Every week this season, Newsweek Sports Betting Editor Tyler Everett will offer his early ATS picks for the top college football games on that week’s schedule.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any Week 2 matchups between top-10 teams. There are still plenty of intriguing matchups worth checking out, though, including the headliner between No. 15 Michigan and No. 18 Oklahoma in primetime.

All odds via DraftKings; all kickoff times EDT

No. 11 Illinois (-3) at Duke — Sat., 12 p.m. (ESPN)Pick: Duke +3

The Blue Devils continue to fly under the radar in Year 2 under head coach Manny Diaz, even after landing a young star from the transfer portal in quarterback Darian Mensah. Duke quietly went 9-4 (5-3 ACC) a year ago, and while the Blue Devils struggled to stop Miami in the regular season and Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl, they were otherwise solid.

Illinois appears to be rock-solid after exceeding expectations with a 10-3 record in ’24. While I don’t expect the Illini to lose this game, a noon kickoff against an underrated, well-coached team with a solid defense and a talented quarterback feels like a recipe for a low-scoring, tight ballgame, and it’s worth noting that Bret Bielema’s team went 5-1 in one-possession games last fall.

I also have my eye on the under at 49.5 points.

Iowa at No. 16 Iowa State (-3) — Sat., 12 p.m. (FOX)

Pick: Iowa +3

Another solid Big Ten team, Iowa, is on the road against a tough opponent at noon this Saturday. The Hawkeyes lost a ton from last year’s outstanding defense, but they should still be solid at worst on that side of the ball.

Iowa State has already notched two solid wins this year, and QB Rocco Becht was lights-out vs. FCS power South Dakota last week. But in a series where the last three games were decided by 3, 7 and 1 point(s), respectively, I’ll take Iowa plus the points on the road, even though I don’t feel great about it given highly touted Hawkeyes QB Bruce Gronowski’s struggles in his Iowa debut (8-for-15 for 44 yards, 1 TD).

Baylor at No. 17 SMU (-2.5) — Sat., 12 p.m. (The CW)

Pick: Baylor +2.5

No, the final score of Baylor’s season opener (Auburn 38, Baylor 24) didn’t scream, “watch out for the Bears this year.” Still, I thought they acquitted themselves well vs. an Auburn team that could be a factor in the SEC now that Hugh Freeze appears to have the best quarterback of his AU tenure.

Baylor moved the ball well against a good SEC defense last week (23 first downs, 483 total yards of offense), as QB Sawyer Robertson picked up where he left off down the stretch last year. If this team can finish its drives on Saturday, it could hang 40.

The jury is out on SMU after the Mustangs opened up with East Texas A&M, but I have my doubts about them given how much they lost from last year’s roster. SMU QB Kevin Jennings is a stud, and he’ll have his moments, but I like Baylor to at least cover, if not pull the upset.

Oklahoma State at No. 6 Oregon (-28.5) — Sat., 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Pick: Oregon -28.5

The Ducks are laying a ton of points, but reigning Big Ten champ Oregon appears to have reloaded, and Oklahoma State was underwhelming in its 27-7 win over UT Martin last weekend.

The Ducks struggled with Idaho and Boise State early last year, but ended up winning eight games by at least 20 points, including three Big Ten victories by a margin of 28 or greater.

Oregon first half -17.5 (-105 at DK) is another tempting play in this matchup.

No. 20 Ole Miss (-10) at Kentucky — Sat., 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

Pick: Ole Miss -10

Ole Miss, like Oregon, lost a ton of talent from last year’s roster. Like the Ducks, though, this year’s Rebels are hardly lacking in terms of firepower.

QB Austin Simmons is inexperienced, but has the talent to become the latest Ole Miss QB to post huge numbers. This team also added a ton of talent from the transfer portal to complement the few stars that are back from last year.

Mark Stoops’ Kentucky program, on the other hand, appears to be trending in the wrong direction. It is coming off a 4-8 (1-7 SEC) season after going 10-3 in 2021, 7-6 in 2022 and 7-6, again, in 2023.

Wildcats QB Zach Calzada is a sixth-year senior who started his college career at Texas A&M back in 2019. After spending 2023 and 2024 at Incarnate Word, this is Calzada’s second year in Lexington. His Week 1 performance in a 24-16 win against Toledo (10-of-23 passing for 85 yards, 0 TDs and 1 interception) offered a glimpse into why Kentucky is projected to be one of the worst teams in the SEC this season.

Throw in the fact that Ole Miss is desperate for revenge after losing to UK 20-17 at home as 15.5-point favorites a year ago, and the case for the Rebels to cover the double-digit spread is rock-solid.

Kansas at Missouri — Sat., 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Pick: Kansas +6.5

Neither Kansas nor Missouri is ranked, but for my money, this is — at worst — the second-best game of the weekend.

The Jayhawks vs. Tigers “Border War” is one of the most underrated rivalries in college football, and it’s great to have it back on the schedule for the first time since 2011.

While both teams are currently unranked, they have looked like top-25-caliber teams so far this year, albeit against overmatched opponents.

Kansas has beat up on two bad teams in Fresno State and Wagner. Still, veteran QB Jalon Daniels has impressed, completing 36-of-45 passes (80 percent) for 456 yards, with 7 TDs and 1 interception.

Daniels gives the Jayhawks a tantalizing ceiling, and I expect him to keep this close in a high-scoring shootout with Beau Pribula and the Tigers.

No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma — Sat., 7:30 p.m. (ABC)

Pick: Michigan +4.5

A lot of teams appeared to make dramatic upgrades at quarterback this offseason. If Week 1 was any indication, Michigan and Oklahoma have to be at the top of that list.

Bryce Underwood was a coveted recruiting get for the Wolverines for a reason. He looked the part in Week 1. OU QB John Mateer, who followed Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Pullman to Norman, was a massive transfer portal coup for Brent Venables’ Sooners, and he played lights-out in a romp over Illinois State.

But with two excellent defenses going head-to-head, I expect yet another low-scoring slugfest, especially early.

The under (44.5), the first-half under (22.5) and the first-quarter under (9.5) all feel like safe bets in this one.

I also like Michigan — which had just 62 yards passing in a 13-10 win over Ohio State and 75 yards passing in a 19-13 Reliaquest Bowl win over Alabama — to cover the spread.

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