College football’s “Week 0” set the tempo up in Dublin. Last weekend’s Labor Day blowout rushed us in with three contested top-10 matchups. Next on the bill: intrastate spotlights in Iowa and Texas, a much-delayed showdown between Kansas and Missouri, and the Michigan-Oklahoma headliner on ABC.

There are no Thursday games this week; in terms of TV pull, the NFL’s season opener is Marlo Stanfield rushing out of the fundraiser and back onto the corner. There are a few sleepers to appreciate on Friday, though, and Saturday is packed.

College football is as majestic as it is nonsensical. Each week, we will use this space to celebrate the FBS’ top-shelf offerings … as well as the pairings that could devolve into feverish disorder. For what it’s worth, our first three “chaos agent” picks last weekend (the Boise State, Colorado and Alabama games) were all notable in their own right.

All times ET, and all odds via BetMGM.

Week 2 viewing guide

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GameTime (ET)TVStream

James Madison @ Louisville

7 p.m., Fri.

ESPN2

Eastern Washington @ Boise State

9 p.m., Fri.

FS1

Iowa @ Iowa State

Noon, Sat.

Fox

Baylor @ SMU

Noon, Sat.

The CW

Kansas @ Missouri

3:30 p.m., Sat.

ESPN2

Delaware @ Colorado

3:30 p.m., Sat.

Fox

Michigan @ Oklahoma

7:30 p.m., Sat.

ABC

Arizona State @ Mississippi State

7:30 p.m., Sat.

ESPN2

ABC and Fox are available for free over the air. Fox network broadcasts can also be streamed on Fox One. ESPN network broadcasts can also be streamed on ESPN Unlimited.

FridayBest on paper: James Madison at Louisville, 7 p.m. on ESPN2

Both sides were top 20 in Expected Points Added (EPA) per play in 2024, and each cracked the top 50 in The Athletic 136 rankings this week. Louisville’s Isaac Brown took six carries for 126 yards (yup!) and scored twice in last weekend’s breezy defeat of Eastern Kentucky. JMU’s Alonza Barnett III is a spirited scrambler who made the Golden Arm Award watch list; he was efficient in the season opener, which came nine months to the day from an ACL tear.

Best potential chaos agent: Eastern Washington at Boise State, 9 p.m. on FS1

The Mountain West mainstays earned a preseason AP ranking for the first time in seven seasons, then promptly lost to South Florida 34-7. Boise State should handle its FCS guest from the Big Sky, but consider the possible awkwardness of back-to-back Broncos Ls. EWU exploded for 21 second-quarter points but was otherwise shut out last Saturday. If nothing else, that is the profile of an unpredictable underdog. Boise State has a gnarly pass rush, with Jayden Virgin-Morgan preheating action off the edge. Also, the blue turf naturally connotes chaos.

Saturday, early windowBest on paper: Iowa at No. 16 Iowa State, noon on Fox

No. 11 Illinois at Duke isn’t far off (and worthy of your setup’s second screen), but we’ll give the main spot to the Cy-Hawk rivalry on “Big Noon Kickoff.” The past three installments of these in-state animosities were one-score finishes. Iowa State upset ranked Iowa 20-19 last time out. Ames should be popping off for this plum TV slot, and all kinds of guttural noises will be made in Kirk Ferentz’s general direction. Rocco Becht, the talented Cyclone under center, has five touchdowns to zero interceptions so far.

Best potential chaos agent: Baylor at No. 17 SMU, noon on The CW

Let’s turn The CW to The Chaos Watch. It was already inviting disorder by throwing Thom Brennaman on the call. This is the network that hosted “Roswell” and “Riverdale.” Let’s get weird! Baylor-SMU has present gravity and historical significance, with the noon window’s highest point total projection (65.5 at the top of the week). Bears QB Sawyer Robertson aired it out on Auburn for 419 yards Friday night. This one may go way of chaos aeon Young Thug and “run up them digits.”

Saturday, afternoon windowBest on paper: Kansas at Missouri, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2

The signature programs in this window mostly have mercy-rule spreads (Ohio State against Grambling, Georgia against Austin Peay, Troy at Clemson). Even Oregon’s power-conference opponent (Oklahoma State) is spotted four touchdowns on Saturday. Oddsmakers like a one-score game at Memorial Stadium, though. Kansas and Missouri both earned top-40 looks in our updated power rankings.

Jalon Daniels has been a cool dual-option QB for the 2-0 Jayhawks, with 10.1 yards per pass and 5.9 yards per carry. For Mizzou, Penn State transfer Beau Pribula has a career TD-INT mark of 11-to-1. This crowd should be sufficiently rowdy for the first rivalry showdown in 14 years. The last time these neighbors faced off (Nov. 26, 2011), a “Twilight” movie topped the American box office and Mac Miller’s debut album led the Billboard 200. This meeting is well overdue.

Best potential chaos agent: Delaware at Colorado, 3:30 p.m. on Fox

Deion Sanders’ squad gets an open invitation to join our chaos column. It’s the first week of September and he’s already teased a potential quarterback shake-up … alongside a defense of his critical late-game decisions.

Saturday, evening windowBest on paper: No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. on ABC

Our clear-cut leader for the best game in Week 2. It’s Saturday’s only matchup of ranked programs, yielding a Big Ten-SEC culture clash for the widest audience on commercial broadcasting. “College GameDay” comes to Norman, where Detroit native and true freshman Bryce Underwood leads his Wolverines against John Mateer’s Sooners. Michigan running back Justice Haynes was thrilling in last Saturday’s win over New Mexico. Check out this jet propellant:

On the other end, Mateer broke Baker Mayfield’s school record for a passing debut, torching Illinois State for 392 air yards. Oklahoma is eager to wash away its underwhelming SEC premiere season. And these days, opposing fans are especially eager to yell at/about Michigan football.

Best potential chaos agent: No. 12 Arizona State at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2

The Sun Devils kicked off with their best preseason AP ranking (No. 11) since 1998. The 2024 group was absurdly entertaining, and meaningfully pushed Texas in the College Football Playoff. The 2025 group is matching the hype by taking an SEC road game to jump-start September. Biletnikoff Award watch-lister Jordyn Tyson is a beast on the outside, capable of warping momentum and cracking the Arizona State offense open. Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen had two fourth-quarter touchdowns in last fall’s meeting, a 30-23 Sun Devils win. Let’s see what he can do with another year of familiarity.

Updated Week 2 college football odds

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(Photo of Bryce Underwood: Raj Mehta / Getty Images)