It's the second week of the 2023 Texas high school football season, with 700+ games scattered across the state. There are favorites...but who could spring the upset?

Using DCTF's computer projections, DCTF managing editor Greg Tepper identifies three teams that could pull the upset in Week 2.

North Crowley (2-0) at Lucas Lovejoy (2-0)
North Crowley projected to win by 3 (61.9%)

Last year’s meeting between these two squads served as an inflection point for both teams — North Crowley’s win rocketed them to its winningest season in program history (12 wins, compared to 11 wins in the remarkable 2003 championship campaign); Lovejoy’s loss seemed to put the Leopards in a funk from which they never fully emerged. Now Lovejoy has an opportunity to prove that this year is different, and there’s plenty of star power to suggest they can do just that, what with quarterback Hondo Franklin throwing to arguably the state’s most decorated receiver corps led by Parker Livingstone. North Crowley’s balanced attack led by running backs Ashton Searl and Cornelius Warren III alongside junior quarterback Chris Jimerson will pose a challenge to the Leopards’ defense, but the early returns on that side have been positive. The biggest hurdle facing Lovejoy may be a mental one: the Leopards, fair or not, have developed a reputation for folding against physical teams, like the Panthers are certain to be. It’d be a mild upset, but it could feel enormous for Lovejoy considering the circumstances.

The Woodlands (0-2) at Conroe Oak Ridge (1-1)
The Woodlands projected to win by 6 (66.1%)

Is it time to hit the panic button on The Woodlands? The Highlanders are, after all, 0-2 for the first time since 2018. The opening week loss to Galena Park North Shore is understandable, but last week’s 45-21 drubbing at the hands of Houston Lamar — a team that hadn’t beaten The Woodlands since that 2018 season — is certainly some cause for alarm. Most concerning is the sudden disappearance of the Highlanders’ usually sturdy defense: Lamar rang up 575 yards of total offense last week on a staggering 11.9 yards per play. Now District 13-6A play begins against Conroe ISD rival Oak Ridge, whose offense does not look particularly interested in letting up on the Highlanders. Quarterback Adam Trosclair and running back Frankie Arthur hit another gear in last week’s win over Houston Stratford, and could continue that this week. The Woodlands is a rightful favorite — the Highlanders have never lost to their rival, a perfect 19-0 — but this has got major upset potential.

New Braunfels Canyon (1-1) at New Braunfels (1-1)
New Braunfels projected to win by 10 (72%)

It’s the 41st rendition of the annual Wurst Bowl, the biggest football event in Comal County, and it’d be too cute to say “it’s a rivalry game, throw out the record books.” New Braunfels has dominated this series, winning 32 of the 40 meetings, but it was Canyon who got their first Wurst Bowl W since 2013 last season. These are two very different teams than last year’s game saw, especially on the Canyon side, where star quarterback Deuce Adams and receiver Eli Adams are now at Austin Vandegrift. But that hasn’t stopped the Cougars from looking good in the early going — coming within a whisker of knocking off state semifinalist Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial in the opener (on the road, no less) before getting into the win column last week against Victoria East. New quarterback Reece Deitrick has stepped in rather seamlessly for the Cougars. New Braunfels has followed a similar trajectory — a narrow loss to a contender in Denton Ryan in the opener before a get-right win over Seguin last week. Another X-factory in this one is the coaching matchup, where new Cougars coach Nate Leonard will certainly want to make a statement in his first Wurst Bowl as head coach. Expect a battle, a fun atmosphere, and perhaps Canyon’s first-ever winning streak in the series.