Odds, predictions, picks for Week 2’s headliner

Week 1 of the college football season spoiled us.

With so many heavyweight matchups perfectly staggered throughout the day, college football fans across the country were left thinking, “I could get used to this.”

Unfortunately, Week 2 is a bit of a letdown compared to the curtain-raiser, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some terrific matchups for fans and handicappers to sink their teeth into.

The clear headliner is Michigan at Oklahoma.

“College GameDay” is in Norman, so you know this is a big one.

The Sooners are 5.5-point favorites over the Wolverines.

Michigan at Oklahoma odds, predictions

There were a lot of folks in the college football universe gently pointing to John Mateer as a potential breakout star in 2025.

Mateer put up eye-popping numbers last year at Wazzu, throwing for 3,139 yards and adding 1,032 (not including sacks) on the ground.

Landing a player of Mateer’s caliber was massively important for the Sooners, who uncharacteristically were poor offensively in 2024.

Betting on College Football?

Mateer should do a lot to jolt Boomer Sooner back into respectability with the football, which may be enough to make them a sleeper in the SEC because Brent Venables has the defense in great shape.

Michigan should provide a stern test for the Sooners, who ran out as 35-3 winners against Illinois State in Week 1.

While the Sooners were bitterly disappointed with how things went in 2024, the Wolverines were encouraged thanks to a strong finish to the season that included an upset over Ohio State.

Adding to the buzz was the fact that Bryce Underwood, a five-star recruit, was set to take over as quarterback in Ann Arbor in 2025, which immediately put them back on track to contend for another national championship.

Underwood was fine in his debut, but playing against this Oklahoma defense on the road is a different universe compared to hosting New Mexico in a season opener in front of 100,000 Wolverine fanatics.

Mateer and Oklahoma will also have a tough defense to solve, but this seems like a situation where you can trust that experience will win out.

If Underwood comes into a hostile environment in his second career start and gets Michigan to the window, we tip our cap.

The Play: Oklahoma -5.5 (-110, FanDuel)

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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.