College football picks: No. 1 Ohio State should win a close one against No. 4 Longhorns

You know the song, the one that goes, “The eyes of Texas are upon you all the live long day."

Well, before the UT Longhorn Band plays the alma mater, as tradition dictates when games end, you can be sure the eyes of the nation will be upon Texas all the live long night. Lots of them.

No. 1 Ohio State's visit to No. 4 Texas highlights the Week 2 schedule and is the first regular-season top-five matchup since the Buckeyes beat the Longhorns 14-7 in Columbus last year.

There are plenty of reasons to watch. A bevy of future NFL players will be on the field. It's a classic Big Ten-SEC matchup. Though no College Football Playoff spots are at stake, the outcome definitely could impact seeding come December.

Then there's the history of these blue bloods. The Buckeyes have 991 all-time wins and the highest winning percentage (.737). Texas has 972 wins and is seventh in winning percentage (.705) Both teams have been ranked in the top 10 for all six meetings, and this will be the fourth time both are in the top five. Ohio State leads the all-time series, which is only 20 years old, 3-2.

So enjoy.

The picks for FBS vs. FBS games, with Associated Press Top 25 rankings and betting lines. All games Saturday unless noted:

For all the elite talent at the skill positions, this one will come down to the trenches. Longhorns have some questions on the offensive line. Texas averaged just 2.6 yards per carry on 34 rushes against Texas State when two runs totaling 66 yards are discounted. Arch Manning, harrassed all day by the Buckeyes last year, is going to need some help to alleviate the pressure.

Pick: Ohio State 28-24.

Western Kentucky gave up 323 yards rushing at Nevada last week, including four runs of 20-plus yards. Don't be surprised if Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens each go over 100 yards for the Dawgs.

Pick: Georgia 56-3.

Notre Dame is coming off a short week following its Sunday win over Wisconsin and will be going against an opponent that will try to bleed the clock with its run game. Owls will be without RB Quinton Jackson, who injured his knee last week.

Pick: Notre Dame 49-10.

Ducks fell out of the top five after they messed around with a good Boise State team, so they'll be looking to put up a big number. Cowboys lost at Tulsa last week, a sign new coach Eric Morris has an even bigger rebuild job than he imagined.

Pick: Oregon 45-17.

Talk about going from one extreme to the other. Tech crushed Northwestern State of the FCS 80-6 last week and now heads to Death Valley to face an elite opponent that just got done hammering Clemson by 41 points.

Pick: LSU 55-9.

Mississippi had a short week after its walk-off win over No. 24 Louisville in Nashville on Sunday. That won't matter against the 49ers, who are coming off a three-overtime loss to The Citadel of the FCS.

Pick: Mississippi 59-0.

Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley threw for 387 yards and six touchdowns in his first start for Arizona State, but that was at home against Morgan State of the FCS. Let's see what he can do against the 12th Man at Kyle Field and a top-10 Aggies team.

Pick: Texas A&M 31-20.

Sooners won last year's meeting 24-13 in Norman and now head to the Big House to face a Michigan team that still must be questioning itself after a 13-12 win over Western Michigan on the controversial second-chance Hail Mary.

Pick: Oklahoma 28-14.

So far, so good for new Alabama QB Keelon Russell, who turned in a strong start against East Carolina. Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey looked good in his opener against FCS team Youngstown State. The stakes get higher in the SEC opener.

Pick: Alabama 33-20.

Red Raiders have to travel to face a Beavers team that hung tough on the road against Houston under new coach JaMarcus Shephard. Freshman WR Jesse Legree could be a building block for better days in Corvallis.

Pick: Texas Tech 37-26.

USC's Jayden Maiava has just six incompletions on 54 pass attempts, freshman WR Trent Mosley has two straight 100-yard games and the defense hasn't given up any first-half points.

Pick: USC 47-13.

Wildcats squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before losing to BYU in double overtime last year in Tucson. Arizona is touting QB Noah Fifita as a Heisman Trophy candidate. He seems like a long shot, but these are the opportunities that can help a campaign take off.

Pick: Arizona 26-24.

Penn State lost the last time it went on the road to play Temple, in 2015. That was a much different time. Owls haven't had a winning season since 2019. Matt Campbell had a smashing debut as Nittany Lions coach, and the good times keep rolling in Philly.

Pick: Penn State 52-17.

Penn State transfer DT Xavier Gilliam had three sacks against Furman in his first game for Tennessee, and he'll be a handful for a Georgia Tech offensive line trying to establish itself. Yellow Jackets are still stinging from their 14-13 home loss to Colorado.

Pick: Tennessee 28-14.

Washington overcame lots of mistakes to beat Washington State in the Apple Cup. Huskies should be able to tighten things up against Utah State, which lost to FCS team Idaho State.

Pick: Washington 38-7.

Razorbacks face two straight tough tests with a trip to Salt Lake City and a home game against No. 2 Georgia next week. Arkansas tends to have trouble against mobile quarterbacks, and that's what Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin are.

Pick: Utah 40-21.

QBs Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski split time last week and the Hawkeyes rolled up 40 points against Northern Illinois, so Kirk Ferentz will stick with the plan against the Cyclones.

Pick: Iowa 27-10.

The Border War returned last year after 14 years of dormancy, and the Tigers will make their first visit to Lawrence since 2009 on Friday night. Missouri gets a boost with the return of All-SEC OL Cayden Green from injury.

Pick: Missouri 33-24.

Last week: Straight-up — 17-1; Against spread — 9-9.

Season: Straight-up — 17-1; Against spread — 9-9.

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