2026 Week 2 College Football Best Bets

2026 Week 2 College Football Best Bets

Week 1 was a memorable start to the season. A clock controversy in Ann Arbor saved the Wolverines from in-state embarrassment. Louisville and Ole Miss took the game to the wire in the standalone ranked matchup. Oregon and Boise State ended up being the matchup of the week, with both teams gaining major respect points for avoiding cupcakes like the rest of the country. And the best part: we get to do it all over again this week.

Last week had only one ranked matchup. Ohio State traveling to take on Texas highlights the only matchup this week, but Oklahoma versus Michigan will draw plenty of eyeballs as well. The season is just starting to heat up, and here are my 2026 week 2 college football best bets.

Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of September 10th. Please gamble responsibly and within your means. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Week 1: 3-2 (+0.70 Units)

YTD: 3-2 (+0.70 Units)

More: How to Build Your Own Football Projections for 2026: A Guide

(Friday) Villanova (FCS; 1-1) vs. #24 Louisville (0-1)

Louisville -36.5; O/U 56.5

Louisville -36.5 (-108)

There were 47 instances of a FBS team playing a FCS opponent in Week 1, with the FBS programs covering in 34 (70.2%). Jeff Brohm has played a FCS opponent in each of his first three years at Louisville, outscoring them 169-17. In his five total matchups against FCS between stops at Western Kentucky, Purdue, and Louisville, his teams have outscored opponents 275-20. A 34-point win over Eastern Kentucky last year was the closest of the five. And while a game against SMU is on deck, I expect Brohm to trot out Lincoln Kienholz for a good portion of this one to get him more live game reps. He struggled in the first half, but picked it up in the second half against Ole Miss last week. Give me the Cards on Friday night.

More: 2026 College Football Futures

Iowa State (1-0) vs. #21 Iowa (1-0)

Iowa -14; O/U 40.5

Under 40.5 (-108)

Iowa -14 (-110)

The CyHawk Trophy is at stake this week in Iowa City. Over the last 20 meetings, the under has cashed in 17, with an average game total of 38.9 PPG. It has also cashed in eight of the last nine played in Iowa City. We still have no idea what to make of Iowa State since Matt Campbell departed for Happy Valley. Arkansas State transfer Jaylen Raynor completed just 50% of his attempts last week against FCS Southeast Missouri State. This will be a much more difficult matchup. When Raynor played a Power Four opponent, Arkansas State averaged just 13.8 PPG. While that is not all on his shoulders, he accounts for 138.8 YPG through the air, a 55.7 percent completion rate, and threw for just one touchdown and six interceptions. I think Iowa State struggles to put much on the board, and the Hawkeyes take care of business.

Illinois State (FCS; 2-0) vs. Northern Illinois (0-1)

Northern Illinois +4.5; O/U 48.5

Illinois State -4.5 (-105)

I’ve been waiting for this line to drop all week, and it finally came Wednesday.

I touched on the Northern Illinois Huskies in my 2026 College Football Futures. I was low on them then, thinking they could be one of the worst FBS teams in the country, and last weekend did not help their cause. They gained 120 yards of offense against Iowa, while allowing 507 yards of offense. The last time a Hawkeyes’ offense gained over 500 yards? September 28th, 2019.

Now the Huskies welcome a FCS team in Illinois State. An Illinois State team that went to the FCS Championship last year, losing to Montana State in overtime, and has started the year 2-0 while outscoring opponents 117-10. They do have a quarterback battle, where USC transfer Gage Roy and Beckham Pellant could see snaps. I like this Illinois State team to beat their in-state foe, in a game that would not be considered an upset.

More: 7 Dark Horse Teams to Make 2026 College Football Playoff

#1 Ohio State (1-0) vs. #4 Texas (1-0)

Texas -1.5; O/U 49.5

Under 49.5 (-112)

Arguably the matchup of the season comes in Week 2, where two of the best in the Big Ten and SEC collide.

Matt Patricia is in his second year as Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator. Last year, in five matchups against ranked opponents, the game total was 33.6 PPG. Ohio State only averaged 20.4 PPG in such contests. For Texas, their game total in ranked matchups last year was 45.3 PPG. Both teams have elite quarterbacks and wide receivers, but the defenses will cause havoc this weekend. I think this game will go down to the wire, but I’m not sure it will clear the point total. For that reason, I’m on the under.

Outright Underdogs (.5 units)

Week 1: 0-2 (-1.00 Units)

YTD: 0-2 (-1.00 Units)

(Friday) Kansas vs. #23 Missouri +180

Both quarterbacks have little experience, with a combined four career starts. Both began the year against a FCS opponent. But one has the home field advantage in a heated matchup. Missouri’s Austin Simmons has one career road start, last year when he was at Ole Miss. In a trip to Lexington, Simmons went 13 of 24 for 235 and two interceptions. He’s without his best friend, star tailback Ahmad Hardy.I think Kansas pulls the upset on Friday night.

South Alabama @ Tulane +310

Tulane lost a lot of talent when Sumrall left for Gainesville. They already made a quarterback change, now starting Ball State transfer Kadin Semonza after Houston and Louisiana transfer Zeon Chriss-Gremillion was benched. This is a sandwich game for the Green Wave, as they have Kansas State on deck. This was a 33-31 road win for the Green Wave last year, but Bishop Davenport of South Alabama played pretty well since last October. South Alabama gets revenge.

North Texas vs. UNLV +140

Tayven Jackson and the Mean Green looked strong against the defending national champion Hoosiers in Bloomington. Running back Jaheim White showed great potential. Meanwhile, UNLV has allowed 6.5 YPC and 4.9 YPC to Memphis and Hawaii’s top backs. I think North Texas can pull the upset in their home opener in the Neil Brown era.

Kentucky vs. #12 Alabama +310

Kalen DeBoer is 6-4 in road games against SEC teams. This is the first where his starting quarterback is making his first road start (Ty Simpson started for the Crimson Tide in 2024 against South Florida). It was against a FCS opponent, but Kentucky’s Kenny Minchey had a good game against Youngstown State. The Wildcats return one of their defensive backs that missed the opener. I think this could be the first true upset of the year. I’m on Will Stein to get a signature win.

What is your favorite 2026 week 2 college football best bets? Let me know on X!

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