No. 3 Georgia will travel to Columbia to take on No. 24 South Carolina, and No. 2 Clemson will visit Texas A&M in a very interesting set of games for Week 2 involving SEC teams.
The landscape of the SEC East will start to come into focus when the Bulldogs and Gamecocks get together in a key division game, and Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher would love nothing more than to announce his presence with authority by notching a big upset over the Tigers.
What should you expect in Week 2? Let's break it down with some odds and predictions:
Record straight up: 13-1
Record against the spread: 5-2
*Games without lines are not counted in the ATS record
Main courses
No. 3 Georgia at No. 24 South Carolina (+10)
- Raucous environment
- Gamecocks wide receievers will test Bulldogs
- Fromm's composure is key
Make no mistake, this is going to be a tough test for defending SEC champion Georgia. The Gamecocks gave the Bulldogs a scare last year in Athens, and have more depth and experience on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Because of that, expect Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley, running back Rico Dowdle and the deep group of receivers to have some success moving the football against the new-look Bulldog front seven. Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm won't get rattled, will play smart with the football and keep Georgia in it into the fourth quarter. Running back D'Andre Swift will take it from there, and lead the Bulldogs to a hard-fought win -- but the Gamecocks will cover. Pick: South Carolina (+10)
No. 2 Clemson at Texas A&M (+12.5)
- Jimbo knows Dabo
- It's all about Mond
- Good luck blocking, Aggies
Fisher is wearing cowboy boots instead of the garnet and gold he used to don at Florida State, but the new Texas A&M coach is very familiar with Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. The two met annually when Fisher was in the ACC in a game that had massive ACC Atlantic ramifications. Nothing Swinney will do Saturday night in College Station will surprise the first-year coach of the Aggies. The problem is, Fisher wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Clemson's defensive front led by Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins will dominate in the trenches, make Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond uncomfortable and turn this game sideways late in the second half. Pick: Clemson (-12.5)
Strong cocktails
Kentucky at No. 25 Florida (-14)
- Will the streak end?
- Franks for real?
- Defense, Florida, defense
Kentucky's 31-year losing streak against Florida has to end sometime, right? RIGHT? Well, it won't be this year. Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks looked like a different guy last week when he threw for 219 yards and five touchdowns in the win over Charleston Southern. His emergence is what everybody in Gainesville was waiting to see, but it isn't the most important thing in this matchup. Wildcats quarterbacks Terry Wilson (two interceptions) and Gunnar Hoak (44.4 percent completion percentage) didn't exactly set the world on fire last week in a win over Central Michigan. And they're suddenly going to have success against Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Marco Wilson and the rest of the Gators D? Nope. Pick: Florida (-14)
No. 18 Mississippi State at Kansas State (+9.5)
- Nick Fitzgerald's debut
- Tough place to play
- Bulldogs D gets it done
Mississippi State star quarterback Nick Fitzgerald will be back this week after a one-game suspension landed him on the bench in Joe Moorhead's debut as the Bulldogs coach. He better be ready, because Manhattan, Kansas, is a tricky place to play, and not exactly the ideal spot for him to get his first live game work in a new system. With that said, the Wildcats squeaked by South Dakota last week 27-24 in a game that saw quarterbacks Skylar Thompson and Alex Delton split time. Expect Mississippi State to control it from the outset, play more on the conservative side considering it's Game 2 and hold coach Bill Snyder's offense in check. But just because it's in hand doesn't mean things can't get weird. Kansas State will sneak in the back door and find a way to cover late. Pick: Kansas State (+9.5)
Appetizers
Arkansas State at No. 1 Alabama (-36.5)
- The Tua show
- The twos get work
- Red Wolves find a way to cover
I rode Louisville with the points last week against the Crimson Tide, and that ended poorly. Alabama is laying a whopping 36.5 this week, though, so I'm going to fade the Tide yet again. Coach Nick Saban kept his foot on the gas for a very long time against the Cardinals last week, so I expect quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to take a seat on the bench quickly and the second-teamers to get a lot of work in. Alabama's second team can still whip Arkansas State, but Saban will bleed the clock in the second half and not give his guys time to win by more than five touchdowns. Pick: Arkansas State (+36.5)
- Cowboys have a sneaky-good defense
- Drew Lock seems relaxed
- Vegas eyes on Columbia
Did you know that Wyoming has a pretty solid defense with a few NFL-caliber players in starting spots? If Missouri fans don't, they'll hear about them Saturday night. Craig Bohl's Cowboys are one of the best-coached teams in the country, and will have a solid gameplan heading into Columbia. With that said, they won't be able slow down quarterback Drew Lock, wide receiver Emanuel Hall and the explosive Missouri offense for a full four quarters. But ... they will keep it within 18. Pick: Wyoming (+18)
Arkansas at Colorado State (+13)
- Chad Morris needs this
- The Rams are a disaster
- QB roulette
Arkansas rolled last week against Eastern Illinois, but muddied up its quarterback depth chart in the process. Starter Cole Kelley threw 1 touchdown to Ty Storey's 3, and both are expected to get snaps Saturday against the Rams. It won't matter who is slinging the rock, because Colorado State -- a team giving up 8.79 yards per play -- won't be able to slow down the Razorbacks offense at all. Pick: Arkansas (-13)
Nevada at Vanderbilt (-9)
- 'Dores D dominates
- Stay clean, Shurmur
- Mason creates hype
Very quietly, Vanderbilt's defense stymied a rather potent Middle Tennessee offense last week. That might not sound like much, but it's at least enough to give me confidence that the feat can be repeated against Nevada. Commodores quarterback Kyle Shurmur stretched the field (10 yards per attempt) and didn't throw a pick in the win, and shouldn't have much of a challenge in front of him this week. 'Dores coach Derek Mason urged the fans to show up this week to show them that he has a good thing going, and he'll prove it against the Wolf Pack. Pick: Vanderbilt (-9)
Side dishes
- Tennessee over East Tennessee State
- Ole Miss over Southern Illinois
- No. 11 LSU over Southeastern Louisiana
- No. 7 Auburn over Alabama State
So which teams should you back in Week 2 of the college football season? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected final score for every FBS matchup, all from the model that nailed its final seven picks of the 2017-18 season and has returned over $4,000 in profit to $100 bettors over the last three seasons.