College football: Random thoughts from Week 2 of the 2020 season
The 2020 college football season is finally here and two weeks of action are in the books. Here are my random thoughts from Week 2.
A good Week 2 leads into what should be an even better Week 3.
It is good to have college football back. Week one had a little bit of everything we love about the sport — Lee Corso’s headgear, a few upsets, and yes, in a few spots, even crazy fans.
Now that we’ve shown playing real games is doable, it’s a little easier to look into the future and get even more excited about what’s to come. That doesn’t mean there won’t be hiccups and bumps in the road along the way.
But week one, as will week two and as long as we’re allowed to continue forward, brought us a little bit of normal.
This past weekend was fun. A lot of good stuff happened (depending on your favorite team, of course) and we did learn a little bit about what the future may hold.
Here are some thoughts on week one.
-It’s hard not to start with the worst part of the weekend, and that was the limited fans in attendance, or in some cases, none at all. It was so surreal watching Clemson and Wake Forest play in an empty stadium. It’s hard to imagine what the experience was like for the players. Especially with College Gameday in attendance, Truist Field would have been rocking.
Other stadiums with limited fans, especially Kansas State, were extremely loud even with limited capacity. Unfortunately, for those Wildcat fans, by the end of the game there wasn’t much to cheer for.
-Speaking of Kansas State, the Wildcats blew a two touchdown lead and lost in the final minute to Arkansas State. The Red Wolves are good, but that’s not a good way to start the season in the Little Apple. As bad as that was, it still wasn’t as bad as….
-…Iowa State. What was that?! Iowa State didn’t just lose to Louisiana, they were dominated and embarrassed. Especially in the second half, the Cyclones looked flat and disinterested. Their September struggles are well documented, but that was a different level. It’s hard to even consider that an upset.
-Then, just when it couldn’t get any better, Kansas laid an egg against Coastal Carolina once again. At this point, Kansas just looks like a lost cause. The Jayhawks have won 18 games since 2010. Alabama has lost 13 games in that same span. Someone should see if Todd Reesing has any eligibility left.
-At this point, it’s totally fair and reasonable to ask whether even with only 3 Power conferences playing, the Big 12 has a seat in the College Football Playoff. They went 0-3 against the Sun Belt, aka the Fun Belt, and didn’t look good in any of those three.
All three of those losses, and Texas Tech escaping Houston… Baptist, don’t help matters at all. Even if Oklahoma, Texas or Oklahoma State runs the table, what’s it matter if they only have one or two quality wins?
-Even in a loss, Will Healy showed why he’s one of the fastest rising superstars in the coaching ranks. He’s only been a head coach at the FBS level for for two years with Charlotte, but was great at the FBS level with Austin Peay. He turned around an abysmal team, one that went winless in both the season prior to his arrival as well as his first season. He got the Governors as high 8 wins and his recruiting laid the groundwork for an 11 win season the year following his departure.
He’s only a 7-7 coach at the FBS level for the moment. But Charlotte had only won 12 games in the 4 seasons prior to his arrival. Last season, he took them to a bowl game. He’s young (only 35) and full of energy while doing things his way. There’s a lot of PJ Fleck in Will Healy. Don’t be surprised if success is another similarity.
–Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book and his happy feet really need to settle down in the pocket. He’s a third year starter and still looks as uncomfortable as his freshman year. It’s frustrating to watch as his lack of progression is noticeable. Routinely missing open receivers, scrambling too soon and throwing into windows that aren’t just right, but sometimes non-existent.
-The Big Ten’s vote to restart fall sports could literally come at any minute now. It’ll be interesting what the vote is and exactly who will vote now. You’d have to figure Rutgers will be one of the “no” votes. Given what’s going on in the state of Michigan, I would be shocked if either program voted yes. If the vote passes, the season would be expected to start Oct. 17. Better late than never.
-One final thought on this week: we lost Memphis/Houston, but gained Houston/Baylor. There might be a lot of points in that game. And with Gus Johnson on the call, expect plenty of excitement.