College football\u2019s \u201cWeek 0\u201d set the tempo up in Dublin. Last weekend\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
There are no Thursday games this week; in terms of TV pull, the NFL\u2019s season opener is Marlo Stanfield<\/a> rushing out of the fundraiser and back onto the corner. There are a few sleepers to appreciate on Friday, though, and Saturday is packed.<\/p>\n College football is as majestic as it is nonsensical. Each week, we will use this space to celebrate the FBS\u2019 top-shelf offerings \u2026 as well as the pairings that could devolve into feverish disorder. For what it\u2019s worth, our first three \u201cchaos agent\u201d picks last weekend<\/a> (the Boise State, Colorado and Alabama games) were all notable in their own right.<\/p>\n All times ET, and all odds via BetMGM.<\/p>\n Week 2 viewing guide<\/p>\n Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub<\/a>.<\/p>\n GameTime (ET)TVStream<\/p>\n James Madison @ Louisville<\/p>\n 7 p.m., Fri.<\/p>\n ESPN2<\/p>\n Eastern Washington @ Boise State<\/p>\n 9 p.m., Fri.<\/p>\n FS1<\/p>\n Iowa @ Iowa State<\/p>\n Noon, Sat.<\/p>\n Fox<\/p>\n Baylor @ SMU<\/p>\n Noon, Sat.<\/p>\n The CW<\/p>\n Kansas @ Missouri<\/p>\n 3:30 p.m., Sat.<\/p>\n ESPN2<\/p>\n Delaware @ Colorado<\/p>\n 3:30 p.m., Sat.<\/p>\n Fox<\/p>\n Michigan @ Oklahoma<\/p>\n 7:30 p.m., Sat.<\/p>\n ABC<\/p>\n Arizona State @ Mississippi State<\/p>\n 7:30 p.m., Sat.<\/p>\n ESPN2<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n FridayBest on paper: James Madison at Louisville, 7 p.m. on ESPN2<\/p>\n 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<\/a> this week. Louisville\u2019s Isaac Brown took six carries for 126 yards (yup!) and scored twice in last weekend\u2019s breezy defeat of Eastern Kentucky. JMU\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Best potential chaos agent: Eastern Washington at Boise State, 9 p.m. on FS1<\/p>\n 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\u00a0handle 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.<\/p>\n Saturday, early windowBest on paper: Iowa at No. 16 Iowa State, noon on Fox<\/p>\n No. 11 Illinois at Duke isn\u2019t far off (and worthy of your setup\u2019s second screen), but we\u2019ll give the main spot to the Cy-Hawk rivalry on \u201cBig Noon Kickoff.\u201d 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\u2019s general direction. Rocco Becht, the talented Cyclone under center, has five touchdowns to zero interceptions so far.<\/p>\n Best potential chaos agent: Baylor at No. 17 SMU, noon on The CW<\/p>\n Let\u2019s turn The CW to The Chaos Watch. It was already inviting disorder by throwing Thom Brennaman on the call<\/a>. This is the network that hosted \u201cRoswell\u201d and \u201cRiverdale.\u201d Let\u2019s get weird! Baylor-SMU has present gravity and historical significance, with the noon window\u2019s 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 \u201crun up them digits<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Saturday, afternoon windowBest on paper: Kansas at Missouri, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2<\/p>\n The signature programs in this window mostly have mercy-rule spreads (Ohio State against Grambling, Georgia against Austin Peay, Troy at Clemson). Even Oregon\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cTwilight\u201d movie topped the American box office and Mac Miller\u2019s debut album led the Billboard 200. This meeting is well overdue.<\/p>\n Best potential chaos agent: Delaware at Colorado, 3:30 p.m. on Fox<\/p>\n Deion Sanders\u2019 squad gets an open invitation to join our chaos column. It\u2019s the first week of September and he\u2019s already teased a potential quarterback shake-up<\/a> \u2026 alongside a defense of his critical late-game decisions.<\/p>\n Saturday, evening windowBest on paper: No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. on ABC<\/p>\n Our clear-cut leader for the best game in Week 2. It\u2019s Saturday\u2019s only matchup of ranked programs, yielding a Big Ten-SEC culture clash for the widest audience on commercial broadcasting. \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d comes to Norman, where Detroit native and true freshman Bryce Underwood leads his Wolverines against John Mateer\u2019s Sooners. Michigan running back Justice Haynes was thrilling in last Saturday\u2019s win over New Mexico. Check out this jet propellant:<\/p>\n