Early-season ratings are provisional. Opponent adjustment relies on a thin schedule graph until teams are connected through more games; expect movement through late September.
The Recap
Week 2, 2026 — the week in review
Week 2 · 86 games · 24 one-score finishes · 10 upsets · 12 weather-affected
What was rare
This week’s games that stand out in nine seasons of college football — every dimension where a game ranked among the rarest we track. Full context lives on the How Rare page.
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#1UCLA and San Diego State went scoreless in the first half -- the lowest-scoring first half of the 2026 season.#6North Texas beat UNLV 44-6 in 101F -- the hottest game of the 2026 season.#29Georgia succeeded on 74% of its plays against Western Kentucky -- the best single-game success rate of the 2026 season.#50California beat Syracuse despite being outgained by 187 yards -- the largest yardage deficit overcome by a winner of the 2026 season.#54Pittsburgh beat UCF 12-7 with just 19 combined points -- the lowest-scoring game of the 2026 season.#55Ohio State led Texas by 20 and lost 24-23 -- the largest blown lead of the 2026 season.#55Texas came back from 20 down to beat Ohio State 24-23 -- the largest comeback of the 2026 season.#122Tulane-South Alabama changed leads 5 times -- tied for the most lead changes in a game of the 2026 season.#215Georgia 70, Western Kentucky 20: 90 combined points -- the highest-scoring game of the 2026 season.•Miami (FL) succeeded on 95% of its plays against Florida A&M -- the best single-game success rate since 2017.•Miami (OH) succeeded on 96% of its plays against Holy Cross -- the best single-game success rate since 2017.•Ball State and Stony Brook combined for 34 fourth-quarter points -- tied for the most combined fourth-quarter points of the 2026 season.•James Madison 87, Wagner 3: 90 combined points -- tied for the highest-scoring game of the 2026 season.•James Madison beat Wagner by 84, 87-3 -- the largest margin of victory since 2017.
Best single-game performances — offense
Non-garbage-time EPA per play.
Miami
vs Florida A&M
+0.684
EPA/play
Miami averaged +0.684 EPA per play against Florida A&M on a 95.2% success rate.
Share →NC State
vs Richmond
+0.588
EPA/play
NC State averaged +0.588 EPA per play against Richmond on a 71.4% success rate.
Share →Miami (OH)
vs Holy Cross
+0.524
EPA/play
Miami (OH) averaged +0.524 EPA per play against Holy Cross on a 95.7% success rate.
Share →Best single-game performances — defense
Non-garbage-time EPA per play. Defensive EPA is credited to the defense — higher is better.
LSU
vs Louisiana Tech
+0.920
EPA/play
LSU's defense produced +0.920 EPA per play against Louisiana Tech (85.7% success rate).
Share →Notre Dame
vs Rice
+0.834
EPA/play
Notre Dame's defense produced +0.834 EPA per play against Rice (81.8% success rate).
Share →Miami (OH)
vs Holy Cross
+0.744
EPA/play
Miami (OH)'s defense produced +0.744 EPA per play against Holy Cross (76.5% success rate).
Share →Every game, and what it looked like before
Final scores for the week, each with the two past games whose team profiles most resembled this matchup — the same engine that powers The Archive. Descriptive resemblance, nothing more.
Closest comps: 2022 Central Michigan 31-27 Buffalo · 2022 Central Michigan 24-38 South Alabama
Closest comps: 2021 Illinois 24-14 Charlotte · 2023 Charlotte 7-28 Rice
Closest comps: 2022 Syracuse 22-20 Virginia · 2019 Florida International 24-17 Old Dominion
Closest comps: 2018 Louisiana Tech 15-30 Western Kentucky · 2020 Tulsa 34-30 East Carolina
Closest comps: 2023 Texas A&M 27-10 Auburn · 2022 Fresno State 29-6 Washington State
Closest comps: 2017 Florida 17-19 Texas A&M · 2017 Texas A&M 24-17 South Carolina
Closest comps: 2017 UL Monroe 52-45 App State · 2022 Georgia Southern 31-38 South Alabama
Closest comps: 2022 Akron 9-27 Miami (OH) · 2022 Akron 28-31 Bowling Green
Closest comps: 2018 Akron 17-41 Miami (OH) · 2017 Minnesota 34-3 Middle Tennessee
Closest comps: 2023 San Diego State 31-34 Boise State · 2017 Pittsburgh 21-59 Oklahoma State
Closest comps: 2024 Houston 0-20 Iowa State · 2019 Michigan State 40-31 Indiana
Closest comps: 2017 Minnesota 27-30 Michigan State · 2022 Oklahoma State 17-24 Wisconsin
Closest comps: 2021 Cincinnati 48-14 SMU · 2020 Buffalo 28-38 Ball State
Closest comps: 2018 Utah State 60-13 New Mexico State · 2020 Notre Dame 52-0 South Florida
Closest comps: 2025 Western Michigan 23-13 Miami (OH) · 2019 Missouri 31-37 Wyoming
Closest comps: 2019 Toledo 37-34 Eastern Michigan · 2023 North Texas 45-42 UAB
Closest comps: 2025 Old Dominion 33-0 Troy · 2021 App State 31-7 South Alabama
Closest comps: 2023 Rice 24-21 Florida Atlantic · 2022 Eastern Michigan 10-39 Northern Illinois
Closest comps: 2022 UTSA 31-27 North Texas · 2022 UTSA 48-27 North Texas
Closest comps: 2019 Stanford 23-13 Washington · 2024 Georgia State 27-48 Coastal Carolina
Closest comps: 2024 California 38-39 Miami · 2020 LSU 17-55 Alabama
Closest comps: 2019 Arkansas State 38-14 Texas State · 2018 Hawai'i 43-29 Rice
Closest comps: 2022 Arkansas 31-24 Cincinnati · 2022 SMU 27-29 Cincinnati
Closest comps: 2023 UConn 33-34 Utah State · 2024 San Diego State 27-24 Hawai'i
Closest comps: 2022 TCU 38-28 Kansas State · 2022 TCU 28-31 Kansas State
Closest comps: 2017 Temple 24-28 UConn · 2020 Southern Miss 30-31 Louisiana Tech
Closest comps: 2020 Oklahoma State 24-21 Iowa State · 2025 Arizona State 7-23 Arizona
Closest comps: 2019 Virginia Tech 28-0 Pittsburgh · 2019 Western Kentucky 20-13 UAB
Closest comps: 2021 UTSA 27-17 Southern Miss · 2021 Alabama 63-14 Southern Miss
Closest comps: 2020 Georgia 28-44 Florida · 2017 Utah 10-30 Arizona State
Closest comps: 2022 UL Monroe 21-17 Louisiana · 2022 West Virginia 31-48 Kansas State
Closest comps: 2022 Michigan 56-10 Hawai'i · 2022 Georgia 55-0 Vanderbilt
Closest comps: 2024 Penn State 44-7 Maryland · 2020 Texas A&M 17-12 Vanderbilt
Closest comps: 2022 Vanderbilt 31-24 Florida · 2021 Virginia Tech 17-10 North Carolina
Closest comps: 2025 Cincinnati 14-26 BYU · 2025 Cincinnati 38-30 Iowa State
Closest comps: 2019 Wake Forest 22-20 Florida State · 2025 Tulsa 31-14 Oregon State
Closest comps: 2024 Syracuse 38-31 Virginia Tech · 2021 North Carolina 25-35 Florida State
Closest comps: 2021 Arkansas State 27-28 Louisiana · 2019 Stanford 6-21 Oregon
Closest comps: 2024 Baylor 28-34 BYU · 2017 Iowa State 14-7 TCU
Closest comps: 2026 Jacksonville State 23-13 Middle Tennessee · 2020 Ole Miss 28-35 Auburn
Closest comps: 2017 Ohio State 52-14 Illinois · 2019 Notre Dame 52-0 Bowling Green
Closest comps: 2022 Mississippi State 42-24 Texas A&M · 2021 Washington 31-24 California
Closest comps: 2026 South Alabama 41-36 Ohio · 2024 Iowa State 38-35 UCF
Closest comps: 2026 Washington 24-10 Washington State · 2025 Texas 27-10 UTEP
Closest comps: 2018 Oregon State 14-35 Arizona · 2017 UCLA 44-37 Arizona State
Closest comps: 2021 Michigan 33-7 Northwestern · 2023 SMU 34-16 Charlotte
Closest comps: 2021 Kansas State 24-7 Stanford · 2019 Alabama 62-10 New Mexico State
Closest comps: 2020 Virginia Tech 10-45 Clemson · 2023 Georgia Tech 23-31 Georgia
Closest comps: 2020 Florida Atlantic 10-6 Western Kentucky · 2024 Northern Illinois 24-16 Central Michigan
Against the pre-game line
How the week's results landed relative to the pre-game consensus spread and total. Descriptive only — every FBS game since 2017 is available on the Betting page.
46 of 8355.4%
favorites covered
0
pushes
43 of 8351.8%
overs
11.16points
avg. miss vs. the number
Furthest above the spread
| Favorite | Opponent | Spread | Margin | vs spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC State | Richmond | -33.3 | +73.0 | +39.8 |
| James Madison | Wagner | -46.5 | +84.0 | +37.5 |
| Fresno State | Sacramento State | -17.5 | +46.0 | +28.5 |
| New Mexico | Mercyhurst | -42.5 | +63.0 | +20.5 |
| Utah | Arkansas | -12.5 | +33.0 | +20.5 |
Furthest below the spread
| Favorite | Opponent | Spread | Margin | vs spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNLV | North Texas | -3.0 | -38.0 | -41.0 |
| Oregon | Oklahoma State | -24.0 | -8.0 | -32.0 |
| Liberty | Gardner-Webb | -28.5 | +1.0 | -27.5 |
| Washington | Utah State | -28.0 | +2.0 | -26.0 |
| Kennesaw State | Georgia State | -7.5 | -14.0 | -21.5 |