Saturday Predictions: Week 2

The much-hyped Tennessee Volunteers can prove their
relevance with a good performance against Oklahoma.
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

We're a week in and a lot of fans have already experienced the heartbreak of defeat. Surely more are to join them this week. Although many teams will still be playing outmatched cupcakes, many others (mostly out of the Top 25 spotlight) should provide us with close, exciting competitions. There are a few premier matchups to look out for. Conference play begins in some parts of the country and with it games of major consequence. The first of these conference games will be played tonight in Bowling Green, Kentucky when Louisiana Tech takes on Western Kentucky to get a leg up in Conference USA. Friday gets two games between in-state opponents; first, Miami plays Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton and later Utah State will try to down rival Utah for the first time since 2012.

Saturday football begins at 11:30 AM, when the South Florida Bulls kick off against Florida State in Tallahassee. South Florida is looking to improve over last year's 4-8 campaign; however, they have a tremendous challenge facing them with the Seminoles. USF appears overmatched at most positions, but will try to force turnovers to gain advantage.

The first SEC game of 2015 will be played in Nashville, were Georgia looks to pick up another win against Vanderbilt. Vandy won the last game against UGA in their home stadium, but few expect them to compete with the Bulldogs this year. A few hours later and 180 miles east, Tennessee will attempt to notch their biggest win in years when the Oklahoma Sooners come to Knoxville. The Sooners won handily against the Vols last year in Norman, but many are expecting a closer outcome this year. The Vol defense had some trouble stopping Bowling Green last week, and should face a higher level of competition this Saturday. Tennessee will need all it can get from its athletes and its home field advantage against OU.

The Spartans lost a close game to the Ducks last season but
can avenge themselves with a win Saturday night.
Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Many teams seek to avoid the peak of late summer heat by playing at night this Saturday. The Florida Gators play the East Carolina Pirates for the second time in three consecutive games. The last game was a close contest in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl. Significant off-season personnel losses to ECU should leave the Gators with a greater advantage this season in the Swamp. South Carolina hosts Kentucky in a game crucial to each team. The Wildcats and the Gamecocks exposed their flaws in their season openers; both need a conference win in a what may prove to be a difficult year for both teams.

The first Top 10 matchup of the year will take place in East Lansing when Oregon and Michigan State play in East Lansing. Although Oregon's offense dazzled in their opener, their defense looked highly suspect. Michigan State looked more balanced, but must play well to contain the Duck offense. FIU looks for another upset and their first-ever win over a Big Ten team when they face Indiana in Bloomington.

Later that night, LSU will officially open their season in Starksville against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The home team has the advantage of having played a game previously, but LSU is expected to have the usual advantage in talent. Last week, Boise State barely hung on against Washington while BYU won on a miracle play. This week, they'll duke it out against one another. The Cougars may have lost their starting quarterback last week but should still have enough offensive firepower to earn a win in front of their home crowd.

The last game I'll note will be between Stanford and UCF. Both teams were hugely disappointed in their season openers, losing to double-digit underdogs. Both looked offensively incompetent. Either team could win this game given the other makes enough mistakes, though Stanford should have the edge in their own stadium.

State of Florida:

• Miami (1-0) over Florida Atlantic (0-1), 41-21
• 11 Florida State (1-0) over South Florida (1-0), 38-20
• Florida (1-0) over East Carolina (1-0), 44-13
• Indiana (1-0) over FIU (1-0), 31-30
• Stanford (0-1) over UCF (0-1), 16-10

Southeastern Conference:

• 6 Auburn (1-0) over Jacksonville State (1-0), 55-10
• 17 Mississippi (1-0) over Fresno State (1-0), 38-10
• 10 Georgia (1-0) over Vanderbilt (0-1), 42-7
• 2 Alabama (1-0) over Middle Tennessee (1-0), 49-17
• 18 Arkansas (1-0) over Toledo (0-0), 41-20
• 23 Tennessee (1-0) over 19 Oklahoma (1-0), 37-34
• 16 Texas A&M (1-0) over Ball State (1-0), 56-16
• 21 Missouri (1-0) over Arkansas State (0-1), 37-9
• South Carolina (1-0) over Kentucky (1-0), 24-17
• 14 LSU (0-0) over 25 Mississippi State (1-0), 20-17

Top 25:

• 1 Ohio State (1-0) over Hawaii (1-0), 49-6
• 3 TCU (1-0) over Stephen F. Austin (0-1), 62-7
• 4 Baylor (1-0) over Lamar (1-0), 77-17
• 5 Michigan State (1-0) over 7 Oregon (1-0), 37-30
• 8 USC (1-0) over Idaho (0-1), 62-14
• 9 Notre Dame (1-0) over Virginia (0-1), 31-17
• 12 Clemson (1-0) over Appalachian State (1-0), 38-20
• 13 UCLA (1-0) over UNLV (0-1), 42-14
• 15 Georgia Tech (1-0) over Tulane (0-1), 44-7
• 22 Arizona (1-0) over Nevada (1-0), 38-24
• BYU (1-0) over 20 Boise State (1-0), 31-21
• 24 Utah (1-0) over Utah State (1-0), 38-10