College Football Predictions for Week 2

After a wild Week 1 in college football, Week 2 will feature more of the same, including a Top-10 matchup in primetime, the No. 12 team in the country facing the defending champs on the road, and two of the best teams in the Pac-12 squaring off.

Let's get to it.

14. Purdue 38, Vanderbilt 28

Rondale Moore and the Boilermakers had their hearts ripped out on the road against an improved and fun Nevada team. Back in West Lafayette, Jeff Brohm and quarterback Elijah Sindelaar should have minimal issues with attacking a Vanderbilt secondary that looked like it sorely missed the now departed Joejuan Williams. Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Jared Pinkney are quality players for Vanderbilt, but Derek Mason and the Commodores will still likely start off 0-2.

13. No. 24 Boise State 34, Marshall 20

Boise State rose into the rankings following freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier's gutsy performance against Florida State in Tallahassee. Their first home game of the year comes against Doc Holliday and a Marshall team that's favored to win the C-USA title. Quarterback Isaiah Green will give the Thundering Herd a fighting chance, but Boise's depth on both sides of the ball will give them the win.

12. Missouri 35, West Virginia 31

Kelly Bryant and Missouri were stunned on the road against Craig Bohl's Wyoming in one of the more surprising losses of the first week of the season. West Virginia can look daunting on paper, but Neal Brown's Mountaineers struggled with FCS power James Madison. Not to mention, quarterback Austin Kendall won't keep anyone up at night. Barry Odom's group will pull out a close win in their first home game of the year.

11. BYU 27, Tennessee 20

Is is too early for discussions about firing Jeremy Pruitt? Of course not! Following one of the most pathetic efforts in college football history in a shocking home loss to Georgia State, who finished 2-10 last year and lost their best receiver, Tennessee now welcomes quarterback Zach Wilson and a BYU team that is hungry and motivated after getting beat up by Utah in the Holy War. Losing your first two games of the year to non-conference teams at Neyland Stadium is a good way for Pruitt to get a pink slip.

10. No. 25 Nebraska 42, Colorado 30

Old Big Eight/Big Ten rivals will meet once again after Steven Montez and the Buffaloes took down Scott Frost's Cornhuskers at home last season. Mel Tucker's Colorado squad might have a nice offense powered by Montez and Laviska Shenault, but their defense could use a LOT of work. Look for Heisman hopeful Adrian Martinez and Nebraska to slice through the Colorado D like a hot knife through butter and come away with a win.

9. No. 21 Syracuse 31, Maryland 17

One of these teams has one of the most explosive offenses in college football. The other one won their first game 79-0 last week. Tommy DeVito may not be Eric Dungey just yet, but he's more than capable of leading the Orange against Josh Jackson and a Maryland team that will have to play against an actual defense this week. Mike Locksley and the Terrapins look more deadly than last year for sure, but Syracuse is ready for the challenge, if last year proved anything.

8. No. 16 Oregon 38, Nevada 17

After a heartbreaking loss to Bo Nix and Auburn, Justin Herbert and Oregon will look to get back on the right track against Jay Norvell's Nevada Wolfpack. As good as Carson Strong looked, Herbert is a cut above and could pound the Nevada defense into the ground if he's on, as the Wolfpack struggled with Elijah Sindelaar. This is by no means a cakewalk, but it's certainly a game that Mario Cristobal and the Ducks should win.

7. No. 10 Auburn 41, Tulane 14

For the first time in what feels like forever, Gus Malzahn and Auburn actually have some positive momentum. True Freshman quarterback Bo Nix led the Tigers to one of the most impressive wins of the first week of the season when he came back late to take down Oregon. While Willie Fritz and the Green Wave are one of the best teams in the C-USA and are coming off a dismantling of FIU, Auburn should have little issue pushing them aside.

6. No. 14 Washington 24, Cal 10

After losing the starting job at Georgia to Jake Fromm and sitting out a year due to the transfer rules, Washington quarterback Jacob Eason was every bit as good as advertised in the season-opening win over Eastern Washington. Chris Petersen and the Huskies now face a MUCH stiffer defense (that beat Washington last year!) in Justin Wilcox's Cal that will make it tough for Eason to use his exceptional downfield arm. However, the Golden Bears' struggles on offense will ultimately doom them, and Washington's own tough defense should carry them to a win.

5. No. 7 Michigan 24, Army 13

In years past, the Black Knights would have been complete pushover. However, Jeff Monken has done an amazing job at West Point, leading Army to a ranked finish last year. Their triple-option attack will be tough to stop, but a Michigan defense led by Don Brown coupled with a mistake-free game from quarterback Shea Patterson should be more than enough for Jim Harbaugh and the No. 7 Wolverines to grab a win after a hard-fought game.

4. No. 23 Stanford 21, USC 7

This game will lack a lot of the star power that it should have had at the start of the year, as USC quarterback JT Daniels is out for the rest of the year, leaving freshman Kedon Slovis as the starter. While the Cardinal might be without quarterback KJ Costello and will certainly be without a future first-round pick in offensive tackle Walker Little, the Stanford defense will be too tough for a freshman in Slovis to overcome. The Cardinal will move to 2-0 after taking down two solid teams in Northwestern and USC.

3. No. 5 Ohio State 35, Cincinnati 20

Justin Fields looked like he was from another planet during that first quarter against Florida Atlantic in which he accounted for four touchdowns. Ryan Day's offense will get a stern challenge from former Ohio State defensive tackle, defensive coordinator, and interim head coach Luke Fickell. As was shown in the win over UCLA, quarterback Desmond Ridder can certainly make some plays, but the Buckeyes have too much offensive depth for the Bearcats to withstand.

2. No. 9 Texas 28, No. 6 LSU 27

It might have been against Georgia Southern, but LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is looking like a much more refined passer, having thrown five touchdowns in the Week 1 win. However, Heisman contender Sam Ehlinger was just as impressive in Texas' win over Louisiana Tech. These two teams are about as even as they come and are full of future NFL players on both sides of the ball, but the slight advantage in coaching and at quarterback will end up giving the Longhorns a close win over the Tigers.

1. No. 1 Clemson 37, No. 12 Texas A&M 24

The legend of Trevor Lawrence was born with a touchdown to Tee Higgins in Clemson's win over Texas A&M at College Station last year, and the legend will continue to grow with a win over the Aggies this year in South Carolina. Kellen Mond might have thrown for 400 yards last year, but a revamped secondary and a rowdy home crowd should make that more difficult. On offense, Dabo Swinney and the Tigers should be able to ride Travis Etienne against a depleted Aggie defensive line to take home an impressive win.