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Will Texas avenge last season’s loss to Ohio State? Can Michigan bounce back against Oklahoma after a shocking and controversial near-upset? Which teams will prove that their Week 1 performance wasn’t a fluke, but a trend to rely on? The college football season rolls on, and Week 2’s lineup is looking strong with some big cross-conference games, from Texas-Ohio State to Michigan-Oklahoma to Illinois-Duke and so many more. So before Week 2 kicks off, we’ve got some picks of the week, along with answers to those questions and more. We’re breaking down our straight-up picks for Week 2 and which matchups to keep a close eye on this weekend. Let’s get into it. When: Friday, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)Where: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KansasLine: Missouri -5.5 RJ Young: MissouriThe Tigers have the better quarterback, and their run game is still rather awesome even without Ahmad Hardy in the backfield. Laken Litman: MissouriMizzou takes down Kansas in an old rivalry game as former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons lights up the Jayhawks with another multi-touchdown performance. Michael Cohen: MissouriAs a new face in a new place, Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons gave the Tigers plenty to be excited about in Week 1 with four touchdowns and only two incompletions. He keeps it rolling against the Jayhawks. Ben Portnoy: MissouriI’m in on Austin Simmons being a difference maker for the Tigers, even with a depleted run game. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz has largely handled business as a favorite during his tenure, and I think he does it again this week. When: Saturday, noon ET (FOX)Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MichiganLine: Oklahoma -5.5 Young: Oklahoma The Sooners have the edge at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive line. This could get ugly for Michigan if Bryce Underwood doesn’t show a tremendous leap in development. Litman: OklahomaThe biggest question for me is how Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood will look after last week’s near disaster against Western Michigan. You know Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables will put together a defensive game plan that makes it as hard as possible for the young signal-caller to succeed. Cohen: OklahomaMaybe the Wolverines will bounce back a bit following last week’s controversial win over Western Michigan. But the safer bet is that Oklahoma’s terrific defense can cause even more problems for Bryce Underwood, whose time as the starter feels like it’s dwindling. Portnoy: OklahomaRecency bias has me incredibly down on the Wolverines, but there’s nothing I saw in Saturday’s win (?) over Western Michigan that makes me think they can beat a team of Oklahoma’s caliber. I think the Sooners are a legit dark horse to win the SEC this year, and I love what a healthy John Mateer brings. Give me the Sooners, big. When: Saturday, noon ET (ESPN)Where: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OklahomaLine: Oregon -22.5 Young: OregonOregon is coming off of an embarrassing win, still has one of the best rosters in the sport and is about to play an Oklahoma State team that got beat by Tulsa, the smallest FBS school in the country. Name the number, Ducks. Litman: OregonThe Ducks had their “wake-up call” last week vs. Boise State, who could end up being the Group of Six College Football Playoff representative. While Stillwater is a tough place to play, Dan Lanning will have his team ready to go, while the Cowboys are in a transition year. Cohen: OregonThere will certainly be a response from Oregon’s defense after the highly-touted unit was gashed by Boise State in a surprisingly close opener. The Ducks should roll against an Oklahoma State team that looked quite rough in an upset loss to Tulsa. Portnoy: OregonOregon got a scare from Boise State last week, but there’s no way that’s happening two weeks in a row. Oklahoma State looked atrocious last week in Eric Morris’ debut at Tulsa. I’d be shocked if the Ducks don’t roll in this one. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX)Where: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UtahLine: BYU -7.5 Young: BYUI trust the BYU defense more than I trust quarterback Noah Fifita and the Arizona offense. Litman: BYUQuarterback Bear Bachmeier and the Cougars have to win their first Big 12 game to keep pace with the likes of Texas Tech and Houston, and will take care of business against Arizona. Cohen: BYUThis is an important early-season mile marker for BYU in its quest to supplant Texas Tech in the Big 12 hierarchy. A controlled win over Arizona should give the Cougars plenty of confidence at the start of conference play. Portnoy: BYUIf BYU is really going to challenge for the Big 12 title, this is the kind of game the Cougars need to win. Arizona was much improved last year and Noah Fifita is back, but I think BYU’s talent advantage outweighs that. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)Where: Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IllinoisLine: Illinois -5.5 Young: DukeThe defending ACC champs — Duke! — have a bona fide star at running back in Nate Sheppard and the Illinois defense gave up 24 first downs and 194 rushing yards to UAB in its opener. Litman: IllinoisQuarterback Katin Houser builds on his four-TD performance against UAB in Week 1 against the Darian Mensah-less Duke Blue Devils. Cohen: IllinoisHow popular is Illinois football right now? Illinois sold out Memorial Stadium for this week’s non-conference tilt against Duke. A crowd like that should push head coach Bret Bielema’s squad to a win. Portnoy: IllinoisKatin Houser put up huge numbers at East Carolina and his Big Ten return is off to a nice start. I like what Bret Bielema and this staff did with Luke Altmyer and Houser feels like a nice replacement. Duke has some talent, but Illinois is the better team here. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (USA Net)Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, New YorkLine: Syracuse -3.5 Young: SyracuseHead coach Fran Brown has his quarterback in Steve Angeli, and his quarterback is healthy. Angeli can be as good as Kyle McCord was at ‘Cuse if he stays healthy, and I like this matchup for a veteran head coach against a rookie one, in Cal’s Tosh Lupoi, coming off a loss and traveling across three time zones. Litman: SyracuseAn early season classic ACC matchup! Orange quarterback Steve Angeli keeps up momentum from a strong Week 1 performance as Cal falls to 0-2 in the Tosh Lupoi era. Cohen: CalFool me once (as the Bears did last week), shame on you. Fool me twice (as I back the Bears again this week), shame on me. They should bounce back with a win. Portnoy: CalTosh Lupoi’s team didn’t exactly help my case for the Golden Bears as potential ACC contenders with their loss to UCLA last week, but I’m riding with the “Calgorithm” again. Fran Brown’s team should be much improved with Steve Angeli, but I think Lupoi’s bunch bounce back after a tough opener. When: Saturday, 6 p.m. ET (USA Network)Where: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, IdahoLine: Boise State -8.5 Young: Boise StateI saw enough from the Broncos to believe they’re one of the two best teams in the Group of Six. Sadly, Memphis is not one of those two teams. Litman: Boise StateComing off an impressive performance from Week 1 where they almost knocked off then-No. 2 Oregon in Eugene, the Broncos get into the win column. Cohen: Boise StateThe Broncos played incredibly on the road at Oregon last week to establish themselves as legitimate CFP contenders from the Group of Six. Memphis wants to be viewed in that same category after knocking off UNLV in its season opener. Boise State is a cut above. Portnoy: Boise StateI’m rolling with the Broncos until proven otherwise. This team is as experienced as any in the Group of Six, and they looked the part last week at Oregon. Could there be a letdown? Sure, but I think Boise State will be able to run the ball more effectively against Memphis, and that gives the Broncos the edge. When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (FOX)Where: DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TexasLine: Texas -1.5 Young: Ohio StateThe Buckeyes’ weakness is on the offensive line. However, the cheat code exists. Quarterback Julian Sayin doesn’t have to punch up the “Konami code.” Just press four. Jeremiah Smith will beat the game. Litman: TexasArch Manning and the Texas defense aren’t about to let Ohio State beat them a third straight time in less than two years. Cohen: Ohio StateA year ago, new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia put the clamps on Texas’ offense. This time, new Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will unleash a few wrinkles the Longhorns aren’t ready for. The Buckeyes get it done. Portnoy: TexasIf not now, when? That’s how I feel about Texas and its national title aspirations. Saturday’s game is a chance to cement the Longhorns as the top team in the country. I’m still skeptical of Arch Manning, but I think the talent drain on Ohio State’s defense shows up in Austin, and the home team gets a major résumé boost.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Julian Sayin’s family group chat was blowing up. A video of Sayin went viral after one of his classmates recorded him introducing himself during the discussion portion of an online sports marketing class in the first week of school. The students had been asked to share their wellness habits. Instead of identifying himself as Ohio State’s starting quarterback or a Heisman Trophy candidate, Sayin kept it as low-key as possible. He tried to be a normal college student. “My name is Julian Sayin, I just prefer Julian,” he began. “My major is sport industry. I wouldn’t really say I want to change too much about my physical activity — I feel like I have a pretty good routine, I’m pretty active, I play sports. And one interesting thing about me is I love to play golf and I love playing pickleball.” The video spread quickly across social media, in part because of how casual Julian was, but his family wasn’t surprised by it. “It’s very Julian,” his older brother, Aidan Sayin, told me with a chuckle. “He’s not going to give you much detail, but just be humble and to the point. We all had a good laugh. “The ‘I prefer Julian’ line was hilarious, but that’s just him. We joke that [his humor is] similar to Larry David. We always watch ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ and say he sort of emulates that same character.” Julian’s no-ego personality might be the opposite of what you’d expect from someone at the center of the college football universe. He tries to fly under the radar and never tells anybody who he is if they don’t already know. Fans loved the video and plenty of them flooded the comment section on the social media post. “The video itself encapsulates a lot about him,” Aidan said. “He’s not concerned with the spotlight. To be honest, he doesn’t even like it. Whenever we’re out and about in Columbus, he keeps his hat on, his head down, and just wants to get his açaí bowl.” Julian has been that way for as long as those closest to him can remember. It’s part of what makes him so effective on the field. He’ll need to keep that level head as he enters his second season as a starter at Ohio State, where a talent-laden roster is chasing its second national championship in three years. The top-ranked Buckeyes have a challenging schedule ahead with their first major test coming Saturday when they visit Arch Manning and No. 4 Texas in one of the biggest games on the Week 2 slate. ‘It Always Came From Within’ Julian is the baby in a family of high achievers. He’s the starting quarterback on the No. 1 team in the country and is a front-runner to win the Heisman after finishing in fourth place last season. But he’s striving to be as accomplished as his three older siblings. “I think he was always kind of scrappy and trying to follow along,” Sayin’s mom, Karen Brandenburg, told me. “I don’t know how to describe it — it’s kind of like, ‘Don’t think you’re all that.’” Julian’s eldest sister, Bailey, played soccer at the University of Chicago before attending the Cambridge School of Art in England. His sister Jocelyn attended the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where she earned a degree in data analytics. After returning to the United States, Jocelyn took an interest in her youngest brother’s career, joining him on several college visits to LSU and Ole Miss. Now, alongside their mom, Jocelyn helps manage Julian’s NIL and marketing deals. She also earned a master’s degree in sports management from Ohio State and is pursuing her doctorate. Aidan played football at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with honors from Wharton. He went on to play for the Columbus Aviators of the UFL and is now considering continuing his football career in Japan or Europe. When asked whether the household she and her husband, Dan, created while raising their children influenced their ambition, Brandenburg paused for a moment. She’s Type A; Dan is more laid back. Maybe, she thought, it started with Bailey, who from a young age was determined to play on the best soccer teams. That drive might have trickled down to the rest of the siblings. “I don’t know,” Brandenburg said. “But it always came from within. We didn’t have to push. We never had to say, ‘You’ve gotta go to practice.’ They just always sought after things on their own, which made parenting really easy. We’ve been really lucky that they push each other.” With success comes praise, and the Sayin kids aren’t particularly comfortable with compliments or being celebrated. When Jocelyn was finishing her master’s program, Brandenburg suggested they attend her graduation. Her daughter immediately pushed back: “No, no. When I get my doctorate, we’ll go to graduation.” Julian is much the same way. The only feedback he really wants to hear — positive or negative — comes from his coaches and teammates. Even an email from an Ohio State fan in Dayton simply wanting to tell Julian that he had played great didn’t feel right to him. ‘On To The Next’ Thadd MacNeal — who was both Julian and Aidan’s coach at Carlsbad High School outside of San Diego and is close with the Sayin family — was at Ohio State’s 38-14 win over Penn State last year and sat in on the post-game press conference. He remembers reporters asking Julian about his passing percentage — 87% on a near-perfect 20-of-23 passes — in addition to 316 yards and four touchdowns. “And he literally said, ‘Well, that’s because I have great protection, because my receivers catch every ball, and they’re so productive,” MacNeal told me. “It’s always deflecting to other people. That’s just how he operates.” When Julian won Elite 11 — a premier high school quarterback competition — in June 2023, his mom wanted to take him out to dinner. He had beaten out Dylan Raiola, the top-rated quarterback recruit in the 2024 class at the time. But Julian declined. There was a tournament about 30 minutes away, and he wanted to go play in it instead. This story came up during one of Julian’s visits to Alabama while he and his family were sitting in Nick Saban’s office. Julian enrolled at Alabama early in January 2024, but on his first day of classes, Saban announced his retirement, prompting the quarterback to enter the transfer portal and head to Columbus. “Nick [Saban] said, ‘Hey, I heard you won Elite 11,’” Brandenburg recalled. “And Julian’s like, ‘Yeah.’ And I said, ‘I tried to take him out to dinner and celebrate.’” “Nick just looked at Julian, and Julian goes, ‘On to the next thing.’ And Nick Saban’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s one thing. On to the next.’” That attitude, Brandenburg said, is part of what makes Julian different. “I don’t know what made him that way,” Brandenburg added. “But it’s good. It keeps us grounded, too. There’s always the next thing. “I’m really trying to learn from him.” ‘Calm And Locked In’ Those traits serve Julian well on the field. He’s calm in big moments and doesn’t let the stage get too big. He’s already off to a fast start this season, completing 21-of-25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns before coming out midway through the third quarter in Ohio State’s season-opening 56-3 romp of Ball State. Julian also scored his first rushing touchdown of his collegiate career on a fourth-and-goal to make it 21-0 early in the second quarter. “He seems even more relaxed and confident this year,” Brandenburg said. “He’s very calm and locked in.” Last year, his first as a starter at Ohio State, Julian completed 77% of his passes and averaged 27.9 attempts per game, the best mark in the country. He threw for 3,610 yards with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the Buckeyes to a 12-2 record and impressive wins over Texas and Michigan. They lost to eventual national champion Indiana in the Big Ten title game and runners-up Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. The year before, Julian played in four games as Will Howard’s backup, completing 5-of-12 passes with one touchdown on an Ohio State team that ultimately won the national championship. Those experiences have helped Julian grow and develop into an even better player. Transforming his body during the offseason, he’s stronger, more poised, and Ohio State coach Ryan Day said this summer at Big Ten Media Days that he’s carrying himself with “a different look in his eye.” Buckeyes center Carson Hinzman has seen it too. “I mean, that dude can roll now,” Hinzman told reporters last month. “When he’s talking in the huddle, the confidence he has. Being able to zip that ball, you hear it literally whistle behind your ear, and it gives us confidence to have a quarterback who can go out there and have a little bit of swagger about him.” No matter what happens this season — whether Julian wins the Heisman, Ohio State falls to Texas on Saturday or the Buckeyes run the table — his mindset will remain the same. It always has. “I think sometimes bravado or being the star quarterback works, too,” Aidan said. “But for the most part, teammates want to see someone who is about the team and isn’t all about themselves. He’s just about playing football. He doesn’t care what else goes along with it. He just wants to play football and do his best this week.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports