LSU, Kentucky battle in the blue grass. ...

First impressions can be hard to dismiss. The Scarlet Knights are famous for having lost to UMass as big favorites in the season opener. But the Minutemen have proven to be better than expected, while Rutgers has improved steadily since that game. QB Dylan Lonergan is coming off his best effort of the season. On Saturday the Scarlet Knights get an Indiana team that has not looked remotely close to its national championship level from last season. Also, the Hoosiers will be playing their first game on the road.

These are two programs heading in opposite directions. Lobos coach Jason Eck has turned New Mexico (3-1) into a contender in the Mountain West and almost pulled off an upset at Oklahoma. The team's victory over New Mexico State (1-3) looks even better after that team blew out Western Kentucky. Meanwhile the Miners are one of the worst teams in the country, averaging just 18.8 points per game. In its three games against FBS teams, UTEP has been outscored 136-17. Lobos roll.

This is a classic letdown spot for the Gators, who are coming off a blowout win over Ole Miss last week. But behind Jadan Baugh, Florida has an efficient and explosive ground attack that works at home, on the road, against good teams and against bad teams. Given how much the Gators score (53.5 points per game), this is a small number against a Missouri team that I think is overrated.

Poor Aggies. Not only were they thoroughly outplayed at home last week by unranked Kentucky, they now have to face a Tigers team—in Death Valley, no less—that will be out for blood after losing last week against Ole Miss. LSU also will be out for revenge after being blown out by A&M last year in College Station. Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed ranks 101st in the country in passing efficiency (123.9). Tigers reauxll. Two units.

The Sooners are a mess, having lost to Michigan and barely escaping New Mexico—New Mexico!—14-6. They rank 114th in the country in total offense (329.7 yards per game). That does not bode well on Saturday, when Oklahoma has to play at No. 2 Georgia, which hasn't played anyone but still leads the country in scoring offense (59.3 points per game) and ranks sixth in total defense (211.3 yards per game). The Bulldogs stomp a mudhole on Saturday. Two units.

I realize the Longhorns beat Ohio State two weeks ago, but they do not have an elite offense. Over the last eight quarters, seven have been ugly. Arch Manning completed just 17-of-33 passes for 164 yards and often looked lost against UTSA last week. And now Texas must go into Knoxville for its first road test of the season. On defense, coordinator Will Muschamp has the Longhorns limiting opponents to 12.0 points per game. Texas will make life difficult for freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon. I expect Tennessee to run the ball as much as possible. This will be a low-scoring game. Two units.

I don't care about the Trojans' travel across the country to play this game. Nor do I care about USC's key showdown next week against Oregon. The Trojans are light years better than Rutgers, which has lost to two teams that went a combined 2-22 last season. USC has a massive talent edge. If the Trojans treat this as a business trip, this won't be close.

I wasn't originally going to play this, but the more I think about it, the more confident I get that Bama will blow them out. The revenge factor is always overrated, but in this case I think it helps the Crimson Tide. Alabama freight trained Kentucky in the second half last week, while Florida State couldn't beat SMU despite winning the turnover battle 4-0 and getting every break conceivable. This will be a tough environment for a team playing its first road game of the season. Buzzsaw.

The Fightin' Cody Campbells haven't exactly looked like the world beaters they were expected to be so far this season in wins over overmatched Abilene Christian (33-10) and Oregon State (35-24). And now both Will Hammond and Thomas Castellanos are seeing snaps at quarterback, which tells me the staff is not happy with the play at the position. On Thursday, the level of competition steps up with Houston (2-0), which entered the 2026 season with much more continuity on both side of the ball than the Red Raiders. Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman has been in big games before. Houston should make this a competitive game, and I don't hate a money line sprinkle either.

The Wolverines managed just seven points and 229 total yards before the controversial, game-ending Hail Mary. A week is not enough time to fix all of their issues before facing a fast and aggressive Oklahoma defense. Meanwhile the Sooners have had to do some shuffling on the offensive line with left tackle Michael Fasusi reportedly out. They won't have things easy against a Michigan defense that played well last week. This game feels like 22-9.

This line moved dramatically toward the Sooners after Michigan's poor offensive showing and controversial win over Western Michigan last week. But the number has since reverted a bit. I expect the Wolverines to play better on Saturday, but this nasty Oklahoma defense is the wrong team to get well against. I still don't know how Michigan scores; the Sooners limited the Wolverines to 13 points last season. Michigan's defense played well last week and has a chance to slow John Mateer & Co., but at some point the dam will break.

I liked the Mustangs in this matchup even before the Seminoles struggled closing out New Mexico State in last week's ugly 34-17 win. SMU enters the season with continuity at the most important positions. Quarterback Kevin Jennings is one of the winningest and most prolific signal callers in the country (18-6 over the last two seasons). Over that time, he has passed for 6,886 yards (third in the FBS) and 49 touchdowns (tied for eighth). He has four starters back on the offensive line, led by All-ACC tackle PJ Williams. With a front-loaded schedule, Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee knew his team did not have time to ease into the season. He will have his team ready for tonight.

The Longhorns host the Bobcats one week before one of the biggest games of the season: No. 1 Ohio State at No. 5 Texas on Sept. 12. With that enormous matchup looming, the Longhorns, who already are dealing with all-America left tackle Trevor Goosby's bone bruise in his left knee, will emphasize two things against Texas State once the outcome of the game is no longer in doubt: 1) getting out of it healthy and 2) getting it over. Texas also has loads of depth on defense, especially on the line and off the edge, so the Bobcats aren't likely to get any cheap garbage time scores. I could see this as a 45-10 game early in the fourth quarter that never reaches 60 points.