The Week 2 schedule looks a lot different than Week 1's slate did. We won't go so far as to call Week 2 a letdown — you can never count out an unexpected upset or three — but the weekend features just one game between ranked opponents after the 2025 season officially began with three games between top-10 teams. Yes, the slate is pretty light. But there's still some intrigue. Especially for college football diehards. Here's what to watch as September is now in full swing. Iowa State has won two of the last three Cy-Hawk rivalry games after Iowa won six straight from 2015 through 2021. A season ago, ISU kicker Kyle Konrardy hit a 54-yard field goal as time expired to give the Cyclones a 20-19 win in Iowa City. This year, Iowa State is favored after it beat Kansas State in Week Zero and Iowa's offense showed many of its familiar — and not great — traits in a Week 1 win over FCS Albany. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] The Hawkeyes won 34-7 and held the Great Danes to just 134 yards. Iowa rushed 53 times for 310 yards and three scores, but the passing offense was sluggish again. South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski made his first start for Iowa and was just 8-of-15 passing for 44 yards and a score. That's not going to get it done against Iowa State. The Cyclones moved to 2-0 with a blowout win over South Dakota. As Gronowski struggled against an FCS opponent, Rocco Becht set an ISU record for completion percentage against the Cyclones' FCS opposition as he was 19-of-20 passing for 278 yards and three scores. Yes, it's not the greatest week of football. But this is a game that would be intriguing even if there were three top-10 matchups again in Week 2. This is a must-win for an Illinois team that would like to be this year's Indiana and make the College Football Playoff alongside the Big Ten's heavyweights. The Illini bring back a ton of contributors from a team that went 10-3 in 2024 and overwhelmed Western Illinois in Week 1. The Illini averaged over seven yards a play and were up 31-0 at halftime. New Duke QB Darian Mensahmade a strong first impression against Elon. Mensah was 27-of-34 passing for 389 yards as the Blue Devils outscored the Phoenix 35-7 in the second half. Mensah was the first big QB transfer of the offseason as he made the move from Tulane to Duke to replace Maalik Murphy as the Blue Devils' starting quarterback. Like Illinois, Duke also had a strong season that went under the radar in 2024. The Blue Devils were 9-4 and nearly beat SMU. The Wildcats dealt a huge blow to Ole Miss' playoff hopes a season ago with a surprise 20-17 win in Oxford. It was Kentucky's first victory at Ole Miss since 1978 and Ole Miss entered the game as a 15.5-point favorite. It was the highlight of a disappointing season for UK as the Wildcats lost four straight games after that Ole Miss win and six of their last seven to finish the year at 4-8. Former Texas A&M and Auburn QB Zach Calzada made his first start for Kentucky in Week 1 against Toledo and struggled in the 24-16 win. He was just 10-of-23 passing for 85 yards and an interception. Ole Miss blew out Georgia State 63-7 in Week 1 as Austin Simmons threw for 341 yards and three scores. Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy rushed 16 times for 108 yards and three TDs while former Penn State WR Harrison Wallace had five catches for 130 yards and a TD. The trip to Kentucky is the start of a stretch for Ole Miss that includes six SEC games over its next eight with the lone non-conference contests being against Tulane and Washington State. The longtime rivals are finally meeting on the football field again. Missouri and Kansas have rekindled their basketball rivalry in recent seasons but Saturday is the first time the schools have met on the football field since Missouri moved from the Big 12 to the SEC after the 2011 season. Kansas is 2-0 after wins over Fresno State and Wagner. QB Jalon Daniels already looks much more like his 2023 self after a down season in 2024 and has thrown seven touchdowns over those two games. KU is a sneaky sleeper in the Big 12 this season — a win over the Tigers in Columbia would get a lot of people's attention. Mizzou entered Week 1 with a quarterback competition between Penn State transfer Beau Pribula and Sam Horn. The job is now Pribula's after his strong performance against Central Arkansas and because Horn suffered what appeared to be a significant right leg injury on his first play of the game. Pribula was 23-of-28 passing for 283 yards and two scores while rushing 10 times for 65 yards and two other touchdowns. Missouri kicker Blake Craig also suffered a torn ACL in the opener and is out for the season. That could matter at some point over the course of the season as the Tigers go for their third straight 10-win season. The only matchup between ranked teams this weekend could have far-reaching postseason effects at the end of the season. Both the Wolverines and Sooners harbor playoff hopes, and it's especially hard to see Oklahoma making a playoff push with a loss on Saturday given its ridiculously tough SEC schedule. Freshman Bryce Underwood was 21-of-31 passing for 251 yards and a TD against New Mexico in Week 1. And that performance would have been the best of the 2024 season — by far — for any Michigan QB. A season ago, Michigan threw for over 200 yards in a game just twice. Davis Warren had 204 yards passing against Texas and Jack Tuttle had 208 yards passing against Illinois. Both of those games were losses. It's safe to say the ceiling is much higher for Michigan in 2025 with Underwood at QB. Oklahoma also brought in a new QB to improve upon the porous play the Sooners got from the position in 2024. John Mateer followed offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Norman after leading the country in total touchdowns a season ago and had over 400 total yards and four touchdowns against Illinois State. We don't need to tell you that Michigan will be a much tougher test for the revamped Oklahoma offense than Illinois State. James Madison at Louisville (-13.5), 7 p.m. Friday (ESPN):The Dukes may need to win this game to have any shot of being a Group of Six contender for the College Football Playoff. Louisville, meanwhile, should be one of the best teams in an ACC that looks even more crowded with a potential resurgence of Florida State. Baylor at SMU (-2.5), Noon (CW):How will the Bears bounce back after a Week 1 home loss to Auburn? The line here is a little more tilted toward Baylor than you'd initially think given what SMU brings back from its College Football Playoff team. Virginia at NC State (-2.5), Noon (ESPN2):Virginia had a strong showing in Week 1 with a 48-7 home win over Coastal Carolina. NC State, meanwhile, needed a late stop to secure a 24-17 home win over East Carolina. Virginia QB Chandler Morris is set to start for the Cavaliers after he left the game against the Chanticleers in the third quarter due to a helmet-to-helmet hit. Oklahoma State at Oregon (-28.5), 3:30 p.m. (CBS):Yeah, this is a four-touchdown spread. It's probably not going to be close. But you may want to tune in for the postgame handshake after the expectation-setting Mike Gundy put out into the world regarding the disparity in NIL budgets between the programs. Oklahoma State will start Zane Flores at QB after Hauss Hejny suffered a foot injury in Week 1. South Florida at Florida (-17.5), 4:15 p.m. (SEC Network):A close game will go a long way for the Bulls to show that their Week 1 win over Boise State wasn't a fluke. Florida, meanwhile, needs to not look past South Florida to a Week 3 showdown with LSU. Arizona State (-6.5) at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2):The defending Big 12 champions are favored by less than a touchdown against the worst team in the SEC in 2024. A win against ASU would equal a 2-0 start for a Bulldogs team that was 2-10 a season ago. UCLA (-2.5) at UNLV, 8 p.m. (CBS Sports Network):UCLA was steamrolled by Utah in Week 1. The Rebels, meanwhile, got pushed around in Week Zero by Idaho State and beat Sam Houston in Week 1. If UNLV can move to 3-0, it could be the start of a long season for the Bruins.
