, BTN
(AJ Kanell, Marcel Reece, and Alyssa Charleston)
Line: Washington –26.5
Over/Under: 55.5
For the second time in as many weeks, the Huskies will meet a Pac-12 opponent. The Apple Cup win in the opener may not have been as crisp as UW fans would have hoped, but they came away with the win on Sunday.
Utah State and Bronco Mendenhall are looking for answers in Week Two following a stunning season-opening loss to Idaho State.
Washington can make one simple change to improve over Week One: Limit penalties. The Huskies were flagged 12 times in the uneven win over the Cougars.
Defensively, UW limited WSU for most of the game, getting them off the field on third downs and forcing three turnovers.
That is winning football, even if you have to overcome 130 yards in penalties.
USU entered the season with a perceived QB strength in McCae Hillstead. After Hillstead’s poor performance in the opener, perhaps due to a forearm injury, the Aggies now have questions under center.
Whether the QB struggles stemmed from his health or a lack of production against Idaho State, the Huskies’ opportunistic defense could create far more issues for the Utah State offense on Saturday.
Demond Williams Jr. looked sharp at QB, making plays with both his arm and his legs, and it appears he will need to do more of that with injuries sidelining RBs Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar for the foreseeable future.
Washington wins this one, and hopefully Utah State starts to get things figured out.
Winner: Washington
ATS: Washington
O/U: Under
Saturday, September 12
4:15 PM PT, BTN
(Wayne Randaazzo and Brett Huntley)
Line: UCLA –12.5
Over/Under: 55.5
Another Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup graces the Rose Bowl on Saturday, with UCLA welcoming San Diego State. Both teams are looking to open the young season 2-0.
Both offenses shined in the openers, as the Bruins dispatched Cal 45-24 and the Aztecs exploded for 53 points in their defeat of Portland State.
This offseason, I couldn’t say enough about the potential impact Wayne Knight could have on the UCLA offense.
The running back delivered on that promise in the opener, racking up 151 yards of total offense and three TDs.
He should continue to open things up for Nico Imaleava, both through the air and on the ground. Sean Lewis knows containing both will be a challenge for his defense.
The 12.5-point line seems excessive, especially considering the 53 points SDSU put up in the opener. But the Aztecs failed to crack 400 yards of offense last week, and special teams set up or delivered three of their scores.
The UCLA defense did a good job of limiting the Cal attack, especially after halftime, forcing a pair of interceptions that led to touchdowns.
I like UCLA to keep rolling and see them two touchdowns better than the Aztecs on Saturday.
Winner: UCLA
ATS: UCLA
O/U: Under
Saturday, September 12
4:30 PM PT, ABC
(Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, and Laura Rutledge)
Line: Texas –1.5
Over/Under: 49.5
All eyes will be on Texas Saturday night in this showdown of top-five opponents in Austin as the Longhorns look to avenge their 14-7 loss in Columbus a season ago.
This one looks to be another defensive slugfest. Arch Manning should be better than he was against the Buckeyes last season, but how much better?
The OSU defense is not quite as loaded this time around, but it’s still formidable.
The Texas defense won’t make it easy on the Buckeyes either, but OSU has more weapons on that side of the ball than the Longhorns do.
This should be tightly contested and hopefully an extremely entertaining primetime showdown.
Simply put, I have a lot more faith in Julian Sayin, Bo Jackson, and Jeramiah Smith to make plays against the UT defense than I do in Manning, Cam Coleman, and the Horns.
I’m taking the Buckeyes to leave with the win.
Winner: Ohio State
ATS: Ohio State
O/U: Under
Saturday, September 12
8:00 PM PT, BTN
(Mark Followill, Rhett Lewis, and Caroline Hendershot)
Line: USC –30.5
Over/Under: 59.5
Perhaps no team in the nation has looked better in the early season than USC.
(Okay, maybe LSU, but they look a lot like the USC teams Lane Kiffin assisted on under Pete Carroll).
Two weeks into the 2026 campaign, the Trojans certainly look every bit the part of a championship contender.
Sure, the competition has not yet been elite, and it is not going to get much stiffer this week. Plenty of those challenges await the Trojans down the road.
After two games, though, USC has looked dominant on both sides of the football.
The offense was expected to dominate, but the defense pitched a shutout against Fresno State, just the second clean sheet under Lincoln Riley and the first since 2024.
And, while Fresno State may not be a top-15 opponent, the Bulldogs were expected to challenge for the Pac-12 crown in preseason. The 39-0 result was nothing to scoff at.
In the inaugural meeting with the Ragin’ Cajuns, USC will face a team that will try to establish the run game.
USC has been good against the run in the opening two games, limiting foes to just 70.5 yards on the ground. UL will have a hard time getting things going on offense.
Look for Jayden Maiava and the USC offense to continue cooking and put a lot of points on the board.
The Trojans win big and conclude the non-conference slate perfect. The total should stay under 60 points as the Cajuns try to limit the total number of possessions.
Winner: USC
ATS: USC
O/U: Under
Straight-Up Staff Picks for Selected Games
writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).
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