Week 2 of the 2024 season, nationally, is all going to be about what happens in the Big House at noon. Texas at Michigan- that's all that needs to be on the marquee for that one. In addition to the Texas game, the SEC finds itself with a lot of intriguing non-conference games this weekend. Week 2 features three SEC v. Big 12 matchups and two SEC v. ACC matchups. Locally, the Gamecocks and Kentucky open up SEC play on national TV.

Specialist Ike Crofoot tore everyone up last week in our pick'em. What former Gamecock has to follow Ike's 9-1 week? None other than former tight end Boomer Foster. Foster lettered at Carolina from '91-'94 and he caught a two-yard TD pass from Steve Taneyhill to open up the scoring for the 95' Carquest Bowl. (Go to the 15 minutes mark in the clip below). The first bowl win in school history. Foster appeared in 43 games during his Gamecock career, catching 27 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns. After his playing days, he graduated from USC's law school in 1998 and was a partner in the successful Northern Virginia brokerage firm, Long & Foster Companies.

All games times are listed in EDT. Game lines are locked Monday and might have moved by the time of this article's publication.

If you are only going to watch one football on game on Friday, you are probably going to watch Green Bay and Philadelphia from Brazil. If you want something to flip to, this is the best the college game has to offer Friday night. Former WAC rivals SMU and BYU meet for just the fifth time. SMU will be seeking their first win in the series. BYU won the last meeting 24-23 in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl. BYU also beat the Mustangs by a single point in the 1980 Holiday Bowl.

SMU is 2-0 but looked sluggish in their week zero win over Nevada.

These two titans have met only a single time in their programs' illustrious histories, the 2005 Rose Bowl, one of the better bowl games you'll see. Vince Young led the Horns to a 38-37 win. Michigan and Texas were two of the four playoff teams last season. The defending national champs struggled to put away a pesky Fresno St team. Texas rolled over Colorado State. Texas QB Quinn Ewers currently has the sixth-best odds to win the Heisman. This one will be appointment viewing.

This is the 47th meeting between Oklahoma State and Arkansas. A lot of those games took place back in the 1910s and 1920s when both were members of the Southwest Conference. The schools also met annually from 1962-1980. Arkansas stayed in the Southwest until coming to SEC in 91', OK State left in 1925. The two former rivals haven't met since 1980. The Hogs lead 30-15-1.

Arkansas looked revitalized under Bobby Petrino's offense in Week 1... against Arkansas Pine Bluff. Pickings won't come as easy this week in Stillwater where the Pokes are 96-24 under Mike Gundy.

If Auburn is getting to its normal self, they should have no problem blowing the doors off this Cal team. Last season was the first meeting between the two schools. Auburn won a sluggish 14-10 game. This will be Cal's first of four cross-country flights this season. Auburn looked sharp in their 73-3 win, but we are talking about a win over Alabama A&M. This is one of two ACC v. SEC matchups this week.

The battle of the Cy-Hawk Trophy. Iowa leads the series in commanding fashion, 47-23. The Hawkeyes have won seven of eight. Iowa State needs a strong season, they've gone 7-6, 4-8, and 7-6 the last three years. The Hawkeyes had one of the most frustrating offenses of the last 30 years in 2023, so much so that their punter was the star of the team. Tim Lester was brought in to run the offense, Iowa scored 40 in week one, this week will be a better test. Instate rivalry games are always the best.

No one beats the Scoop for Gamecock coverage. Check back multiple times daily for new content previewing the Gamecocks and Kentucky.

Hopefully, there is no mayo bath for the winner since Josh Heupel appears to consume enough of Duke's as is. NC State's 38-21 win over Western Carolina in Week One was as underwhelming as any top 25 win. Western led 21-17 going into the fourth quarter. Tennessee absolutely boat raced instate Chattanooga as their AD scurried to cash the $550,000 check the Vols wrote to decimate the Mocs. This game will be a far better indicator of what both teams have in store for 2024. This is the game that will follow Carolina/UK on ABC.

Remember Grayson McCall from Coastal? He's in his 6th-year of college football leading the Wolfpack after five previous mostly successful seasons in Conway.

Something has to give. A Marcus Satterfield offense versus a Deion Sanders defense. Huskers 5-star QB and Rivals 2024 #2 ranked player overall, Dylan Raiola, the Patrick Mahomes lookalike, looked every bit the part last week in the Huskers layup 40-7 win over UTEP. In Boulder, NCAA Football 2024 create a player Travis Hunter, a former Rivals top-ranked prospect, is doing things that no one has done in college this generation. Hunter lined up in six different positions in the Buffs week one win over North Dakota State and logged 129 total snaps. He had seven catches for 132 yards, three touchdowns, and three tackles. Hunter has the best odds of any non-QB to win the Heisman at +2500, good enough for 10th overall.

FYI: former Gamecock Shilo Sanders is in his 6th-year of college football for the Buffalos.

Oregon was picked by multiple ESPN talking heads as the 2024 National Champion. They almost let Idaho essentially knock them out of the playoff in Week 1. Statistically, it looked like a game that Oregon would have won by 35-to-40 points. The Ducks outgained the Vandals 487-217, had 31 first downs to just ten allowed, Dillon Gabriel went 41-of-49 for 380 yards and two touchdowns, Oregon had a 2-to-1 time of possession advantage, and they won the turnover battle 2-to-1, yet only won the game 24-14. It was 17-14 late in the fourth quarter.

While the season is only a week old, Bronco tailback Ashton Jeany already has a month of productivity in his stat column. In a week one win over Georgia Southern, the junior from Jacksonville rushed for 267 yards and six touchdowns. Let's see how he does with Dan Lanning's front seven. Reminder: Jordan Burch used his extra COVID year to remain in Eugene for a super senior season.

You can throw out the record books when Mississippi State and Arizona State meet on the gridiron, partly because the two have never met, but we're sure this is a brooding rivalry that is going to take off in the next decade. OK maybe not, but both teams are 1-0 and this is the best option to fall asleep to on Saturday night.