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. Related: 5 Things to watch in college football week 2
In the prime time game this week, Michigan travelled to Norman to take on Oklahoma. The Sooners needed a win to make progress during the Brent Venables era. Michigan was breaking in a freshman quarterback and it showed. The Sooners played great defense and were able to win 24-13.
The defense deserves a lot of credit, but the star of the game was quarterback John Mateer. The Washington State transfer passed for 270 yards, one touchdowns and one interception on 21/34 passing. He also rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns. Oklahoma hasa a tough schedule this season and needed a quarterback to lead them through it. They may not win every game, but Mateer gives them better quarterback play then they have had in the last few seasons.
USF has a grueling start to their season. They opened up the season by defeating Boise State. This week they played Florida and next week they play Miami. The Bulls were underdogs on the road at the Swamp, but they were able to upset the Bulls, 18-16, hitting a last second field goal to seal it.
The win puts Billy Napier back on the hot seat. On the other side, the Bulls are the frontrunners to make the CFP out of the group of five conferences. They have two big wins with their defense shutting down quality competition. Quarterback Byrum Brown has been using his arm and legs to pick up yardage. Other teams will pop up, but for now, USF is the group of five team in the country.
In a week where other Big 12 teams struggled (including Kansas State losing to Army and the next team on the list), Iowa State got a big win over Iowa in their rivalry game. It was a battle that was fitting for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, as it featured a lot of defense and running the football. The Cyclones won 16-13.
With the win, Iowa State moves to 3-0 on the season. This sets up well for the rest of season, as the Cyclones only play one more ranked team this season, which is Arizona State, who lost this week and whom they get to play at home. With already beating 1-0 in conference and 3-0 on the season, the path to the CFP is starting to become clearer.
Arizona State made the CFP last season after winning the Big 12. They haven’t played a Big 12 games yet, but this team looks different from last season. They were favored on the road at Mississippi State and ended up losing 24-20. The loss will move Arizona State down or out of the rankings, but they could start slipping even more after this.
The Sun Devils were able to mount a comeback in the game against Mississippi State before losing late, but they looked bad in the first half. They have a lot of things to clean up and it won’t be easy, as they have three ranked games left on the schedule. Only one of those games is at home. Kenny Dillingham will use this game as a rallying point, but it won’t be easy.
Illinois returned a lot of starters from last year’s team, which had them hyped up more than usual before the season. This week, they traveled to Duke and were only favored by a few points. The Blue Devils kept things close in the first half, but the Illini pulled away in the second half to win 45-9.
It wasn’t just that they won, but how they won, which was impressive for Illinois. The game they played might have fans looking ahead, as they have plenty of potential to fight for a CFP spot. They play two more ranked teams on the season. If they win the games they should, they will be right on the cusp of making the CFP this season.
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