After an incredible Week 1 of college football, one had to wonder what was in store for us in Week 2.
This past week, we received a significant surprise that could potentially have significant implications for the playoffs.
So, as we do each week, let's review what we learned.
What Did We Learn From Week 2?
Let's speak about Notre Dame, because their playoff dreams are likely over after losing to Northern Illinois. The Irish paid the Huskies $1.4 million to play them in South Bend, exacerbating the upset. Without a doubt, head coach Marcus Freeman must make significant adjustments. The first needs to be quarterback since Riley Leonard is not a suitable fit.
The moral of the Texas versus Michigan is this: if you don't have an established QB1, you can't win in college football. Texas has Quinn Ewers, who is elite and showed it in this game. Until head coach Sherrone Moore can decide on which quarterback to build their offense around, it's going to be a long season. PS: Donovan Edwards needs to wake up.
It may be early, but Miami looks unbeatable. Cameron Ward has completely changed the complexion of this team, and they look like National Championship contenders.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart and Ole Miss did what they do best: dominate the opposition.
Oregon vs. Boise State may be summarized in two words: Ashton Jeanty. Despite the Broncos' defeat, Jeanty emerged as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner following his performance against the Ducks. Speaking of the Ducks, they still have a lot of work to do on defense if they want to compete for a National Championship.
Unfortunately for Coach Sanders, his Colorado team was completely exposed by Nebraska in their defeat. Based on their first two games, the Buffaloes are dealing with the same issue that plagued them last season: being in the trenches.
This week, Ohio State looked like the dominant squad that experts boasted about throughout the offseason. When you have so many offensive weapons, including a talented freshman like Jeremiah Smith, the sky is the limit.
For three quarters, it appeared that South Florida was poised to pull off a massive upset against Alabama. That was until the fourth quarter, when the Crimson Tide outscored them by 28-3. Despite the victory, there are real concerns regarding quarterback Jalen Milroe's consistency as a passer.
After losing to Georgia in Week 1, Clemson rebounded this week by destroying Appalachian State, scoring 66 points and totaling over 700 yards of offense. Perhaps a message to rival teams that believe Dabo Swinney's club has lost its mojo.
After blessing the college football world with 40 points in Week 1, Iowa went back to their old self, scoring just 19 points in their loss to Iowa State. Worth noting, Kirk Ferentz was back from his suspension, patrolling the sidelines.
Coach James Franklin had some important soul searching to do following his Penn State team's tight victory over Bowling Green. To be honest, they were fortunate to win a game in which they had trailed for the majority of it. Bowling Green should be proud of their performance against a well-established Power 4 school.
What looked to be a blowout ended up becoming a heavyweight tilt between Arkansas and Oklahoma State. In the end, it was the Oklahoma State defense that came up with a big stop of 4th down in double overtime to help them win the game.
Jalon Daniels, Kansas' quarterback, had a rough day, which usually leads to a bad day for the rest of the club. Then again, Illinois could be better than we imagined.
Don't look now, but Kyle McCord is thriving in Syracuse. So far, his offense is running at all cylinders, as he registered a four-touchdown game for the second straight week. If the Orangemen keep this up, they could find themselves in the Top 20.
Tennessee Tech was likely paid a healthy sum of money to get punished the way they did against the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs. The game was over before the end of the first quarter.
It's time to pay more attention to Boston College. The Eagles are quickly rising due to quarterback Thomas Castellanos' outstanding play and a well-balanced defense.
Since losing quarterback Max Johnson for the season, North Carolina is seemingly thriving with backup Conner Harrell. Against Charlotte, Harrell made everyone around him better as they improved their record to 2-0.
Top Performers Week 2
Offense
RB Ashton Jeanty - Boise State
QB DJ Lagway - Florida
QB Kyle McCord - Syracuse
QB Cade Klubnik - Clemson
RB Henry Parrish Jr. - Ole Miss
QB Cameron Ward - Miami
RB Kyle Monangai - Rutgers
QB Tyler Shough - Louisville
QB Carson Beck - Georgia
QB Garrett Nussmeier - LSU
QB Jaxson Dart - Ole Miss
QB Garrett Greene - West Virginia
RB Ja'Quinden Jackson - Arkansas
QB Taylen Green - Arkansas
WR Jeremiah Smith - Ohio State
QB Joe Fagnano - UConn
TE Gunnar Helm - Texas
RB Kaleb Johnson - Iowa
WR Konata Mumpfield - Pittsburgh
Defense
LB Nick Martin - Oklahoma State
EDGE Tyler Baron - Miami
DL Obi Ezeigbo - Oklahoma State
DB Andrew Mukuba - Texas
DL Tim Keenan III - Alabama
DL Devonte O'Malley - Northern Illinois
LB Mikail Kamara - Indiana
S Terry Moore - Duke
EDGE Tyreak Sapp - Florida
DL Connor O'Toole - Utah
LB Alex Howard - Duke
LB Teddye Buchanan - California
S Trey Rucker - Oklahoma State
DL Keldric Faulk - Auburn
DL Mikail Kamara - Indiana
S VJ Payne - Kansas State
LB Amare Campbell - North Carolina
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