Week 2 was a wild one in the world of college football. Alabama, who were 20-point favorites, barely escaped out of Austin, Texas with a win versus the Longhorns. Some of the same issues that troubled them last year showed up again. The Tide struggled to run the football and, at times, receivers couldn’t get much separation. Fortunately for Bama, Bryce Young is one of the most poised quarterbacks I have seen on the college level in a long time. Young was able to lead his team down the field for a game-winning field goal.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman is off to a rough start. The Irish are now 0-2 for the first time since 2011, after being stunned by Marshall 26-21. The Irish can’t seem to get their offense in gear and a costly pick-six sealed their fate.
The shocker of the week was App State, not only beating Texas A&M, but holding them to 14 points and 186 yards of total offense. A&M’s last four recruiting classes were ranked 1, 7, 6, and 3rd in the country, while Appalachian State has only had one recruiting class in the top 75 in that time period.
Things were shaken up in week two. Let’s preview week three.
#12 BYU vs #25 Oregon (-4):
The Ducks will try to rebound from a devastating loss to the Georgia Bulldogs against the Cougars of BYU. BYU is fresh off a win against previously #9 Baylor. Despite being the higher-ranked team, the Cougars are the underdogs. I expect this game will be tight and one that Oregon needs to win desperately.
#22 Penn State (-3) vs Auburn:
Anytime the Big 10 goes up against the SEC, it’s a measuring stick game. Penn State will have an opportunity to make a statement for their conference when they take on Auburn Saturday. The Tigers are coming off a 24-16-win versus San Jose State where they struggled. Auburn was only able to manufacture 168 yards in its passing game and will need to be better against the Nittany Lions. Penn State needs a win here before they get into the meat of their Big-10 schedule, which features games against #4 Michigan, #3 Ohio State and #11 Michigan State.
#11 Michigan State vs Washington (-2):
The Spartans have done what they needed to do early on this season – beating lesser opponents. Now the Spartans will travel out west for their first test of the season. The Washington Huskies are coming in 2-0 and are favored in Vegas to pull off the upset. Huskies’ quarterback Michael Pennix Jr. has thrown for 682 yards through two games and completed nearly 70% of his passes. He’ll have to continue his strong play if the Huskies are going to beat the Spartans and earn some respect back for the Pac-12.
#13 Miami Hurricanes vs #24 Texas A&M (-6):
After that disastrous performance against Appalachian State, I’m surprised Texas A&M is not only still ranked, but the favorites under the current point spread. A&M‘s offense only generated 186 yards against App State and now will face a tougher challenge this weekend against the Miami Hurricanes. This is a chance for the Hurricanes to prove they are a serious team. A win here, against an SEC opponent on the road, will bolster their perception and the ACCs. A loss here, and people will be talking about how they are the same old Hurricanes. This is a great primetime opportunity for new Miami coach Mario Cristobal. Jimbo Fisher needs a win here with games against #10 Arkansas, #2 Bama, #20 Ole Miss and #18 Florida looming.