FIW staff picks Notre Dame vs. Rice and best Week 2 games
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Notre Dame football will have its 2026 home opener on Saturday afternoon, as the Rice Owls come to South Bend.
Both teams enter the game winning their season openers, but the Irish had a much more impressive victory. Notre Dame enters the weekend with a chance to move up in the rankings, as a top-4 matchup will happen on Saturday night.
That’s the biggest game of the weekend, but there are more than a few intriguing matchups across college football. The staff here of Tim Healey, Sunny Verma, Kevin Smith and Michael Chen pick Notre Dame vs. Rice and the best games of Week 2 below.
Arizona State Sun Devils (1-0) at No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies (1-0)
Game info: Sat., Sept. 12th at 11:00 a.m. CDT on ABC
Healey – Texas A&M seems poised to handle a frisky ASU team.
Verma – This is an interesting game, but the Aggies have done well at home. For that fact, I’ll take them.
Smith – I like Arizona State in this one. They're a scrappy team and at times that might be too much for Texas A&M to handle.
Chen – In games like this, typically the more talented team wins out. The Aggies have that advantage, and are at home. I like them, but the Sun Devils will make it close.
No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) at Michigan Wolverines (1-0)
Game info: Sat., Sept. 12th at 11:00 a.m. on FOX
Healey – It's possible that we'll all overreact to a poor Michigan performance in the loss to win over Western Michigan last weekend, but it's also possible that the Wolverines fix their problems and play better. The question is, what's more likely? I suspect Michigan plays somewhat more competently now that the controversial Hail Mary (we need a catchy name for that game) is behind them, but Oklahoma should be the better team and be able to hold on.
Verma – Call this a hunch play. It would be so Michigan for them to somehow pull off this win when essentially the entire country is taking Oklahoma. I am taking Michigan and the points and would not at all be shocked if somehow they pull off the upset.
Smith – I'm taking Oklahoma. Like most people, I'm still not over Michigan's "win" last weekend. The Wolverines' offense continues to be questionable, and I honestly don't know how many chances you can give to Bryce Underwood until Michigan finally realizes he's not the one. You also can't ignore what Oklahoma can bring to the table on both sides of the ball. The Sooners will be flirting with the top 10 all season and could eventually crack into it.
Chen – At this point in time, it seems like the whole country is rooting against the Wolverines, and they might have a point. It’s been a decade filled with questionable decisions, but that’s off the field. On, wasn’t much better. A coaching change has led to some initial frustrations despite opening the season with a “win.” The Sooners don’t have much to think about aside from football, and while on the road, get a win over the Wolverines.
No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 4 Texas Longhorns
Game info: Sat., Sept. 12th at 6:30 p.m. CDT on ABC
Healey – Give me a quarter so I can flip it. Either one can win this game. Part of me wants to lean Texas since the Longhorns are hosting, but I've also seen Texas meltdown in big games recently. When I can't decide on who to pick, I try to do that first instinct thing, where you ask yourself who will and respond without thinking, hoping the gut reaction is correct. My gut says Texas, though I don't feel great about it. Longhorns in a close one.
Verma – Both teams looked strong in week 1; I just simply trust Ryan Day more than I do Coach Sarkisian. I think the Buckeyes win this one.
Smith – If Texas can pull off a win against Ohio State, and Arch Manning looks phenomenal leading the pack, there's no question that we'll be talking about a different but better Manning after this game. Don't get me wrong…this game will be competitive, BUT with Texas' arsenal and the Longhorns' faithful on its side, I think Texas will lock this win up.
Chen – Like Notre Dame, Texas will face Ohio State three seasons in-a-row, with losses in the first two with one coming in their College Football Playoff run of 2024. Both teams are loaded, and whoever loses still has a chance to make the CFP. In games like these, its typically a quarterback who shines, and while Arch Manning is good, Julian Sayin is better. Buckeyes, but in a four quarter battle.
Tim Healey
Notre Dame should roll over Rice. Yes, there are concerns over this being a "trap" game, but I am not too concerned about that, especially after the Irish got bloodied in the first half against Wisconsin by a pumped-up Badgers team that plays physical and had a large crowd behind it. Notre Dame took that punch, shook it off, and fought back, dominating the second half.
Rice doesn't have the talent of a Badgers team that may or may not be on the way back to respectability, they don't have a head coach like Luke Fickell, and this game will be in South Bend, so the crowd will be behind the Irish. Notre Dame's new starters also now have the first-game jitters out of their system.
Finally, there's one thing about the Wisconsin game that's unlikely to be replicated against Rice. Notre Dame struggled in the first half due to the Badgers physicality, but field position also played a huge part. Simply put, the Irish were off schedule a lot. There was a false start on the first offensive play from scrimmage. Later, a Wisconsin punt pinned them at their own 1-yard line. When the Irish had good field position thanks to a controversial fumble recovery on a dropped kickoff return, they found the end zone.
And when Notre Dame got the ball to start the second half and had reasonable starting field position after the kick, what happened? The offense got unlocked. The play calling was a nice mix of run and pass, and the Irish were able to slow the Badger's pass rush and do more than just fire conservative, high-percentage passes. Running back Aneyas Williams got going, quarterback CJ Carr was able to attack downfield, and the Irish moved the ball.
Yes, the DJ McKinney pick-six turned the game and proved to be the knockout punch, but the Notre Dame offense we expected to see showed up in the second half because it didn't need to start drives behind the sticks or deep in its own territory.
If Notre Dame is starting drives in normal field position against Rice, the offense should roll — and we know the defense will likely stand up.
Notre Dame 34, Rice 10
Sunny Verma
Notre Dame should not have to stress much in this game like maybe the concern might have been going into last week's matchup against Wisconsin.
I do think this is a game where Notre Dame can work on their run defense in preparation for matchups down the road. Rice is no pushover in the running game and will be capable of getting yards against a lot of teams in the country.
If Notre Dame can lock in and focus on stopping the run, then it can bode well for the season-long projection of this being one of the better defensive teams in the country.
Notre Dame 35, Rice 10
Kevin Smith
There were concerns if Notre Dame could knock off a hyped-up Wisconsin on Sunday, but thankfully the Irish figured it out quickly to complete the 41-13 rout.
I don't see Notre Dame getting much of a challenge from Rice, but this isn't a "take for granted" game (i.e. the NIU game a couple of years ago).
Rice is clearly a run-first offense, which is evident from the Owls' 458 yards on the ground against Houston Christian last week. Their quarterback, Jacurri Brown, ran for nearly 100 yards in that game.
I don't think Notre Dame will have to worry about a pass game, especially since Rice completed 5-of-11 attempts between two QBs (Gael Ochoa being the other one).
The Irish's run game, however, is solid. Notre Dame limited Wisconsin to just 67 yards rushing and no touchdowns on 31 carries, so to keep a Power 4 opponent to double digits is an impressive feat in itself.
With that, I'm going: Notre Dame 45, Rice 10
Michael Chen
What we saw in the second half against Wisconsin was who we all believed this Notre Dame team is. Dominating defense, with an offense the uses its offensive line to dictate the game. If this were another team, playing against a different offense like Rice runs would be a challenge, but the Irish have seen it often. The Owls will grind out the close, limiting possessions, and hoping to keep the game closer than it should be. Notre Dame is too good to let the happen, and while it’s not a blowout, its a comfortable win.
Notre Dame 31, Rice 3
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: FIW staff picks Notre Dame vs. Rice and best Week 2 games
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