College Football Headed for Season of Chaos in 2015

On the most unassuming of Saturdays, with a slate of games that screamed lawn work rather than television worship on paper, college football provided a look into its spectacular, wildly unpredictable crystal ball.

This was not supposed to be a day of great intrigue—not with the buffet of FCS opponents on tap for major programs; not with monster point spreads scattered throughout; and not with high-profile teams, minus a few magnificent exceptions, staying out of each other’s way for a little while longer.

But that plan was diverted early on, and chaos stayed the courses. Intrigue didn’t just knock on your front door. It let itself in, sat on your couch, ate all your food and drained your fridge.

And if there’s anything to truly take away from a sloppy, comeback-charged, heartbreaking and downright bizarre Week 2, it’s that this small serving of unpredictability could be just a taste of the madness to come. This is just the start. It's just starting a little earlier than usual.

That madness came early on in a game that had no business being as close as it was. At least not when the day began. 

Auburn, a team many—including myself—pegged as a potential College Football Playoff favorite before the season began, nearly had its season undone by the team that beat Chattanooga by three points in its opener. 

Jacksonville State was in prime position to pull an upset on the level of some legendary games, although it was not to be. After leading for much of the second half, the Gamecocks gave up a late touchdown that tied the game. They chose to take a knee in regulation rather than go for the win with less than a minute remaining and eventually lost 27-20 in overtime.

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"A lot of times over the course of a season, it's how you win,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said following the victory. “Last week we faced some adversity, and you find out how you react. Today, we faced major adversity at home. We had a lot of new guys on the field late in the game. We were really counting on them to help us win the game. As far as that experience in winning games late, that will help us later on." 

A team in the Tigers’ division wasn’t nearly as lucky. Taking on Toledo without star running back Kareem Hunt, Arkansas, a team with more offseason buzz than just about anyone, fell 16-12.

This, of course, came only days after head coach Bret Bielema publicly called out Ohio State for not playing enough ranked opponents. No loss of this nature is ever timed well; this one was particularly poorly timed. It was also shocking. 

Elsewhere, Notre Dame needed last-second heroics to stay unbeaten against lively Virginia, and it got it from an unexpected source. After starting quarterback Malik Zaire left the game with an injury—an injury that will reportedly keep him out the rest of the season— DeShone Kizer came in and delivered the biggest throw of his life. It ultimately propelled the Irish to a 34-27 victory:

“He can win games for us,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly told ESPN.com of Kizer following the game. “But I want to win a championship with him. We need to get him to the next level." 

The three biggest matchups of the weekend—Week 2’s marquee headliners—also were as advertised. After falling behind 17-0 to Tennessee on the road, Oklahoma mounted a tremendous comeback to tie the game late.

In double overtime, the Sooners found the end zone and then picked off a Joshua Dobbs pass to secure a 31-24 win, a result that looked unfathomable deep into the third quarter:

Oregon and Michigan State also provided ample entertainment, offering a magnificent follow-up to last year’s outstanding Eugene showcase. The Ducks, seemingly trailing the entire game, made a game of it in the very end. But Michigan State, behind the arm of Connor Cook and a solid rushing attack, edged the Ducks 31-28.

LSU followed along with this fourth-quarter theme by nearly blowing a lead to Mississippi State, only to watch a last-second Bulldogs field-goal attempt sail wide. The Tigers, after throwing for only 71 yards, managed to beat a quality opponent on the road by the score of 21-19.

But we weren't done. Even after the night's main attractions concluded, a legend was born (again). Down to Boise State with less than one minute remaining, BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum delivered his second game-winning touchdown heave in as many weeks. 

His 35-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Juergens tied an immaculate bow on the week that was—a flurry of unexpected, competitive games that stretched across the entire day:

It wasn’t always pretty. The play wasn’t always easy on the eyes. But perhaps, in a strange way, that’s what made this Saturday so wildly enthralling.

Even the nation’s best team, Ohio State, looked perplexed at times at home against overmatched Hawaii. The Buckeyes still cruised to a casual 38-0 victory, although it didn’t come easy for the defending national champions.

The Buckeyes are clearly the nation’s elite team, regardless of the squabbling over their schedule and the roadblocks it may or may not include. But even Ohio State looks human. Everyone looks human at this point, which is why FCS teams have been television fixtures longer than anticipated.

It’s why a week that was supposed to be boring and uneventful was anything but. These are the Saturdays that often sneak up on you, although this one was different. As entertaining as this slate of games was, it really only produced a handful of upsets.

This was much more about the “almost,” which was almost a day that would have been discussed for years. As it stands, Week 2 will play more of a role of pawn maneuver than checkmate. This was the set before the spike.

There will be bigger moments. Perhaps the next Iron Bowl "Kick Six" awaits. Perhaps the next great Hail Mary is just a week away, this one with even more on the line.

The deeper we go, the more it will mean. Right now, it's all just setting up that next undefined step, which has never felt more mysterious. That's not necessarily a bad thing, either. Mystery is good. Mystery is interesting. Mystery is also tough if you have some stake in the game.

If there were this many close calls and near landscape-altering losses this early, what will happen once conference play truly begins? What will happen when teams that are already being tested take on much better opponents each and every week? What will happen when this all comes together and this chaos takes on a new exponential form?

Those answers, thankfully, will be delivered in the months to follow, one chaotic, maddening and engrossing Saturday at a time.