The Thurston CarteWeek 2 lineup in college football is still a little short on marquee matchups, with most of the teams ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll playing as heavy favorites. There are, however, a couple of contests between ranked opponents for our panel of pickers to ponder.

Topping the list is a clash of playoff teams from last season as No. 9 Michigan hosts No. 3 Texas. The visiting Longhorns have a lot more key parts back from last year’s squad, but the defending national champion Wolverines will have the big crowd at the Big House on their side.

The other Top 25 showdown pits No. 12 Tennessee against No. 23 North Carolina State in Charlotte. In an odd polling coincidence, it’s the second consecutive week that the No. 12 and No. 23 teams will meet on a neutral field, but whether that will be good news again for the lower ranked Wolfpack remains to be seen.

Here’s how our experts see those games and the rest of the Top 25 field faring this weekend.