College football week 2 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 2.
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There have been plenty of times in the last decade when fans or media personalities have thought “Texas is back”. It’s been mentioned so many times that it became a joke. That joke is no longer valid, as the Longhorns proved they were back by going on the road and beating no. 3 Alabama 34-24. Not only did they win, it looked like they were the better team than the Crimson Tide, meaning the win likely isn’t a fluke.
Now Texas could always lose a head-scratching game later in the season, which is something that they have become accustomed to over the last several years. There also may be some truth that Alabama doesn’t have one of their stronger teams and the win may not mean as much later in the season. That remains to be seen, as the Crimson Tide need to figure out the quarterback situation and clean some things up on defense. Either way, by all accounts, it looks like Texas is back!
A few years ago, Jimbo Fisher caught some heat for going 8-5 or 9-4 in a lot of his years at Texas A&M. He was able to cool things off with a 9-1 2020 season, but they have regressed ever since. Last season, they finished 5-7, which is unfathomable considering how much talent they have on their roster. Things look like they could be tough again this season, as the Aggies went on the road and lost to Miami 48-33.
While his seat was already hot last year, Fisher’s buyout likely helped him stay in charge. With every loss this season, boosters will get more and more ready to pay the buyout to fire Fisher. The Aggies still have games against Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU this season. They have the talent to win some of these games, but how many will be enough to save Fisher’s job.
The Pac-12 will likely soon dissolve as plenty of teams have decided to leave the conference. In the last year the conference looks similar to what it is now, the Pac-12 is showing how many quality teams they have. They have four total losses this season, one of which was to themselves, as USC beat Stanford on Saturday.
Not only do they have a good overall record, they have defeated some good teams along the way. Colorado has defeated TCU and Nebraska. In week 2 Washington State found victory over Wisconsin. Utah was two wins over Florida and Baylor. Oregon notched a win over Texas Tech in week 2, while Washington has looked great, specifically when they were able to come out on top over Boise State. UCLA beat a tough Coastal Carolina team. USC hasn’t been tested yet, but they look very good again this season. While other conferences are struggling to find their footing this season, the Pac-12 came ready to play.
The SEC doesn’t look like the same old SEC this season. This doesn’t mean they can’t figure things out and settle down, but they have lost plenty of games already this season. In some of their marquee losses, Alabama lost to Texas, Florida lost to Utah, South Carolina lost to North Carolina, Texas A&M lost to Miami and LSU lost to Florida State. It goes a little deeper than that though.
Kentucky and Tennessee started slow against FCS-level teams before winning in week 2. Ole Miss didn’t play their best at Tulane and almost lost. Missouri narrowly defeated Middle Tennessee, while Mississippi State needed overtime to win over Arizona. Vanderbilt lost to Wake Forest. Auburn had a long road trip, but only beat Cal by four points. With so many teams struggling, it is hard to pinpoint what is going on in the SEC this season, but it is worth monitoring over the course of the season.
Coming into the season, the over/under win total was 8.5 for Notre Dame. So far, they look like a team that could hit the over. This is largely due to how they have played to start the season. Their passing offense is much better with Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman at the helm. They were able to defeat NC State 45-24 on Saturday for their best win of the season.
The Fighting Irish playing well is part of the equation, but the other part is their schedule. Some of the toughest games on their schedule look like they could be easier than expected. Ohio State, who they host in a few weeks, have struggled to figure out the quarterback position and their offensive line hasn’t been great so far this season. Clemson already lost to Duke and looks like they could have some offensive struggles. USC has looked good, but their defense still has plenty of holes in it. There is still plenty of time for those three teams to figure things out, but for the time being, there is a little bit of daylight for the Fighting Irish.
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