College Football Week 2 Best Bets: Illinois vs. Duke, Cy-Hawk, Michigan vs. Oklahoma, and More

It’s nearly impossible to match the hype we saw from Week 1 of the college football season with four different top-10 matchups. That doesn’t mean we don’t have some good games to look forward to this week as well.

College football blue bloods, in-state rivalries, and even some that date back to the Civil War. It’s everything that makes this sport great. Let’s get into the games.

#11 Illinois (1-0) -2.5 @ Duke (1-0) | Total: 49.5

This game is screaming “trap line.” Fortunately, I can’t hear, and I LOVE the Illini in this one.

I know Duke shelled out big NIL money for Darian Mensah to steal him from Tulane, but there are too many holes in the rest of this roster.

Both teams looked great against their Week 1 FCS opponents, but Illinois showed a glimpse of what this team can be. A Bret Bielema defense that mucks games up and a ground-and-pound offense that controls the clock.

My play of the entire week is Illinois -2.5 and the under as an official play. I see Duke struggling to move the ball.

Picks: Illinois (-2.5) and Under 49.5

Iowa (1-0) @ #16 Iowa State (2-0) -3.5 | Total: 42.5

If Mark Gronowski had shown me any capability to throw the ball in Week 1, Iowa would’ve been my play of the week here. But I’m not sure what we’ll get from the Hawkeyes’ offense in Week 2.

On the other hand, I also can’t shake how bad Iowa State’s offensive line looked against what might be a pretty bad Kansas State team. That just leads me to the obvious pick in the Cy-Hawk — the under.

If you take the over in an Iowa game and it turns into a 7-6 punt fest, you’ll be kicking yourself for weeks. If you bet against Rocco Becht and he proves you wrong, you’ll feel significantly less dumb.

Pick: Under 42.5
Lean: Iowa (+3.5)

#15 Michigan (1-0) @ #18 Oklahoma (1-0) -5.5 | Total: 45.5

Two blue bloods are looking to rebound after down years in 2024, and both have a massive opportunity for a season-defining win.

I’m nervous Justice Haynes will rush for 200 yards against a shaky Oklahoma defense. On the other hand, I can’t bet against John Mateer. Between him and Georgia Tech’s Haynes King, we’ve got two of the grittiest players in college football — who also might be pretty good.

I think this game will turn into a bit of a shootout, and if that happens, I don’t love betting on a true freshman quarterback in a hostile environment like Bryce Underwood.

Oklahoma will pull away late and potentially put up 30+ points on a Michigan defense that might be overrated.

Pick: Over 45.5
Lean: Oklahoma (-5.5)

Kansas (2-0) @ Missouri (1-0) -6.5 | Total: 51.5

The Border War makes its much-needed return for the first time since 2011, and we could be in for a great game.

Most of the time, I complain about how overrated the SEC is, but for what might be the third year in a row, Missouri is wildly underrated. It’ll pain me to bet against Jalon Daniels, but I can’t trust him to stay on the field in a big game against an SEC defensive front.

Either way, I don’t see Kansas stopping transfer QB Beau Pribula and Missouri’s high-powered offense. Eli Drinkwitz is quietly building one of the most consistent rosters year after year in one of the toughest SEC markets.

I hope this game turns into a shootout, so I love the over as well.

Picks: Missouri (-6.5) and Over 51.5