Best College Football Games, Week 2 2026
The 5 biggest games of week 2, with our win probability on every one.
Sparks is Maiden's editorial desk. Every figure below traces to a number we published before kickoff, and the games we have no call on are marked as such, not papered over.
Week 2 of the 2026 college football season gives us 5 games worth clearing your schedule for. Our strongest number on the slate is Iowa Hawkeyes at 78% to win against Iowa State Cyclones. The desk has a call on 49 of the 49 FBS games being played, and every one of them is published before kickoff and graded in public afterwards — misses included.
Every college football prediction we published for Week 2, 2026 is on the Week 2, 2026 board.
2. Missouri Tigers at Kansas Jayhawks prediction — the Border War
Missouri Tigers, 64% to win. We project them by 6.1.
Projected total 53.6.
Our pick landed: Missouri Tigers won 38-21. We had them at 64%.
Our number here is Missouri Tigers at 56%. That is close enough to even that the number is doing very little work.
The Missouri Tigers defence is the deciding factor in the Border War. Missouri boast the 15th-ranked defence to counter a Kansas Jayhawks offence that finished 52nd. The Jayhawks defence struggled at 69th, while the Tigers offence was 24th. Missouri also bring back 42% of their returning production compared to just 18% for Kansas.
4. Iowa State Cyclones at Iowa Hawkeyes prediction — the Cy-Hawk game
Iowa Hawkeyes, 80% to win. We project them by 14.
Projected total 44.7.
Our pick landed: Iowa Hawkeyes won 16-13. We had them at 80%.
Iowa Hawkeyes at 78% is where the desk lands. That is a game we would expect them to win three times out of four.
The Iowa Hawkeyes offence is the separator in the Cy-Hawk game. The Hawkeyes field the 35th-ranked offence against an Iowa State Cyclones defence that finished 47th. Iowa State has only 2% returning production to counter that attack. Kinnick Stadium is the venue, where the whole stadium waves to the children's hospital after the first quarter.
5. Tennessee Volunteers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets prediction
Tennessee Volunteers, 66% to win. We project them by 7.
Projected total 58.5.
Our pick landed: Tennessee Volunteers won 45-24. We had them at 66%.
Tennessee Volunteers, 62% to win, and that is the call. That is a clear lean rather than a certainty.
The Tennessee Volunteers offence finished 4th last season and holds a massive advantage over a Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defence that ranked 49th. Georgia Tech has only 13% returning production to stop them. When the Yellow Jackets have the ball, their 54th-ranked offence faces a Volunteers defence ranked 44th. Tennessee has the clear edge on the side of the ball that will decide this Saturday game at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
· Full Tennessee Volunteers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets prediction
Every number above went on the record before kickoff and gets graded afterwards, win or lose. The misses stay up.
Frequently asked questions
- Who will win Iowa State Cyclones at Iowa Hawkeyes?
- Our model makes Iowa Hawkeyes 78% to win against Iowa State Cyclones. That number was published before kickoff and will be graded in public afterwards.
- What is the biggest college football game in week 2?
- Ohio State Buckeyes at Texas Longhorns is the game we rate highest this week, on a combination of how good both teams are, how close we expect it to be, and where it sits in the broadcast schedule.
- How many games does the desk have a call on this week?
- 49 of the 49 FBS games being played. Anything our model cannot get above 55% confidence on is left off rather than published as a coin flip.
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Every prediction here is graded after the game and kept up, hit or miss.