2019 Week 2 Preview

Week 1 was pretty interesting. While the top teams in the SEC did well, the bottom half struggled. Tennessee lost to Georgia State, Missouri lost to Wyoming, Ole Miss lost to Memphis and South Carolina blew a lead to North Carolina. The Mountain West beat teams in four of the five major conferences (did not play anyone from the Big 12). Auburn vs Oregon lived up to the hype as did Tiger QB Bo Nix in his first start. Week 2 features two top 15 matchups so let’s get to it.

Notable Games
12Texas A&M at 1Clemson
The defending champs started off their season with a convincing conference win over Georgia Tech. Texas A&M also looked dominant in their win against Texas State. I think Clemson is the better team in this game. Between QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne, I don’t see many teams outscoring the Tigers. Last year, the Aggies gave Clemson their biggest scare of the season, losing by only 2 points. I do not think it will be that close this year, especially because the game will be played at Death Valley (
North).
I am picking Clemson

6LSU at 9Texas
Neither of these teams faced a challenge in week one, but this could be one of the best games of the season. Both teams are claiming to be “back” this season and each team might have the right QB in place to do it. Ehlinger and Burrow threw for a combined 9 TDs last week. In recent seasons these teams have been known for their defense and I think that will be the difference. This is a huge game in Austin, and I expect the crowd to be rowdy and loud. I am hoping for a close and exciting game (and that both teams find a way to lose).
I am picking Texas

23Stanford at USC
There are a lot of reasons this is a hard game to pick. It is a rivalry, both starting QBs are hurt and neither team looked great last week. Honestly, there is no way this game could finish that would surprise me. I think Stanford is the overall better team and will leave with a win, but USC has a great chance to pull the upset because they have nothing to lose. Not sure if this game will be worth watching, but it is definitely one to keep an eye on.
I am picking Stanford

West Virginia at Missouri
Missouri dropped their opening game to Wyoming last weekend and West Virginia barely got by James Madison (to be fair, a very good FCS team). That was not the way Kelly Bryant wanted to start his Mizzou career. I think the Tigers will bounce back in this game against a WVU team that lost their star QB and head coach after last season. Maybe being at altitude was Missouri’s issue last weekend, I guess we will know after this game.
I am picking Missouri

BYU at Tennessee
The most surprising upset of week one was probably when Georgia State went to Neyland and beat up on the Vols. BYU lost their rivalry game to Utah. Tennessee should be the better team in this game. This game will show us the mental strength of this team. It is hard to have a successful season when you start out with a loss to Georgia State, but they still have 11 games to play. Will they fold or try to prove that game was a fluke. I think this game will be a close one that Tennessee will put out of reach in the fourth quarter.
I am picking Tennessee

Miami at North Carolina
I was very surprised to see UNC come back to beat South Carolina last week. Having Mack Brown back as head coach seems to be a big boost for the Tar Heels. Miami hasn’t played since week zero when they got beat by Florida. That was an all-around ugly game and I don’t see them outplaying UNC. I think this one will be close, but UNC will have more fight in them.
I am picking North Carolina

Arkansas at Ole Miss
I am glad I am not going to be at this game. After the performances these teams gave last week, this has the makings of an ugly, ugly game. Ole Miss has some defense and held Memphis to just 15 points. Arkansas only managed 20 points against Portland State last week. I’m not even sure what to expect from this game.

Top 25
12Texas A&M at 1Clemson
New Mexico State at 2Alabama
Murray State at 3Georgia
South Dakota at 4Oklahoma
Cincinnati at 5Ohio State
6LSU at 9Texas
Army at 7Michigan
8Notre Dame BYE
Tulane at 10Auburn
UT Martin at 11Florida
Northern Illinois at 13Utah
California at 14Washington
Buffalo at 15Penn State
Nevada at 16Oregon
Central Michigan at 17Wisconsin
18UCF at Florida Atlantic
Western Michigan at 19Michigan State
Rutgers at 20Iowa
21Syracuse at Maryland
Northern Colorado at 22Washington State
23Stanford at USC
24Boise State 14 Marshall 7 (Friday)
25Nebraska at Colorado
25Iowa State BYE