College football is entering week 2. There are always things to watch every week of the season. Here are 5 things to watch in college football week 2.
1. Can C.J. Stroud be More Consistent?
One of the biggest games of the week 2 slate is Oregon vs. Ohio State. The Ducks will travel to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes after a disappointing performance against Fresno State. While they got the win, it was a close game and star edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux went down with an injury. In Ohio State’s opener, it was close in the first half, but they pulled away in the second. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was inconsistent in the first half, but benefitted from his great receivers in the second half.
It is unknown right now whether Thibodeaux will be rushing the passer, but either way, Stroud needs to be more consistent. After the showings of the first week, Oregon may not have enough offense to keep up with Ohio State, so Stroud can make it tougher on the Ducks. In addition to just helping the Buckeyes win this game, Stroud progressing will help Ohio State reach their full potential and possibly make the College Football Playoff.
2. Battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy
Last season, one of the more underrated rivalry games wasn’t able to be played. This year, there will be a lot riding on the game, as both teams won their opening week games and are projected to have good seasons. Iowa State defeated Northern Iowa in a close game, but the most important thing is that they left with a victory. The Hawkeyes dominated a ranked Indiana team in week 1 and now look like the favorites to win the Big Ten West.
This game will be an absolute slugfest. Both teams will want to establish the run with star running backs. Breece Hall for Iowa State and Tyler Goodson for Iowa are both great college running backs and solid pro prospects. While both teams will try to run the ball well, the team that wins will probably be due to the quarterback play. The Hawkeyes will be relying on Spencer Petras, while the Cyclones will be counting on Brock Purdy.
3. The Holy War
Another great rivalry game that wasn’t played last season was the Holy War between BYU and Utah. The game will be late on Saturday night, but is well worth watching. Both teams won in week 1 and have opportunities to have solid seasons. With BYU coming off a good year they will look to keep that momentum going. In the Pac-12, things look wide open and Utah could take advantage.
Utah went just 3-2 last season, but are usually a physical team that is hard to match up with. They can do much better this season with a full schedule and 16 starters back. An opening weekend win over Weber State is a good way to start the season. For BYU, they are breaking in a new quarterback in Jaren Hall, who passed for 198 yards in BYU’s opener against Arizona. He’ll need to step his game up against Utah to help the team win a rivalry game.
4. A Rematch of the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl
The 2018 Cheez-It Bowl was one of the most entertaining games because of how well it wasn’t played. TCU matched up with Cal in one of the oddest games ever. TCU won in overtime, 10-7. There were eight interceptions and both teams struggled to move the ball. There were illegal forward passes, inexperienced senior quarterbacks, a player who didn’t have control of both of his feet, an attempt to not have a kicker iced that backfired and so much more in this crazy game.
People who watched that game could only wonder what more could go wrong on a football field. Now fans will be blessed with another opportunity to see the two teams match up. TCU beat Duquesne in week 1, while Cal lost to Nevada, but this game is more about seeing if it can match any of its Cheez-It Bowl craziness than anything else.
5. Cade McNamara
College football fans know of Michigan’s struggles over recent years. They have been good, but not the same as in past eras of the program. On top of that they can’t seem to beat Ohio State consistently, or even much at all, with just three wins against the Buckeyes in the 21st century. One of the reasons the Wolverines have had trouble is the offense not being great and that includes the quarterback position.
In week 1, Cade McNamara played pretty well. He completed 9/11 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. McNamara had a great start to his Michigan career and now needs to keep that momentum going. The Wolverines will host Washington in primetime on Saturday, who lost to FCS-level Montana in week 1. Washington has several key players on defense that could test McNamara. If McNamara is for real, the Wolverines could have a bright future ahead.
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