Ohio State-Texas Tops Big Ten-SEC Week 2 Slate — SkimNews
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- Ohio State visits No. 4 Texas at 7:30 p.m. on ABC in the first of 20 regular-season games between current SP+ top-15 teams; Texas is a 1.5-point favorite, with SP+ projecting Buckeyes by 2.0 and FPI favoring Horns by 3.4
- Michigan dropped 12 spots in the AP Top 25 after a sluggish Week 1 win over Western Michigan, with QB Bryce Underwood struggling; the Wolverines host No. 11 Oklahoma (noon, Fox) as 5.5-point underdogs, with SP+ projecting OU by 7.0
- The SEC has a 64% chance of winning at least two of the three Big Ten-SEC Challenge games per SP+, holding 10 of the 11 hardest full-season schedules and 14 of the top 17, with a median SOS ranking of 9.5
- Memphis visits Boise State (6 p.m. USA) in a high-stakes Group of 6 CFP automatic-bid matchup; the programs have combined for nine AP ranked finishes and 12 seasons of double-digit wins across the 12-year CFP era
- Minnesota hosts Mississippi State (3:30 p.m. CBS) with the Gophers' typically top-15 defense facing sophomore QB Kamario Taylor, who threw for 354 yards and four TDs plus a 26-yard rushing score in Week 1
- Texas will face five more current SP+ top-15 teams after Saturday and holds the second-toughest SOS behind Arkansas, making a 1-1 start 'pretty damaging' given the remaining gauntlet
Why it matters: With the Big Ten having won three straight national titles (with three different teams) but the SEC owning seven of the AP's top-12 and far tougher schedules, Week 2 offers the season's first head-to-head barometer. A 1-1 start for Texas would be damaging given it still faces five current SP+ top-15 foes after Saturday.
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