Five College Football Games You Should Watch: Week Two

This piece is a continuation of our weekly series, Five Games You Should Watch. The premise is simple: you're obviously going to watch Saturday afternoon’s Beaver game versus Fresno State (12:30 PM on The CW), but here are five more games for you to consider.

Iowa at #22 Iowa State - 9 AM on FOX

Rivalry games help make college football special. This rivalry in particular, the Cy-Hawk Game, has been played 71 times dating back to 1894. Iowa has a whopping .662 win percentage all-time in the series, but the home team Iowa State has won two out of the last three; what’s more, Iowa State currently holds a coveted top-25 ranking into this matchup.

While the Big-12 eschewed a preseason poll this season, largely due to negative perception after overlooked Arizona State ran the table to win the conference last season, many experts view Iowa State as a conference title contender.

If the Cyclones are for real, look for a strong showing on Saturday morning.

#21 Ole Miss at Kentucky - 12:30 PM on ABC

Ole Miss’ 2024 football season could be summed up with four words: so close, so far. 

Thanks to an upset of then 3rd ranked Georgia in early November, the Rebels held control of their own destiny. All they needed to do was win out, and then Lane Kiffin’s club would likely earn a non-automatic bid to the expanded College Football Playoff. But that didn’t happen. Disaster struck two weeks later when the 9th ranked Rebels dropped a close one at Florida, behind two interceptions in the final hundred seconds from eventual first round pick Jaxson Dart, and Ole Miss’ 3-loss resume hung like a weight around its neck.

One of those three losses was an early season contest against Kentucky. With last season’s failures now squarely in the rear-view mirror, Ole Miss will vie for revenge.

#11 Arizona State at Mississippi State - 4:30 PM on ESPN2

In my past life on the Oregon beat, I once interviewed a young, new Ducks’ offensive coordinator named Kenny Dillingham. His passion & personality stood out right away, and I’ve been a massive fan of Dilly ever since. 

Dillingham took Arizona State’s head coaching job two seasons ago, and completely redefined what was possible at the moribound program. Last year, his Sun Devils rattled off five straight wins to reach the Big-12 title game, and walloped Iowa State to win the conference (and a coveted College Football Playoff automatic bid). On New Year's Day, they took Texas all the way to double overtime in the CFP quarterfinals. 

What can Dilly’s team do this year? I think we’ll have a good answer after this early test against a power four foe.

UCLA at UNLV - 5 PM on CBS Sports Network

Boise State have long been the darlings of the Mountain West Conference, and a favorite to earn the top ranked G5 automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. After last week’s 27 point beatdown at South Florida, suddenly the Broncos don’t look so hot.

Enter UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels are 2-0 after wins over Idaho State and Sam Houston, with a marquee matchup Saturday against a power conference program. UCLA are mired in problems; second year coach DeShaun Foster followed up last season’s 5 win campaign with an eye-opening 43-10 blowout loss versus Utah last Saturday. Despite their struggles, the Bruins remain the bigger brand in this game. If UNLV wins, Dan Mullen's team will garner top-25 consideration and inch one step closer to the G5’s CFP bid. 

San Diego State at Washington State - 7:15 PM on The CW

Legendary ESPN broadcasater Chris Berman loves to joke that Browns/Ravens matchups pit “the old Browns against the new Browns”, and my mind went somewhere similar for this game. It’s the old Pac-12, 1-0 Washington State led by first year head coach Jimmy Rogers, against the new Pac-12, a 1-0 San Diego State program that wanted to join the conference for years. 

While the new Pac-12, rejuvenated thanks to five Mountain West departees and Sun Belt divorcee Texas State, doesn’t kick off until 2026, this game carries special significance. It’s a golden opportunity for the Aztecs to show that they belong.