Woah. Week two in Division-I college football was a blast. We watched the Southeastern Conference get kicked in the teeth a few times (and nearly dismantled by Jacksonville State); Michigan State out battled Oregon in the first of many exciting Saturday night games; teams like TCU, Ohio State, USC, and Ole Miss dominate. It’s about to get even better though.
Next week, the first SEC slugfest will happen when #18 LSU and #13 Auburn bang it out in the Bayou. We also get a powerhouse matchup between #8 Notre Dame (who plays their first matchup without QB Malik Zaire) and #14 Georgia Tech. Giant killer #19 BYU, fresh off of victories against Nebraska and Boise State, heads to the Rose Bowl to battle #10 UCLA. Finally, a potential explosion when #2 Alabama welcomes #15 Ole Miss to Tuscaloosa.
Next week, we have some serious football.
But let’s put week two to sleep before we wake up the sleeping giant that is week three.
Here are my three biggest takeaways from this past weekend.
1. USC Is Back, As Is UCLA
The Trojans of So. Cal. came to play against the Vandals of Idaho. Cody Kessler had the best game of his career, passing for 410 yards, going 26-31 and tallying three touchdowns. JuJu Smith-Schuster had 10 receptions, 192 yards, and two touchdowns. The talent level is finally back to full strength for the Trojans, and they are looking to establish themselves as the clear leader of the Pacific-12 Conference as Oregon looks to recover from the Michigan State loss.
USC, a traditional power, is on the rise once again.
But for USC to affirm its position atop the PAC, they have to beat rival UCLA, who is also rising fast.
Super frosh, Josh Rosen has redefined the Bruins program, and may be enough to get a conference championship back to UCLA for the first time since 1998.
Outside of Rosen they have a fiery defense that has allowed only 573 yards of offense. The Bruin offense has over 1,000 yards already. Big difference.
Junior Paul Perkins leads the rushing attack. He averaged over eight yards a touch last week, totaling 181 yards and a pair of scores on 18 attempts.
Los Angeles may end up with a playoff team, and has a big shot at a PAC-12 Championship.
2. The Big 10 is Really Top Heavy, But It’s Okay
The B1G has the best team in the United States with Ohio State. They have another team in the top seven with Michigan State. Outside of those two, though, the B1G is incredibly weak.
Minnesota was supposed to be formidable; they nearly beat Texas Christian last week. However, they struggled with Colorado State and needed overtime to pull out the W. Rutgers and Maryland lost to Washington State and Bowling Green respectively; and Penn State struggled once again.
Not a whole lot going on for the conference outside of Ohio State and Michigan State.
But it’s okay, for now anyway. Penn State and Michigan will be tough in the coming years. Nebraska and Wisconsin have been really good of late. They’ll be fine.
But despite its current deficiencies, MSU and OSU will be enough to keep things relevant in the Midwest.
One of these two will end up in the college football playoff, and they will be a tough out. Michigan State won the most important game of the season for a conference when they defeated Oregon. Had they lost that game, the conference would’ve been solely reliant on OSU to run the tables.
Big win for the Big 10.
3. It’s Time To Reevaluate Teams
There are two teams in particular that I want to reexamine looking forward. The Auburn Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Both teams had rough weekends. The Irish snuck out with a win against Virginia. In doing so, they lost quarterback Malik Zaire. This throws a wrench into South Bend’s plan to make the CFP. A broken ankle that required surgery on Sunday may have derailed things. But let’s examine the new signal caller.
DeShone Kizer steps into the role of QB1 now, and he performed under pressure to throw a game winning touchdown with seconds sinking on Saturday. A redshirt sophomore now has the keys to a potential CFP team.
The end of Saturday’s win was exciting, but let’s see how he plays this week in an important game for ND.
For the Tigers of Auburn, Saturday was near disaster. But thanks to a late rally and OT W, Auburn nation can collectively step back off the edge. I don’t think it’s time to write Auburn off, but it raises some serious concerns going forward.
This win could be forgotten and painted as pointless when they bounce back for a big time victory in Baton Rouge this weekend. Or it could be highlighted if they flop on Saturday and allow the other Tigers to have an inter-species snack in SEC season.
Whatever happens will change the Tigers season. A win and all is forgiven. A loss and this team is sunk in the minds of voters.
Last, but never the least, here are my Heisman rankings:
1. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU- 18/27, 285 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
After last weekend, Boykin needed a game to jump start the campaign. This was it. Not the flashiest game, but the four TDs and nearly 300 yards are a good kick starter. It’s just a prelude to what we should expect in the coming weeks.
2. Nick Chubb, RB, UGA- 19 CAR, 189 yards, 0 TD
Some Vanderbilt players felt the need to call the sophomore phenom out earlier in the week. Hindsight may be 20/20 and Chubb made the Commodores pay. This is his first SEC moment. With always tough South Carolina coming up, Chubb needs an encore in a potential slip-up game. He needs to make sure to punch some touchdowns in though.
3. Derrick Henry, RB, ALA- 18 CAR, 96 yards, 3 TDs
Crash course UGA. Henry versus Chubb is a highly anticipated game for myself. Two elite running backs in run-first offenses will collide later this season with potential CFP and Heisman implications. But until then it’s all stat padding. Chubb edged Henry by nearly 100 yards, but Henry had the touchdown edge 3-0.
4. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, OSU- 27 CAR, 101 yards, 3 TDs
Two running backs in the top five? Why not three. Elliot had the touchdowns that Chubb lacked, similar yardage as Henry; however, he had a lower yards per carry. That’s all silly talk, though. These three are the rocks of their teams. Elliott is hurt most by the fact that he has so many superstars around him. He still has a legitimate shot at landing in NYC for the Heisman ceremony.
5. Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss- 20/25, 346 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT
The junior is in the driver’s seat this weekend. If Kelly wants to jet to the top of the Heisman boards, he needs the signature moment. Alabama has been used to launch a Heisman campaign before with Johnny Manziel; it could be done again this weekend. Kelly has an awesome team around him, but he is the one who takes home the hardware if they get out of the SEC West.
Player to Watch: Robert Nkemdiche
Ole Miss may be pushing another Heisman candidate in Nkemdiche. The defensive tackle, and future top five draft pick, caught a touchdown pass in week one and ran one in this past weekend. This could become a theme for the Rebels as they try to give him a Charles Woodson-esque push for the award. It is an incredibly steep hill to climb, but it could be done with a freak season and SEC title.
Others to watch: Cardale Jones, Braxton Miller, Cody Kessler, Deshaun Watson, Seth Russell, and Leonard Fournette
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