Table of Contents
Game of the Week
In a week full of upsets, it was hard to decide on one game to crown as Saturday’s best. Although this game did not end in an upset, Alabama v Texas put on a great show from start to finish. With the top-ranked Crimson Tide traveling to Austin to take on the Longhorns, Texas was looking to play spoiler as 21.5-point home underdogs. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was off to a hot start when a brutal hit after escaping a collapsing pocket knocked him out of a 3-3 game in the first quarter. While Alabama’s Bryce Young struggled early, it was up to the Texas defense and backup quarterback Hudson Card to keep the Longhorns close. That they did, as a banged-up Card marched the Longhorns down the field on multiple drives.
Unable to find the endzone Texas settled for a pair of field goals, and a stout defensive performance resulted in a 16-10 Texas lead midway through the fourth quarter. Following an Alabama touchdown drive with 8 minutes left, Texas responded with a massive defensive stop on 4th and 1, ending in another Longhorns field goal. Bert Auburn, a last name sure to give Alabama fans some flashbacks, gave Texas a 19-17 lead with just over one minute remaining. To silence doubters, Bryce Young had his best drive of the day as Alabama’s offense set up a 33-yard game-winning field goal. Will Reichard got the job done, and Alabama escaped a massive upset in Austin.
Honorable Mention – BYU(21) v Baylor(9)
Top Performers
Passing – Max Duggan, TCU – 23/29, 390yds, 5TD
Rushing – Nicholas Singleton, PSU – 10car, 179yds, 2TD
Receiving – Ali Jennings III, ODU – 8rec, 200yds, 3TD
Defensive Performance – Marshall, 21 points allowed, 3 interceptions v Notre Dame(8)
Best Moment – Sun Belt Spoilers
Week 2 featured losses from seven ranked teams, two of which came from heavy road underdog Sun Belt Conference teams. Appalachian State found their way back into the news as the Mountaineers took down Texas A&M(6) at Kyle Field. A 17-14 victory was highlighted by an almost perfect game of clock management for App State coupled with a poor performance from the Aggies on offense.
Marshall took a trip to South Bend to take on Notre Dame(8), a team that appeared lost in a 26-21 defeat. The Herd defense held Notre Dame to seven points heading into the fourth quarter, and three Marshall interceptions sealed the victory and another huge upset for a Sun Belt team this weekend.
Georgia State came into their matchup with Nebraska as 23.5-point road underdogs. In a high-scoring affair, Georgia State scored a game-winning touchdown with 36 seconds remaining. The 45-42 victory may have been the nail in the coffin for Scott Frost’s time as head coach in Nebraska, as students chanted ‘Fire Frost.’
Don’t Sleep On… Tennessee(24)
The Tennessee Volunteers traveled to Pennsylvania this weekend to take on Pittsburgh(17). After a slow start on both sides of the ball, Tennessee found themselves down 17-7 in the second quarter. However, they quickly found their footing as two second-quarter touchdowns, and a field goal paired with stops on defense gave the Vols a 24-17 lead at the half. This game would continue to be a battle as a solid fourth quarter from Pitt ended with both teams tied at 27 and needing overtime to decide a winner. Tennessee was able to grind out a hard-fought 34-27 win on the road. Expect Tennessee to climb pretty high in this week’s ranking as they prepare to take on the best of the best in the SEC throughout the season.
Honorable Mention – BYU(21)
Not So Fast… Notre Dame(8)
Saturday proved to be a rough day for the Irish after a good Week One performance in Columbus. The Marcus Freeman era continued its shaky start as Notre Dame fell to unranked Marshall at home. Coming into the matchup as 20.5-point favorites, Notre Dame was held to just 7 first-half points. The second half was more of the same as the offense looked sloppy all day, and the Irish defensive front could not come up with stops when needed. Three Marshall interceptions played key in their 26-21 victory as Notre Dame falls to 0-2 on the season and are likely out of the AP Poll.
Honorable Mention – Florida(12), 26-16 L v Kentucky(20)
Pay Day
Iowa and the under on total points are a match made in heaven for anyone betting on college football. The Hawkeyes took the field against rival Iowa State in a matchup with its over/under set at 39 points. Iowa’s only points of the game came on a first-drive touchdown run, while Iowa State scored their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter. A Cyclones second-quarter field goal was the deciding points in a 10-7 Iowa State victory. Betting the under on Iowa this week was smooth sailing yet again.
Projecting the Top 25
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Michigan
- Clemson
- Oklahoma
- USC
- Oklahoma State
- Arkansas
- Michigan State
- Kentucky
- BYU
- Miami
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Baylor
- NC State
- Florida
- Wake Forest
- Ole Miss
- Texas
- Penn State
- Pittsburgh
- Texas A&M
- Appalachian State
