Week 2 of the college football season is all about the prime-time matchups. There are four games involving two ranked teams, and every major network has a say in that time slot.
In other words, have the remote ready and have your head on a swivel. Those four games promise to shake up the race for the College Football Playoff. Here is a look at those matchups:
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| GAME | TIME | TV |
| No. 13 Auburn at No. 3 Clemson | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 2 Ohio State | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| No. 15 Georgia at No. 24 Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. | NBC |
| No. 14 Stanford at No. 6 USC | 8:30 p.m. | FOX |
Now, here's what at stake for each Top 25 team:
No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 2 Ohio State
Oklahoma: A win gives the Sooners an impressive nonconference win on the road — even better than Tennessee in 2015 — and increases the Big 12 profile. A loss furthers the notion, fair or unfair, that the Big 12 can't win its big games. This was the difference for the Buckeyes and Sooners in making the playoff last year.
Ohio State: A win gives the Buckeyes their first top-10 victory of the season, and with Penn State and Michigan down the road it's the same path to the playoff as last season. A loss puts the Buckeyes behind the Nittany Lions and Wolverines, leaving no margin for error in Big Ten play.
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No. 15 Georgia at No. 24 Notre Dame
Georgia: It's a different audience on NBC, but the Bulldogs can establish themselves as the team to beat in the SEC East with a victory. It could bump them into the top 10. It's a big stage for first-time starter Jake Fromm, too. A loss lumps Georgia in with Florida as one-loss teams that still have to contend with Tennessee and the rest of the division in a wide-open SEC East race.
Notre Dame: The Irish needed just one win against Temple to make the AP Top 25. A victory against Georgia puts this team squarely in the top 15, and looking at the schedule, it becomes time to daydream about an undefeated showdown with USC on Oct. 21. A loss puts more pressure on Brian Kelly heading into road games at Boston College and Michigan State the next two weeks. Perhaps no ranked team faces a bigger momentum swing.
No. 13 Auburn at No. 3 Clemson
Auburn: A win means all that offseason talk is real, Jarrett Stidham is the truth, the defense can ball and these Tigers are the best challenge to Alabama in the SEC. A loss puts Auburn behind in the SEC West, and you can forget about challenging Alabama — for now. It raises more questions about the Tigers will handle a three-game road stretch against LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M later in the season.
Clemson: A win puts Clemson right back in the 1A-1B-1C conversation with Alabama and Ohio State for the national title favorites, and perhaps 1B if Oklahoma knocks off Ohio State. It means Kelly Bryant can handle the big stage. A loss puts these Tigers in the danger zone of having to navigate an increasingly cannibalistic ACC without a loss in order to get back to the College Football Playoff for the third straight season.
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No. 14 Stanford at No. 6 USC
Stanford: With a fourth straight win against the Trojans, the Cardinal can vault into the Pac-12 title and playoff conversation, and Bryce Love becomes a legit Heisman candidate, if he isn't already. With a loss, the Cardinal face a scramble in the Pac-12 North against Washington and Oregon with no margin for error.
USC: With a win, the Trojans shake off perceptions after last week's stop-and-start victory against Western Michigan, and Sam Darnold shows this team isn't in for a letdown after 2016. With a loss, the Trojans face even more questions heading into September matchups against Texas, Cal and Washington State. Could another slow start knock USC out of playoff contention early?
