SOONER WIRE - College football is back with a bang. Week 0 and Week 1 provided fantastic matchups. The five-day Labor Day weekend extravaganza didn’t disappoint, providing fantastic storylines and some great games. The weekend provided some major upheaval in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, with a new No. 1 and the Oklahoma Sooners moving to No. 24 in the nation.

Now that every team has taken the field at least once in 2025, Week 2 of the season promises more twists and turns and more observations to be made once Friday and Saturday’s games are in the books.

It’s no surprise what the game of the week in college football is, but this is a sneaky good slate of games that could lead to some chaos on the first Saturday of September.

1. Michigan at. Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m. CT

The Wolverines and the Sooners will take center stage in Week 2, playing in a primetime showdown with the entire country watching. Sherrone Moore, who played offensive line at OU in 2006 and 2007, returns to Norman hoping to hand Brent Venables a crushing defeat.

Two of the most iconic blue bloods in college football history will square off for just the second time ever on Saturday night. The only other meeting was in the 1976 Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day. Oklahoma won a 14-6 defensive slugfest, in which they only threw five passes and allowed only two completions in the win. OU ran for 282 yards and wound up as the national champions for the 1975 season, which was Barry Switzer’s second straight title.

Michigan is the winningest program in the history of college football and is the only school with more than 1,000 wins. However, it’s Oklahoma that is the most successful program of the modern era (since the end of World War II). Since 1946, OU is the only program with more than 700 wins.

The 2025 edition of this game could be a defensive slugfest as well, but quarterbacks Bryce Underwood and John Mateer may have something to say about that. The eyes of the college football world will be fixed on Norman, Oklahoma, on Saturday.

2. Ole Miss at. Kentucky, 2:30 p.m. CT

The first conference game in the SEC in 2025 sees Ole Miss head up to Kentucky. The Rebels will be trying to avenge a home upset loss from a year ago, while the Wildcats hope for a better performance than the one they had last week against Toledo.

Lane Kiffin and Mark Stoops would both love to be the early front-runners atop the conference standings, and both coaches are breaking in new starting quarterbacks. Austin Simmons is the next gunslinger in Kiffin’s wide-open, fastpaced spread attack, while Zach Calzada brings and cagey, veteran presence to UK’s offense that hopes to bounce back from a poor season a year ago.

The lead-in to Michigan- Oklahoma could get interesting, especially if it’s a tight contest the way it was in 2024.

3. USF at Florida, 2:30 p.m. CT

The Bulls and the Gators meet in an under-the radar bout in Week 2. USF pulled one of Week 1’s many upsets with a dominant home win over Boise State. Alex Golseh’s team looked good against a College Football Playoff team from a year ago, and the Bulls have to be riding high coming into The Swamp.

Billy Napier’s Florida team can’t overlook their in-state opponent, as the Gators will need a big performance from D.J. Lagway if they want to get to 2-0. Lagway looks fully healthy, but he dealt with injuries this offseason that limited his time on the practice field. Lagway also had some bumps and bruises last year, but the Gators believe in their QB, who is a dynamic dual-threat playmaker.

The Group of Five CFP spot could be up for grabs, and USF wants to make a statement on the road against an SEC dark horse in Week 2.

4. Oklahoma State at Oregon, 2:30 p.m. CT

The 2:30 p.m. CT slot is under-the-radar good in Week 2. Oklahoma State and Oregon play in a game that looks one-sided, but OU fans know better than anyone else that OSU plays better when they’ve got something to prove.

Well, the Cowboys will have that, as Mike Gundy called out Ducks’ coach Dan Lanning and Oregon’s hefty NIL budget to begin the week. Lanning shot back at Gundy, and now the teams will meet on the field in Eugene with the Ducks as heavy favorites.

Oklahoma State will start Zane Flores under center, with Week 1 starter Hauss Henjy out for around five weeks due to a broken foot. For Oregon, Dante Moore steps into the shoes left by Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel for a team with national title aspirations. The Ducks would be wise not to overlook the Cowboys, as it sounds like OSU might have gotten the fiery bulletin- board material that makes them play above their weight class.

5. Iowa at Iowa State, 11:00 a.m. CT

The Hawkeyes and the Cyclones will renew their annual rivalry, with this edition taking place in Ames. Kirk Ferentz and his staff feel good about South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski at quarterback. Iowa threw for just 48 total yards in a win over UAlbany.

Matt Campbell’s Iowa State team is already 2-0 and atop the Big 12 standings, having beaten Kansas State in Week 0 in Ireland. Rocco Becht looks like one of the conference’s best quarterbacks, and the Cyclones seem like they’ll be a factor in the wide-open Big 12.

The Cyclones went on the road and stunned the Hawkeyes with a last-second field goal in Iowa City last year. This game has a tendency to get weird, so don’t count Iowa out, even though Iowa State is favored.

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