The Biggest College Football Games This Weekend
Josh Frey
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Week 1 of the college football season brought excitement of all sorts, but now it’s time to shift gears towards the Week 2 slate, which kicks off tonight. As entertaining as Week 1 was, there are multiple games in Week 2 that could make this group of games even more fun than the opening weekend. Here’s a preview of a few of the biggest college football games for Week 2.
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No. 1 Alabama @ Texas
Texas is coming off an impressive win in Quinn Ewers first game as the quarterback of the Longhorns. They beat up on UL-Monroe, 52-10. This program has been trying to get back to their former glory for years now, and 2022 feels like the closes they’ve ever gotten.
In order to prove that this year is not like others where Texas fizzles out, they have to pass a massive test in Week 2 against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama is coming off a flawless 55-0 victory over Utah State, and Bryce Young displayed an enhanced ability to run the football in that game. The two teams meet at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for what should be an entertaining, high-scoring game.
No. 24 Tennessee @ No. 17 Pittsburgh
Despite being the reigning ACC champs, coming away with a Backyard Brawl victory last Thursday, and being the higher ranked team, the Pittsburgh Panthers are underdogs in their home matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday. Kedon Slovis opened his 2022 campaign strongly, continuing to build off a successful 2021 campaign at USC before transferring.
On the other side, Tennessee also has a veteran QB that is trying to find his way to the NFL Draft next spring. His season opener with the Vols continued Tennessee’s trend from 2021 of just dominating opposing defenses. The Vols defeated Ball State 59-10, and Hooker threw for a pair of touchdowns before being taken out of the game. These veteran squads face off with a chance to begin solidifying their case for a New Year’s Six bowl at the end of the season.
No. 20 Kentucky @ No. 12 Florida
Two of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the nation face off on Saturday night in The Swamp when No. 20 Kentucky visits No. 12 Florida. All eyes will be on Will Levis and Anthony Richardson in this SEC battle. The two emerging QBs not only battle to solidify a resume for the committee, but this game could very well help their case towards being the more highly touted draft pick next spring.
Levis brings a massive frame that is hard to tackle along with a cannon for an arm. Meanwhile, Richardson is a very accurate passer and showed off his mobility not only in the pocket, but as a pure runner. These contrasting styles of play should bring everyone’s favorite flavor of offense to what promises to be a competitive game.
No. 9 Baylor @ No. 21 BYU
Saturday’s late-night matchup should not be a sleeper as No. 9 Baylor heads out west to LaVell Edwards Stadium to face off with No. 21 BYU. After sending Zach Wilson to the NFL just two years ago, the Cougars seem to have another young QB in their program that could match that potential in Jaren Hall.
Hall will go up against a Baylor Bears squad that boasts one of the strongest squads in the country. The Bears have a growing QB of their own in Blake Shapen, who passed for 214 yards and threw for two TDs while running for another in Baylor’s 69-10 victory over Albany. The stadium will be rocking for BYU’s first taste of Big 12 action before joining the conference in 2023.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing as well as minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh‘s hobbies include training for a marathon, playing video games, and rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his takes, NFL and otherwise, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken