As is often the case, college football’s first weekend felt all over the place. Crowds were drained by unprecedented heat and fans (and conferences) were set off by clock disparities. Yet the schedule outkicked its coverage to become thoroughly watchable.By the looks of it, Week 2 could be sharper on all fronts. There’s a pair of blue-blood matchups on tap, with game-of-the-year hype surrounding Ohio State at Texas. The Big Ten’s crossover with other power conferences could influence College Football Playoff positions. Regional rivalries like the Border Showdown and Cy-Hawk Series thicken the air, too.Here are a few of the kickoffs to check out across this FBS slate. We chose weeknight warmups on Thursday and Friday, then went with two picks for each Saturday TV window. The best game on paper measures national appeal, while the potential chaos agent seeks closer-than-expected theatrics. Two of our three chaos calls from last Saturday totally delivered — Boise State gave Oregon a scare, and WMU-Michigan gave us the strangest ending in years.All times are ET, and rankings are from the latest AP poll.College football Week 2 watch guideGameTimeTVStreamFlorida A&M at Miami8 p.m., Thu.ACCNFubo (Watch Now)Missouri at Kansas8 p.m., Fri.FoxFubo (Watch Now)Oklahoma at MichiganNoon, Sat.FoxFubo (Watch Now)Arizona St. at Texas A&MNoon, Sat.ABCFubo (Watch Now)Arizona at BYU3:30 p.m., Sat.FoxFubo (Watch Now)Alabama at Kentucky3:30 p.m., Sat.ABCFubo (Watch Now)Ohio St. at Texas7:30 p.m., Sat.ABCFubo (Watch Now)Iowa St. at Iowa7:30 p.m., Sat.NBCFubo (Watch Now)ABC, Fox and NBC are free over the air. ABC and ACCN also stream with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, Fox streams on Fox One and NBC streams on Peacock’s premium plan.Thursday, Sept. 10The warmup: Florida A&M at No. 7 Miami8 p.m. on ACC NetworkThis is here by default as Thursday’s lone FBS game. The Hurricanes are favored by almost two Rutgers-UMass spreads. At least it’s another chance to see new Miami quarterback Darian Mensah team up with Malachi Toney, the revelatory wideout who went off for 234 yards and three touchdowns against Stanford.Friday, Sept. 11The warmup: No. 23 Missouri at Kansas8 p.m. on FoxIt’s a feud shaped through historic fury and deep tension. Friday night marks the first Border Showdown in Kansas since 2005 — it was played at Arrowhead Stadium from 2007-11, then went on hiatus until last year.Former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons was nearly perfect in his Tigers debut. He’ll be countered by redshirt sophomore Isaiah Marshall, who shined in his first start with the Jayhawks. For pregame prep, there’s a new documentary about the 2007 hair-raiser.What in the world just happened at Michigan?Austin MeekSaturday, Sept. 12: The early slateBest game on paper: No. 11 Oklahoma at MichiganNoon on FoxJohn Mateer claimed the Norman leg of this home-and-home gauntlet. He threw for 270 yards, rushed for another 74 and notched three total touchdowns in last year’s 24-13 win. It got ugly for Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, who failed to stretch the field and completed just nine of his 24 pass attempts.Both QBs return for a reprisal at the Big House, with Underwood under immense pressure after his Week 1 performance. The game could be defined by steady pass rush from Sooners DL David Stone (No. 35 on The Athletic’s top 100 list) and Wolverines edge John Henry Daley (No. 51).“Big Noon Kickoff” decamps in Ann Arbor to mark the occasion. Urban Meyer trying to make some joke about extra time is our lock of the week.Potential chaos agent: Arizona State at No. 10 Texas A&MNoon on ABCAggies star Marcel Reed can put on a show. He’s one of just four homegrown quarterbacks on a top-10 team. The hosts are a tough out at Kyle Field, of course. But don’t sleep on the Sun Devils. Kenny Dillingham’s Arizona State crashed the CFP bracket in 2024, and it upended both TCU and Texas Tech in 2025. Another stunner against a Lone Star State school would start with the WR transfer duo of Reed Harris and Omarion Miller.Saturday, Sept. 12: The afternoon slateBest game on paper: Arizona at No. 15 BYU3:30 p.m. on FoxTheir most recent matchup was a 33-27 double-overtime slammer, and each side returns with the same QBs. BYU’s Bear Bachmeier is a tank. Arizona’s Noah Fifita is a dimer. The Cougars are one-score favorites, but anything goes in the desperado Big 12.Potential chaos agent: No. 12 Alabama at Kentucky3:30 p.m. on ABCThis is not an upset endorsement, just a reminder that loopiness is somewhere on the table. Kalen DeBoer’s Tide dropped the SEC road opener two years ago and the first away game of last season. New Wildcats head coach Will Stein helped guide Oregon to the CFP, and he has a high-upside project with Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey. It remains to be seen if anyone can cover Bama receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams, but we do know that Lexington is going to be loud.Saturday, Sept. 12: The late slateBest game on paper: No. 1 Ohio State at No. 4 Texas7:30 p.m. on ABCWhat more can we ask from this second weekend of September? It’s two national championship contenders, and two top-ranked quarterbacks in Julian Sayin and Arch Manning. Ohio State might have college football’s finest talent with Jeremiah Smith, the graceful yet propulsive receiver atop The Athletic’s player rankings. But Texas has S-tier defender Colin Simmons, the edge menace at No. 4 in those same rankings.The Longhorns look to avenge their 2025 stumble in Columbus, where Manning was bottled up by the Buckeyes’ highly rated D. Texas opened as a slight favorite this year, while the SP+ model has Ohio State winning a nail-biter.ESPN’s “College GameDay” comes to Austin, airing from 9 a.m. through noon; ABC’s A-team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge are on the call from DKR.Potential chaos agent: Iowa State at No. 21 Iowa7:30 on NBCThrow the spread into the Des Moines River. The last four Cy-Hawk matchups had one-score finishes, and three of those four were settled by a field goal or less. Iowa is the favorite here, but Iowa State hasn’t lost at Kinnick Stadium since 2018. Jimmy Rogers, who succeeds Matt Campbell as coach of the Cyclones, is set for his first Cy-Hawk game. He was a middle schooler when Kirk Ferentz made his own series debut with the Hawkeyes.Updated Week 2 college football oddsStreaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.