Road to Vegas: Top 25 matchups to watch in Week 2 of college football

The 2027 College Football Playoff national championship race continues into Week 2, and several matchups will give ranked teams a chance to build momentum or suffer an early setback.

Here are five games to watch as Week 2 gets underway.

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 4 Texas

The first top-5 matchup of the season features two programs with championship aspirations. Ohio State opened the season as the No. 1 team in the country and defeated Ball State 56-3, while Texas moved up to No. 4 after a 59-7 victory over Texas State in Week 1.

With home-field advantage, the Longhorns have the foundation for a potential upset in a game featuring plenty of star power, including Heisman Trophy candidates Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

No. 11 Oklahoma at Michigan

Oklahoma will travel to Ann Arbor for a matchup between two historic programs, but the teams enter the game in very different positions. The Sooners climbed to No. 11 following a season-opening 51-0 win over UTEP, while Michigan fell out of the AP Top 25 after needing a controversial last-second Hail Mary to escape Western Michigan in Week 1.

The last meeting between the programs came last season, when Oklahoma defeated Michigan 24-13 in Norman, Oklahoma.

No. 12 Alabama at Kentucky

Alabama enters its first SEC game of the season ranked No. 12, but the Crimson Tide will face a Kentucky team playing at home and coming off a 45-13 Week 1 victory over Youngstown State. After a disappointing 2025 season, Alabama is among the favorites to contend in the SEC, but the Wildcats have an opportunity to knock off a ranked opponent and derail the Crimson Tide’s championship hopes early in the season.

Alabama is favored by 10.5 points following its season-opening 48-10 win over East Carolina, and Kentucky will need to prevent the Crimson Tide from finding early offensive success if it hopes to keep its home crowd engaged throughout the game.

Iowa State at No. 21 Iowa

Iowa State and Iowa will renew their rivalry Saturday night as the No. 21 Hawkeyes look to improve to 2-0 and the Cyclones seek their first victory over a ranked opponent since August 2025. Iowa opened the season with a dominant 40-0 victory over Northern Illinois, while Iowa State enters the matchup after a 17-10 win over South Dakota.

The Hawkeyes are favored, but Iowa State has kept the Cy-Hawk rivalry competitive in recent years, winning three of the past five meetings. Saturday’s game could come down to which team better handles the rivalry atmosphere and pressure of an early-season showdown.

Arizona at No. 15 BYU

BYU enters its second game of the season ranked in the top 15 and will host an Arizona team that received votes in the latest AP Top 25. The Wildcats opened the season with a 35-7 win over Northern Arizona while totaling 520 yards of offense.

While the Cougars have home-field advantage, Arizona nearly pulled off the upset against BYU last season before falling 33-27 in double overtime. Returning to Provo looking to finish what it started a year ago, the Wildcats could provide the Cougars with a difficult early season test.