A look at Week 2’s notable betting lines

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06 September 2023

A look at Week 2’s notable betting lines

With Ohio State taking on an FCS opponent this week, there are unfortunately no betting lines set for the Buckeyes. However, that isn’t stopping us from taking a look at what the rest of the Week 2 slate has to offer us. Let’s run through some of the spreads for this weekend’s top games.

All lines courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Friday, Sept. 8: Illinois vs. Kansas (-3)

The primetime game on Friday night, the Illini will travel to Lawrence to take on the Jayhawks. Illinois narrowly avoided an upset this past weekend, edging out Toledo 30-28 on a last-second field goal. Kansas, on the other hand, was not seriously challenged by Missouri State, defeating the Bears 48-17.

After missing the season opener, it sounds like Jayhawks starting QB Jalon Daniels could return for this contest. Throwing for over 2,000 yards and rushing for another 425 with 25 total touchdowns in 2022, having Daniels back would be massive for Lance Leipold’s group. Backup Jason Bean had a strong showing in Daniels’ absence, completing 22 of his 28 pass attempts for 276 yards and two TDs in Week 1, but Illinois is a big step up from the FCS opponent he faced in that game.

On the other side, Illinois will be pointing at Kansas having just a 17-10 lead at halftime as reason for optimism that they can rebound against the Jayhawks. Ole Miss transfer QB Luke Altmeyer will try to build off his performance in the opener, passing for 206 yards and two scores while also adding 76 yards on the group against the Rockets. Kansas’ defense is certainly not its strong suit, so if they can limit Daniels through the air, the Illini could pull off a small upset here.

Saturday, Sept. 9: Nebraska vs. Colorado (-3)

One of the biggest stories of the weekend was Coach Prime leading his Buffaloes over TCU as huge underdogs in his first game as the program’s head coach. Nebraska experienced the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, dropping a 13-10 contest to Minnesota after allowing a game-winning field goal following a late turnover.

While everyone is talking bout Deion Sanders, Colorado has some really talented guys on this year’s roster. Travis Hunter is one of the most exciting players in college football, as the former five-star prospect plays on both sides of the football — leading the Buffs with 11 catches for 119 yards on offense and also intercepting a pass on defense. Coach Prime’s son, Shedeur Sanders, was electric at QB in Week 1, torching the Horned Frogs for 510 yards and four TDs.

Nebraska, meanwhile, kicked off the Matt Rhule era by paying homage to Scott Frost with yet another one-score loss — their 25th such defeat over the last five seasons. A new coaching staff couldn’t shake off the bad vibes of the previous regime, as Georgia Tech transfer QB Jeff Sims threw three picks, including one with under a minute left that ultimately lost the game. Now, the Cornhuskers must try to regroup as underdogs on the road to a team that is feeling pretty good right now.

Saturday, Sept. 9: Iowa (-4) vs. Iowa State

Week 2’s action brings us a non-conference in-state rivalry game between Iowa and Iowa State. The Hawkeyes had dominated the rivalry until the Cycles earned the victory last season, with Kirk Ferentz’s guys winning the previous six matchups and 10 of the last 14 meetings. Iowa has a 46-23 advantage in the all-time series.

Iowa made it look like Brian Ferentz had finally learned to coordinate an offense in Week 1, jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead over Utah State. Things slowed down from there, however, as the Hawkeyes scored just one TD over the final three quarters in a 24-14 win. Michigan transfer Cade McNamara was solid in his Iowa debut, passing for 191 yards and two TDs, while the Hawkeye defense was its usual self. Iowa allowed only 88 rushing yards on 36 attempts, holding to Aggies to 2.4 yards per carry.

Iowa State will actually be playing its second contest of the year against another in-state program, defeating Northern Iowa 30-9 in the opener. The Cyclones opened up the scoring with a 58-yard pick-six by Jeremiah Cooper, and ISU went on to score the game’s first 30 points. Rocco Becht completed 10 of his 13 passes for 113 yards with two TDs and rushed for another score. Defensively, Iowa State held the Panthers to 3-of-15 on third down.

These two teams always seem to play each other close, and this should be another instance of that, as the four-point spread would tell you.

Saturday, Sept. 9: Texas vs. Alabama (-7.5)

The big ranked matchup of the weekend sees No. 11 Texas traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 3 Alabama. The two programs meet for the second year in a row, with the Crimson Tide narrowly escaping Austin with a 20-19 win last time around.

Texas comes into the new campaign with a lot of hope, led by quarterback Quinn Ewers. The former five-star prospect threw for 260 yards and three TDs while rushing for a fourth in the Longhorns’ 37-10 win over Rice in Week 1. Gone is Bijan Robinson at running back, but Texas has some really nice weapons at wide receiver, returning all three of last season’s top pass-catchers. The leader in that room is Xavier Worthy, who also led on the field this past weekend with seven receptions for 90 yards.

Alabama, meanwhile, had to break in a brand new QB against Middle Tennessee in Jaden Milroe, but showed no ill effects offensively as they cruised to a 56-7 win. Milroe had a great game through the air and on the ground, passing for 194 yards and three TDs and rushing for another 48 yards and two TDs. Three different receivers hauled in touchdown passes for the Tide, including Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton. Eight different players got carries in the run game for Bama, with three of them being QBs.

Expect this year’s matchup to be a bit higher scoring than last year’s.