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Texas is back, Alabama is dead, and the Pac-12 is immortal (on the football field only).
It’s time to recount the very best and very worst that was Week 2 of this college football season, including everything from the worst game to the biggest clown. Sit back, relax, and remember the highs and lows of the week that was.
Best Game: Rice 43, Houston 41 (2OT)
As the English would say, this Houston derby had it all: a 28-point comeback, overtime drama, a one-handed touchdown grab, and all the emotion you could ask for.
The Owls and Cougars put on quite a display for 23,000 in attendance and those watching along on NFL Network, an unconventional location for college football. Rice scored the game’s first four touchdowns, then didn’t affect the scoreboard again until the initial overtime as Houston erased the entirety of a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
In the end, the only separation in this Bayou Bucket Classic was a failed two-point conversion in the second OT, securing the upset for the new-look AAC side over the conference’s recent deserters. It snapped Rice’s seven-game losing streak to its crosstown rival that dated back to 2010 and is an important moment for a program that hasn’t had much to celebrate for a long time.
Worst Game: Army 57, Delaware State 0
Delaware State finished this game with 24 rushing yards, zero points, and more time of possession than Army, a collection of counterintuitive facts that illustrate how horrible this game was.
By the end of the first quarter, the Black Knights led, 15-0. At halftime, it was 36-0. Army covered the 39.5-point spread before the end of the third quarter. There was no response, there was no question.
Unless you’re an Army fan, there is no way this game could have been enjoyable to you. The Black Knights improve to 1-1, and the season marches on, effectively unaffected.
Biggest Statement: Texas
It’s Week 2, and I don’t want to put a curse on these Longhorns. But I must admit, it is tempting to declare Texas is back after its impressive display in Tuscaloosa.
The Longhorns wiped out Alabama, 34-24, to give Nick Saban his first double-digit home defeat as the head coach of the Crimson Tide, plus snapped the home team’s 21-game win streak at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Quarterback Quinn Ewers looked unphased, and the Longhorns lived in the Alabama backfield.
There’s a lot of season left to go, but it’s Texas that now jumps to the front of the Big 12 pack in this young campaign. Expect playoff hype to encircle this squad now, providing head coach Steve Sarkisian with his next major hurdle: rat poison protection.
Biggest Clown: Mel Tucker
Mel Tucker has probably coached his last game at Michigan State. It’s been alleged that he sexually harassed a rape survivor who came to East Lansing to speak to his football team about the dangers of sexual misconduct. I won’t dive deeper into the details, but yes, what is accused is as jaw-droppingly dreadful as it is jaw-droppingly stupid.
The coach is fighting hard against what has been thrown at him, and I won’t pretend to know precisely what happened. But even if all was mutually consensual, entering into this situation in the first place is an incredible miscalculation. If there is anyone in the world who you should not start an intimate relationship with, it is the person your employer hired to speak at your organization about sexual misbehavior in the workplace. There are very few outcomes that don’t blow up in your face.
According to the deal Tucker signed with the Spartans, his guaranteed $95 million payday could only be jeopardized if the coach was convicted of a crime or engaged in “conduct which, in the University’s reasonable judgment, would tend to bring public disrespect, contempt or ridicule on the University.”
Bags are routinely fumbled, but this is no ordinary slip; Tucker has committed the rare intergenerational bag fumble.
I do not intend to make light of what is a very serious matter, but this is ridiculous. For Tucker to put himself in this position was arrogant and shortsighted, and that’s assuming the purest of intentions. Get ready for a long court battle that will be tons of fun for everyone in East Lansing.
Best Conference: Pac-12
About 83 percent of the Pac-12’s members have ditched the conference in the last two years and won’t be around in 2024, but the group looks stronger than ever on the field to start 2023.
The league went 7-3 in non-conference contests on Saturday, including road wins at Texas Tech, at Baylor, at San Diego State, and a home victory against Wisconsin. Additionally, Cal was competitive in its defeat to Auburn, and Arizona took Mississippi State to overtime in Starkville. This follows up a strong Week 1 in which the conference amassed triumphs over Florida, Boise State, and TCU, plus went 12-0 as a whole.
Eight Pac-12 teams are ranked heading into Week 3: USC (5), Washington (8), Utah (12), Oregon (13), Oregon State (16), Colorado (18), Washington State (23), and UCLA (24). The league is wide open, it’s loaded with legitimate outfits, and it has some of the most compelling storylines in the country, including the nation’s currently most-talked-about team operating out of Boulder.
It’s the last ride for the Pac-12 as it’s been known for more than a century, and it should deliver in some pretty spectacular ways. Only one more week until the cannibalism commences!
Worst Conference: Pac-12
On the field, the Pac-12 might be the best. Off the field, there’s no question who’s the worst.
Lawsuits and football are about as American as it gets. Put them together, and you’ve got yourself a regular Boston Tea Party.
Washington State and Oregon State are throwing all the chests into the harbor. The dynamic duo sued the conference and its commissioner, George Kliavkoff, to gain control over the league’s remaining assets. The Cougars and Beavers won’t give up the bread that easily.
We’ll see how the Pac-12 and the 10 leavers react to Washington State and Oregon State’s play. I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least some of the other schools challenge – the transparency of their money-grubbing has been duly noted – and then comes the divorce proceedings. And somewhere, George fits into this. Hooray.
I miss Saturday already.
Best Meme: The Moon Heard ‘Round the World
In downpour-delayed desolation, Boston College barely held off local FBS rival Holy Cross, 31-28, to avoid a terrible fate. The few Eagles fans who stuck through the calamity on the field and in the skies had their faith rewarded but their eyes tainted.
The field itself became an untamed no-man’s land during the 2-hour, 13-minute weather delay. A few fans from each side decided to run across to mock the other, with the Crusaders significantly outnumbering the Eagles as the lightning and rain discouraged the home fans from the stands. Some provocateurs limited their taunting to hand gestures. At least one Holy Cross fan utilized something else holy.
Boston College won the game on the scoreboard, but it lost it in every other way. Holy Cross fans fully dominated the stadium after the delay, and a three-point escape against FCS competition – especially the guys next door – is not ideal. This program has a serious uphill battle ahead of itself to return to relevance.
CFB FAQs
How are college football bowl games determined?
Only bowl-eligible teams are selected for College Football Bowls. At the NCAA Division I FBS level, the standard by which teams become available for selection in bowl games varies. For example, in 2018-19 season, the team had to have at least as many wins as overall losses. Wins against non-Division I teams do not count toward the number of wins.
How do you play college football pick'em pools?
Simply pick winners from the games each week selected by the Pool Commissioner, either straight up or against the spread. Whichever member has the most points at the end of the season wins
What is a football pool?
"Football Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more football games. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system. They are often considered a great alternative to fantasy football given the ease of playing, although there are fantasy football pools as well.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
How to play squares football pools?
Football squares are played by creating a grid, in which Team 1 takes the column and Team 2 the rows. In some cases, participants may claim as many squares as they like. In others, commissioners limit them to one. At the quarter times and end of the game, the winner is decided at the point the scores final digit intersect.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
What is a college football squares pool?
In a college football squares pool, a commissioner starts with a 10x10 grid of 100 squares (though commissioners decide to use smaller 5x5 pools). Members pick one or more squares in that grid. Winners are determined based on the score of each team after each quarter and at the end of the game.
How many squares in a football pool?
In a traditional football squares pool, a grid is sectioned off into 100 squares with 10 columns and 10 rows. This accounts for a direct relationship between each possible digit from 0 to 9 on both the X and Y axis. For smaller square grids like 5x5, multiple numbers can be assigned to each column and row.
How to read a football squares pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football confidence bowl pool?
The winner of a college bowl confidence pool is the member with the most points after all games have ended. Members rank each game based on how confident they are in their pick (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). For each game picked correctly, members receive the number of points they assigned.
What is a college football bowl confidence pool?
Players try to pick the winner of every bowl game, assigning a point value to each game. Picks are made "straight up," not using a point spread system. Members rank each game based on how confident they are (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). A winner is determined by totalling the point values assigned to correctly picked games.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football bowl pick'em pool?
As you might expect, the player who selects the most bowl winners will win their pick'em pool. You can win your college football bowl pick'em pool by choosing winners wisely, based on past performance, player starting status and other "intangibles."
What is a college football bowl pick'em pool?
In a College Bowl Pick'em pool members attempt to pick the winner of every College Bowl game (or a subset of games determined by the Pool Commissioner). Picks are made using the point spread system or "straight up", as assigned by the Pool Commissioner.
