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2021 College Football Viewing Guide: Week 2

A look at the top games to watch this upcoming weekend in the world of college football.

Northern Iowa v Iowa State Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images

College football is back, and that means our college football viewing guide is back to help you navigate the busy schedule ahead.

Each week we will do the heavy lifting, and figure out the top games that will be playing during each television window across college football. With one week in the books, we turn our attention to Week 2 with a few intriguing matchups to watch on Saturday.

NCAA Football: The Citadel at Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina is a home favorite against Kansas on Friday night.
David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

Friday, September 10

Kansas (1-0) at No. 17 Coastal Carolina (1-0) —> 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN2

The Sun Belt had a really strong showing during the opening week of the college football season, and that could continue into Week 2. Coastal Carolina welcomes Kansas as they look to knock off the Jayhawks for a third consecutive season Friday evening. As things stand the Chanticleers are a heavy favorite in this game.

UTEP (2-0) at Boise State (0-1) —> 8:30 p.m. CST on FS1

UTEP is one of the few teams to already have two wins on their schedule, but they have a chance to secure their third win Friday night on the road in Boise. The Miners will look to play the role of spoiler against the Broncos, as Andy Avalos’s squad looks to rebound after a tough loss to UCF last week.

Saturday, September 11

Morning games

No. 12 Oregon (1-0) at No. 3 Ohio State (1-0) —> 11 a.m. CST on FOX

The Big Noon Saturday showdown between the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes is definitely the game of the morning. Oregon barely snuck by Fresno State last week with starting quarterback Anthony Brown taking his first official snaps in Eugene. The injury status of star pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is the biggest uncertainty for this game, especially if Oregon wants to keep it close with the Buckeyes who have the best collection of receivers in the country.

Other morning games of interest:

  • Illinois at Virginia
  • Pittsburgh at Tennessee
NCAA Football: Ohio State at Minnesota
OSU wide receiver Garrett Wilson is one of a handful of top level targets CJ Stroud has this season.
Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

Afternoon games

No. 10 Iowa (1-0) at No. 9 Iowa State (1-0) —> 3:30 p.m. CST on ABC

The game of the week across college football takes place in Ames, Iowa this Saturday afternoon. The Cy-Hawk trophy has a little extra juice this year with both teams expected to be very good in 2021. Iowa started off their season with a bang, dominating Indiana on the road by 28 points, while Iowa State struggled at home against Northern Iowa to open the season. These two teams hate one another, and there is a lot on the line in terms of state bragging rights in this game.

Other afternoon games of interest:

  • No. 5 Texas A&M at Colorado
  • No. 13 Florida at South Florida
  • Buffalo at Nebraska
  • Rutgers at Syracuse

Primetime games

Eastern Michigan (1-0) at No. 18 Wisconsin (0-1) —> 6 p.m. CST on FS1

There are actually quite a few really quality matchups in primetime Saturday night, but as a Wisconsin dedicated blog we have to prioritize the Badgers. This is a must-win for Paul Chryst’s squad, and it is a big opportunity for the Badgers to gain some confidence before their bye week and eventually a trip to Chicago to take on Notre Dame.

Washington (0-1) at Michigan (1-0) —> 7 p.m. CST on ABC

This game lost some of its intrigue after Washington laid an egg against Montana in their opener, but this is still two high-level programs squaring off in primetime. Michigan will look to grab their second win of the season in the Big House on Saturday night.

Other primetime games of interest:

NCAA Football: Western Michigan at Michigan
Michigan will look to improve to 2-0 against Washington this week.
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

After dark

No. 21 Utah (1-0) at BYU (1-0) —> 9:15 p.m. CST on ESPN

In another early-season rivalry game, Utah and BYU usually play a physical style of football when they meet. This is a fun matchup with so much uncertainty surrounding both teams early in the season. These two teams did not play last season due to COVID-19, but the Holy War as it is commonly referred to should be a good late night game to watch.

Stanford (0-1) at No. 14 USC (1-0) —> 9:30 p.m. CST on FOX

This game might not be nearly as close as the Utah/BYU game, but it is an early-season Pac-12 conference game to monitor. Stanford is not expected to compete for a conference title, but USC has the talent to do so and is one of the top contenders that the Pac-12 has for a playoff spot. This game could act as a nice flip-back game during commercials of the Holy War.