Week 2 predictions from around the SEC

If you’re the “regular season doesn’t matter” person, shield your eyes from Week 2 in the SEC. It won’t fit your narrative. It’ll instead fit the narrative that conference supremacy arguments are at stake, and for teams with daunting conference schedules ahead, Week 2 is the perfect opportunity for the majority of SEC teams to make key statements.

We’ve got eight SEC matchups involving Power Conference teams, which include the conference-play opener of Alabama-Kentucky. Of those seven SEC matchups vs. other Power Conference foes, one is against the ACC, three involve the Big 12, and we’ve got three games against Big Ten teams who won at least eight games last year.

Significant? You bet.

Speaking of bets, let’s bet on a few things happening in Week 2.
(We’re not literally betting anything, unless you decide to responsibly take/fade these predictions to the bank.)

Here are 10 predictions ahead of a Week 2 that could largely shape the SEC picture in 2026:

10. Oklahoma’s defense forces Bryce Underwood to the bench
It’s not necessarily bold to predict that Underwood will struggle against a Brent Venables-coached defense when you consider that he needed 60 minutes and one second to score a second touchdown against Western Michigan. It’s even less bold to predict that a benching will occur after Kyle Whittingham gave Underwood the worst post-Week 1 vote of confidence you’ll ever see from a head coach.

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As a passer, Bryce Underwood completed just 54.5 percent of his attempts for 170 yards, one touchdown and one pick in Michigan’s Week 1 “win” vs. Western Michigan.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Underwood, who was overwhelmed last year in his first career road start in a loss at Oklahoma, gave way to Michigan QB2 Tommy Carr. The brother of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr could become a household name, especially if he rights the ship for Michigan’s woeful offense.

9. Kamario Taylor looks like a shooting star … but Mississippi State still can’t win a close game
If you haven’t had a chance to watch Taylor spin it, he’s worth your time. His stock soared after he dazzled at the Manning Passing Academy this summer, and it only rose after he got every blade of grass that he wanted in the opener against Louisiana-Monroe.

But Taylor has never won a Power Conference start. He’ll get a chance to do so at Minnesota in what the oddsmakers have deemed a coinflip matchup. After watching Jeff Lebby struggle in close games during last year’s 5-8 season, it’s hard to imagine he’ll flip that script against a well-coached Minnesota squad that posted a 5-1 mark in games decided by 10 points or less last year. Some late Taylor magic would be just what the doctor ordered to turn that trend around.

8. The most impressive SEC running back performance of the weekend will come from DeSean Bishop at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech’s defense ran out of gas at home in a letdown loss to Colorado. That saw the Buffs rack up 183 rushing yards in a game that was decided by a blocked field goal. That bodes well for Bishop and his ability to operate behind an elite Tennessee offensive line.

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DeSean Bishop ran for 6.9 yards/attempt in Tennessee’s 56-9 win over Furman.

Bishop wasn’t in the same conversation as returning SEC backs like Jadan Baugh, Kewan Lacy and Ahmad Hardy, but he stole that Tennessee backfield last year en route to a 1,000-yard season. The Knoxville native, who enters Saturday’s matchup riding a streak of five consecutive games with at least 50 rushing yards after first contact, will be relied on heavily to take pressure off of Faizon Brandon in his first career road start. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Bishop rack up 20-25 touches for 150 scrimmage yards and multiple touchdowns in a Tennessee victory.

7. Texas A&M and Arizona State will have one combined touchdown in the first half
I just get the sense that both of these offenses will have slow starts. It’s an 11 a.m. CT kickoff time for A&M, though that’s 9 a.m. PT for Arizona State, who’ll travel directly from College Station to London for next week’s Union Jack Classic. Body clock issues could be prevalent for the visitors, but A&M could be in for another slow offensive start like we saw in the opener.

Why does the anti-Marcel Reed narrative exist nationally? In the last three games vs. Power Conference foes in 2025, Reed didn’t account for a first-half touchdown. A&M only scored one touchdown in the first half of those games, and it was a 9-yard rushing score from NFL-bound KC Concepcion. Even against LSU last year, A&M trailed at halftime before sending Brian Kelly to the unemployment line. In Game No. 2 with Holmon Wiggins calling plays, it could again take a bit for the offense to get going against an Arizona State team that was one of the better run defenses in 2025.

Danny Grant, TexAgs

Holmon Wiggins’ debut as a play caller watched the Aggies rack up 505 yards of offense.

If you’re a fan of defense, the first 30 minutes at Kyle Field will be the place to be.

6. An Alabama running back will have a 30-yard run in conference play for the first time since Oct. 2024
Think about that for a second. This is Alabama we’re talking about here. Like, the program that used to crank out running backs like candy on an assembly line. In Ryan Grubb’s first season as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, the program had its worst rushing yards/game average in school history. While we did watch a running back have a 30-yard run vs. SEC competition, that didn’t happen until the Playoff game against Oklahoma.

So against this new-look Kentucky defense, dare I say, Alabama will finally end that drought. True freshman EJ Crowell will be the first Alabama running back to record a 30-yard run in conference play since the 2024 Mizzou game in which Justice Haynes was Alabama’s leading rusher. Also of note, Haynes has transferred twice since that day. Yeah, it’s been a minute.

5. Mizzou WR Donovan Olugbode becomes a household name after Week 2
Olugbode is a rising star who would be a much more popular name if he were at a place like Alabama or Georgia. After a true freshman season in which he was quietly a contested-catch machine, Olugbode’s Year 2 encore began with him catching all eight of his targets for 107 yards and two touchdowns in a lopsided Mizzou win.

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As a true freshman in 2025, Donovan Olugbode caught 30 passes for 401 yards and two touchdowns.

Against the same Kansas squad where he burst onto the scene with a highlight-reel grab last year, Olugbode will continue to ascend. Austin Simmons has been known to throw into some tight windows, and having a contested catch guy like Olugbode is essential. With a Friday night spotlight and a national audience, Olugbode will have multiple jaw-dropping plays that show the masses why he’s becoming must-see TV.

4. Arkansas fans won’t have to stay up past midnight
That’s the good news. The bad news is that a game that’ll kick off at 9:15 p.m. CT will lack late intrigue for the visiting and overmatched Hogs. Utah might be living in a post-Kyle Whittingham world, but the Utes are still a ranked team for a reason. Morgan Scalley is a Utah lifer who has an elite quarterback in Devon Dampier.

It’s hard to imagine Arkansas going to Salt Lake City and playing a four-quarter game, especially after that opener against North Alabama was uninspiring on the offensive side of the ball. The Hogs have an intriguing rushing trio with Braylen Russell, Sutton Smith and quarterback KJ Jackson, but game flow won’t work in their favor. Too many obvious passing situations will make for a long flight back to Fayetteville.

3. Both LSU and Ole Miss will have sloppy, unimpressive victories
I mean, could you blame them? Both of them are playing each other in the Super Bowl in Week 3. Well, at least it’ll feel that way. Both LSU and Ole Miss are coming off emotional Week 1 victories against ACC foes, and now, they’re being tasked with keeping that same energy against the likes of Louisiana Tech and Charlotte. Call me crazy, but that’s tough to get fired up for.

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Next week’s Lane Kiffin-Pete Golding reunion is perhaps the most highly-anticipated game of the regular season.

Ole Miss will also be coming in on short rest after the thrilling win against Louisville on Sunday night. It’s possible that both Ole Miss and LSU will have a business-like approach and starters will get to rest the majority of the second half. But given the circumstances, a couple of sleepy performances en route to three-score victories could be in play ahead of their highly anticipated matchup in Week 3.

2. Texas beats a No. 1 team for the first time since 2008
It’s been 18 years since Texas took down the No. 1 team in America, which is ironic when you consider that the Longhorns have since played in eight games as the No. 1 team. That includes most recently when Texas lost the 2025 opener at Ohio State. Now, the roles are reversed, and Ohio State is the preseason No. 1 who’ll be the visiting team as a slight underdog.

But why will the roles be reversed when these two teams take the field? Texas spent big on that offense, which has much more experience than a year ago. The Buckeyes don’t have the same defensive firepower that they had when they spoiled Arch Manning’s debut.

Is it possible that a new-look Texas defense struggles to slow down Jeremiah Smith and the Ohio State offense? Of course. The Buckeyes played a massive role in preventing Texas from achieving its ultimate goal in each of the last two seasons. But they have a no-excuses roster that should finally have everything working in their favor to take down No. 1.

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Ohio State defeated Texas in Columbus last fall, 14-7.

1. The SEC has a 5-2 showing vs. Power Conference foes to improve to 8-2 on the year
That would mean the lone losses come via Arkansas and Mississippi State, while the likes of Mizzou, Oklahoma, Tennessee, A&M and Texas get it done this weekend. If that’s the case, following a 3-0 start, remember that with all of these conference supremacy arguments. Don’t discount that and pretend that non-Playoff bowl results with rosters in flux are actually a true metric for determining conference success.

This also matters because it’s the first year that the SEC has a nine-game conference schedule. Ergo, there could be multiple 9-3 SEC teams who try to make their case to earn a Playoff bid. What would help those 9-3 teams? Taking care of business in non-conference play with an impressive victory and helping the SEC have an overwhelming advantage in those matchups vs. Power Conference foes. That’s the only way a team will break through and become the first nine-win team to get an at-large bid in the 12-team field.

This weekend could have a major say in whether that happens in 2026.