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College football picks for Week 2 games from ESPN's College GameDay
College football picks for Week 2 games from ESPN's College GameDay MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

College football returns to action today as the Week 2 schedule gets underway, and the gang on ESPN’s College GameDay have locked in their predictions for the top games.

It’ll be hard for this week to live up to last week’s drama, as three top 10 ranked teams lost their games, resulting in some early confusion in the AP top 25 rankings.

Today marks the first College GameDay since the retirement of Lee Corso, after the beloved broadcaster made his final appearance on the show in Week 1, revealing his 431st and final headgear pick, selecting Ohio State over Texas in the opener.

That prediction turned out to be right, as did all the others Corso made in his final go-round on the College GameDay desk, including his projection that his alma mater, Florida State, would upset No. 8 Alabama, as it did.

As for headgear picks in the future? They’re history, Rece Davis confirmed.

No one else will ever again don a mascot’s headgear in the process of picking college football games on ESPN’s watch, as that tradition begins and ends with Corso.

As for the games on college football’s Week 2 slate, what can we expect for an encore to an exciting opening weekend?

Let’s turn to the guys from ESPN’s College GameDay to get a look at their final predictions for college football’s most consequential games today.

College football Week 2 picks

Illinois at Duke: Kirk Herbstreit and guest picker Trae Young were alone picking the Blue Devils to upset their ranked Big Ten counterparts at home in this one.

Baylor at SMU: Desmond Howard was the only one to take the Bears in this road matchup against the reigning ACC runner-up Mustangs, who are 15-1 in their last 16 home games.

Virginia at NC State: Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit are taking the Wolfpack to hold on at home over the Cavaliers in this ACC matchup.

Kansas at Missouri: Howard took the Jayhawks in this border rivalry against the Tigers, who won the last three in a heated series that hasn’t been played since 2011.

Arizona State at Mississippi State: Herbstreit is going with the SEC upset in this one, taking the underdogs to get one over on the reigning Big 12 champions.

Ole Miss at Kentucky: A clean sheet for the Rebels to take down the Wildcats and avenge last season’s surprise loss in Oxford.

Iowa at Iowa State: McAfee and Herbstreit were the outliers on GameDay’s desk in predicting the Hawkeyes would take down the Cyclones, notable as the road team has won four of the last five in the Cy-Hawk series.

Michigan at Oklahoma: Desmond Howard and Nick Saban upset the OU crowd by taking the Wolverines to pull off the upset, while McAfee is riding with the Sooners.

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College Football HQ picks

College football picks against the spread for Week 2 games

College football predictions for Week 2 games by expert model

Iowa vs. Iowa State expert prediction

ESPN computer predicts college football national title ahead of Week 2

Ole Miss vs. Kentucky prediction: Who wins, and why?

Alabama vs. UL Monroe score prediction by expert football model

ESPN model predicts SEC football order of finish after Texas, Alabama losses

Iowa vs. Iowa State prediction from expert models

Ohio State vs. Grambling expert score prediction

Michigan vs. Oklahoma prediction: Who wins, and why?

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AP top 25 college football rankings for Week 2

First-place votes in parentheses

  1. Ohio State (55)
  2. Penn State (7)
  3. LSU (3)
  4. Georgia 
  5. Miami
  6. Oregon
  7. Texas
  8. Clemson
  9. Notre Dame
  10. South Carolina
  11. Illinois
  12. Arizona State
  13. Florida
  14. Florida State
  15. Michigan
  16. Iowa State
  17. SMU
  18. Oklahoma
  19. Texas A&M
  20. Ole Miss
  21. Alabama
  22. Tennessee
  23. Indiana
  24. Texas Tech
  25. Utah

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This article first appeared on CFB-HQ on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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