College football week 2 features some key road tests for ranked teams. The featured game is Texas vs LSU in Austin, while Syracuse, Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Stanford all hit the road hoping to spark their seasons with big victories. Our panelists, Yesh Ginsburg, John Bava, Steen Kirby, and Lukas Weese offer their predictions.
#21 Syracuse at Maryland (Saturday in College Park, MD)
Line: Maryland by 2
John: This is an intriguing matchup between a current and former ACC member. Both are coming off shutout wins against overmatched opponents. Syracuse head coach Dino Babers has slowly turned the Orange into arguably the conference’s most underrated program. They upset Clemson in 2017 and gave the Tigers a scare last year. This week, they face a Maryland squad that nearly pulled off their own upset of Ohio State late in the 2018 season. What puts the Terps over the edge here is their quarterback Joshua Jackson, a Virginia Tech transfer who has the experience edge over his counterpart for ‘Cuse, Tommy DeVito. Maryland 31, Syracuse 24
Lukas: Both teams enter this game not giving any up any points in their Week 1 matchup. I really think the Maryland defense will slow down the Syracuse offense, similar to what they did last week to Howard (giving up 68 yards of offense. Maryland wins by a touchdown. Maryland 27, Syracuse 21
Yesh: I have no idea how Maryland is favored here. Both teams are pretty talented, but I think this line is benefiting too much from Maryland putting up 79 points on hapless Howard. Still, the Syracuse offense wasn’t very impressive against Liberty, either. Syracuse 28, Maryland 24
Steen: This is a gut check game for the ACC (and BIG 10), and also matters for recruiting. While neither team is likely to win their conference, both Syracuse and Maryland still have hopes of putting together meaningful seasons. Syracuse is a week away from facing Clemson at home and can’t overlook this game as they seek to find consistency from what was a routine but shaky win against Liberty. Maryland boatraced Howard and is playing at home. With former VT quarterback Josh Jackson at the helm, Maryland’s offense is showing some positive signs. If Jackson has enough time in the pocket, the Terps will nip the Orange in a defensive battle. Maryland 21, Syracuse 17
#12 Texas A&M at #1 Clemson (Saturday in Clemson, SC)
Line: Clemson by 17.5
John: Much like Syracuse, Texas A&M was another team that nearly shattered eventual national champion Clemson’s CFP dreams last year. But that matchup came in front of the 12th man at Kyle Field. This time around, the Aggies have to travel to Death Valley and face a Tiger side that looked fairly dominant against Georgia Tech in the season-opener. A&M should be a factor in the SEC West under second-year head coach Jimbo Fisher. And even though they did play the Tigers close in 2018, expect Heisman Trophy candidate Trevor Lawrence to help his side pull away in this one. Clemson 48, Texas A&M 27
Lukas: Clemson is still loaded. No signs of slowing down against a ranked Texas A&M squad. Expect Trevor Lawrence to have a huge game. Clemson 45, Texas A&M 21
Yesh: 17.5 feels like a lot, but only because it’s easy to forget just how ridiculously good Clemson is. Texas A&M has talent, and they’ll cause the Tigers some problems early, but Clemson will run away with this eventually. Clemson 41, Texas A&M 21
Steen: Clemson has so much talent on both sides of the ball that even if one their stars doesn’t click, they can still win a game without missing a beat. Texas A&M tested the Tigers last year and QB Kellen Mond is hungry to pull off an upset on the road. Playingi n Death Valley is tough however and under the radar Heisman contender Travis Etienne is a game changer at runnign back for the Tigers. TAMU should cover this wide spread but still come up short in the quest for victory. Clemson 35, Texas A&M 24
#25 Nebraska at Colorado (Saturday in Boulder, CO)
Line: Nebraska by 4
John: This rivalry which dates back to 1898 was played every year between 1948 and 2010 before conference realignment saw both teams leave the Big XII with Colorado joining the Pac-12 and Nebraska bolting for the Big Ten. They did renew hostilities last year in Lincoln with the Buffaloes narrowly prevailing. But they’re a program in flux right now under first-year head coach Mel Tucker. And a lot of experts are pegging the Huskers as favorites to win the Big Ten West with quarterback Adrian Martinez a dark horse Heisman candidate. The road team should cover here. Nebraska 37, Colorado 22
Lukas: Nebraska has a fast, up tempo offense. The key for the Cornhuskers is slowing down the Colorado run. I believe they do and will run away with this game down the stretch. Nebraska 38, Colorado 17
Yesh: Colorado looked decent last week, and Nebraska struggled on offense. Still, Scott Frost has to get things going at some point, right? He can’t lose this game and keep the fans in Lincoln happy. Nebraska 31, Colorado 30
Steen: Nebraska’s offense (and running game) didn’t click very well in week 1 and traveling to Boulder isn’t the easiest thing to do (though the stadium should be packed with Husker fans). However Nebraska is on paper the better team against a Colorado team under first year coach Mel Tucker. Colorado’s air attack is impressive and if they can crack the code of the Nebraska defense they will pull off an upset here. Colorado won this game last year and they will win it again, leaving Nebraska fans once again disappointed. Colorado 28, Nebraska 21
#6 LSU vs Texas #9 (Saturday in Austin, TX)
Line: LSU by 6.5
John: Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger is well-known for famously professing to the world after the Longhorns’ Sugar Bowl win over Georgia last season that “we’re back.” He can prove that’s the case if he can upend the visiting LSU Tigers in what most college football fans consider to be the most anticipated Week Two matchup. Don’t bet on it, though. LSU was one of five schools to limit their Week One opponent to under 100 yards of total offense. And quarterback Joe Burrow looks up to the task to outshine Ehlinger in Austin. LSU 30, Texas 21
Lukas: This is the game of the week. Both teams are coming in with dominant week 1 victories. I think LSU has made a case for a team to overthrow the powerhouse Alabama and Georgia. Their offense will outplay the Longhorns to win a close one. LSU 35, Texas 28
Yesh: Tom Herman gets his team up for big games. He also knows Joe Burrow better than anyone else in college football does. LSU looked really good last week, but it’s impossible to gauge how bad Georgia Southern really is. I expect a lot of strong defense in this one, and for Texas to eke out a win. Texas 21, LSU 17
Steen: In what should be a defensive struggle, Texas has a chance to knock off another SEC giant after beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl last season. LSU is as talented as ever but Tom Herman should get his team up for this game and between his superior coaching and QB Sam Ehlinger slinging the ball, the Horns will win at home in the biggest game DKR has seen in a while. Texas 24, LSU 21
#23 Stanford at USC (Saturday in Los Angeles, CA)
Line: Stanford by 3.5
John: This is arguably the most complicated game to bet on in Week Two. Both expected starting quarterbacks suffered injuries in their respective season-openers. Stanford’s K.J. Costello has been ruled out due to a concussion while USC’s J.T. Daniels’ season is already over due to a torn ACL/meniscus. The latter injury might have the Trojans a bit mentally down in this one. Couple that with the fact Stanford gave up 210 yards in Week One against a Big Ten opponent compared to USC’s 462 yards against a Mountain West team and the balance gets tilted in the Cardinal’s favor. Stanford 24, USC 16
Lukas: The injuries to USC’s quarterback will hurt them. The Stanford defense will implement a ton of blitz packages, hindering their ability to move the chains. The Cardinal continue their undefeated season. Stanford 28, USC 20
Yesh: Even without K.J. Costello, Stanford is a more talented and better-coached team than USC. This one might not be pretty, but the USC defense will make mistakes, while Stanford’s won’t. Stanford 27, USC 14
Steen: The backup QB bowl between these California rivals. USC has fallen behind Stanford as a program in recent years, and the Cardinal are eager to maintain that gap. This is a home game for a Trojans team that fought for a credible win against Fresno State last weekend while Stanford edged Northwestern in a defensive struggle. If the Stanford offense can’t get going, this is the Trojans game to lose. I don’t trust the USC defensive though and Stanford should do enough to secure the win. Stanford 17, USC 10
Texas vs LSU Main Photo:
AUSTIN, TX – AUGUST 31: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns looks to pass in the third quarter against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
