After an exciting, and long, first weekend of college football, we look forward to Week 2. Here are a few meaningful games that need more attention.
In Week 1, many of us had Oklahoma on upset alert against Florida Atlantic. That game quickly turned into a blowout. Some of us had a sense that Will Grier and the West Virginia Mountaineers may drop game 1 against Tennessee. That too, ended up being a relatively easy win for West Virginia. However, identifying the high probability that Maryland played with passion and fury against an overrated Texas Longhorns team ended up being spot on.
In Week 2, we have a couple of college football games that everyone will be watching. Georgia heading to South Carolina will be each team’s first big test. South Carolina is arguably underrated at No. 23, and Georgia will be looking to add a “quality win” to their resume.
On the other coast, No 17. USC travels to No 10. Stanford in an early season, Pac-12 showdown. This game will be a big opportunity for USC freshman quarterback, J. T. Daniels, to make a name for himself and get a big win under his belt early in his college career.
Here are a few games that may not receive a great deal of attention but could still be very meaningful in the overall picture of college football.
Scott Frost‘s New First Game
In Week 1, the Colorado Buffaloes dominated their in-state rival, Colorado State, 45-13. Many agree the Pac-12 conference is wide open, and the Buffaloes are hoping to put themselves in a position to compete for the championship. In all fairness, some of the other Pac-12 teams, like say UCLA or Arizona, didn’t look so good. So calling Colorado a Pac-12 contender may be a stretch. However, they have quite the opportunity to stand out this week against Nebraska.
Playing the Cornhuskers in their home stadium isn’t ideal. But Colorado has a huge advantage in that they have already played their first game of the season, where Nebraska has not. Nearly every team makes their biggest improvements on the season between Weeks 1 and 2. Therefore, Colorado has many of the ingredients needed to steal a win from the Cornhuskers.
As for Nebraska, this game will likely mean more than it should to the college football wolrd. Where Coach Scott Frost was supposed to have his Nebraska debut against a much easier Akron team, he now faces a team who is coming off a win with a lot of momentum. Nebraska is expected to win this game by a lot of points. However practically, the Cornhuskers will likely get off to a slow start due to this being their first game of the season. So here are the possible scenarios for Nebraska and the narratives that follow:
- Scenario: Nebraska wins by 20+ Narrative: “They should have won, it’s Colorado…”:
- Scenario: Nebraska wins by less than 20 Narrative: “Scott Frost’s debut was less than impressive. Nebraska looks ahead at another rough season in the Big 10”
- Scenario: Nebraska losses. Narrative: “UCF is still winning without Scott Frost, but Nebraska loses. Was Scott Frost given too much credit?”
Colorado looks like a good team and Nebraska is unproven (as all teams are before their first game). Yes, Nebraska should win; but it is unfair to expect too much out of them in this Week 2 match-up.
Could Hawaii be this year’s UCF?
After being ranked 129 of 130 in the preseason S&P+ rankings, Hawaii has started the season with two very impressive wins. In Week 0, Hawaii start quarterback, Cole McDonald, threw for 418 yards and three touchdowns. Last week against Navy, McDonald threw for 428 yards and six touchdowns.
Cole McDonald looks a lot like McKenzie Milton did last year and the Hawaii offense is performing like UCF’s did. On defense, Hawaii needs to play a lot better. The Rainbow Warriors have given up an average of 37 points in the first two games of the season.
Hawaii faces Rice in Week 2 in hopes of continuing their undefeated season. Rice too was likely underrated in the preseason. The Owls beat Prarie View in Week 0 and gave Houston a decent scare last week. If it weren’t for three missed field goals, an interception, and a few missed tackles, the Owls may have beaten Houston.
Hawaii needs to keeping winning in order for McDonald to continue to gain national recognition for Heisman consideration. However, Rice has the potential to spoil the Rainbow Warriors perfect season and will be eager to get back on the field after an emotional cross-town rivalry game.
Arizona State’s Ready for the Spartans
Michigan State was nearly upset at home, in Week 1, by the Utah State Aggies, winning 38-31. This week, the Spartans play an away game against the Arizona State Sun Devils. Last year, two of the three losses for Michigan State came in away games. On the other hand, Arizona State played much better at home last year, including a win against, then No 5. Washington.
A lot of buzz has been created for the Sun Devils since the hiring of Herm Edwards. In Week 1, the Sun Devils crushed UTSA 49-7. Sure, UTSA doesn’t qualify as a quality opponent; but, nor does Utah State.
ASU quarterback, Manny Wilkins, looked good in his season debut. Wilkins threw for three touchdowns and completed 16 of his 24 pass attempts. However, the Spartan’s defense was able to force two interceptions in their win last week.
This Big Ten vs Pac-12 matchup will set the tone for the rest of the season, for both ASU and MSU. A win for the Sun Devils will bring them into the top 25 ranking and be strong candidates to win the Pac-12 South. A Pac-12 win will also add to the credibility of Pac-12 teams throughout college football. Additionally, this outcome will significantly raise doubt for this years’ Michigan State team.