10 Biggest Questions Facing Top 25 Teams Heading into Week 2
If Week 1 of the 2014 college football season taught us anything, it's that we know nothing. Or, close to nothing.
South Carolina, a double-digit favorite against Texas A&M, lost by double-digit points at home. Big 12 underdogs Oklahoma State and West Virginia held their own against Florida State and Alabama, respectively.
All of this leads to another set of questions for Week 2. Of course, this weekend's schedule of games is mostly uninteresting with only a handful of key games across the Top 25. Which 10 storylines stick out the most among the Top 25 teams? The answers are in the following slides.
The only criteria here is that one of the teams involved has to rank in either the Associated Press or USA Today Amway coaches poll.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.
10. How Much Will Baylor Quarterback Bryce Petty Play?
1 of 10
Baylor took care of business in a 45-0 win over a SMU team that, frankly, looked like it could struggle to win a game all season.
But it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Bears, who broke in the brand spankin' new McLane Stadium on Sunday. Quarterback and Heisman hopeful Bryce Petty sustained a lower back injury early in the game and was in obvious pain throughout the first half before he was pulled.
A MRI revealed that Petty had two cracked transverse processes in his back, which no one outside the medical field knew existed until this week. The injury doesn't require surgery; it's a matter of Petty dealing with the discomfort.
According to George Schroeder of the USA Today, Petty expects to play Saturday against Northwestern State. "It's nothing that serious," Petty said. "Everything is good."
That's a slightly different response from head coach Art Briles, who said (via Chuck Carlton of The Dallas Morning News) that Petty would have to show a "pretty dramatic” improvement to play Saturday. (For what it's worth, Baylor could also be down its top four wide receivers.)
If Petty does play in Week 2? If he does, he shouldn't play much. Baylor's next two games are against Buffalo and Iowa State. Petty doesn't have to push his return date.
9. Will UCLA's Offensive Line Improve?
2 of 10
Of all the Week 1 games involving preseason playoff favorites, UCLA's 28-20 escape against Virginia had to be the most disappointing. Had it not been for three defensive touchdowns by the Bruins, they may very well have come away with a loss.
Specifically, UCLA had an awful time trying to protect quarterback Brett Hundley, giving up five sacks. Say what you will about Hundley looking nothing like a Heisman candidate, but no quarterback can look good if he's constantly running for his life.
"That was one of the (expletive) performances I've ever been a part of as a player or coach," offensive line coach Adrian Klemm said to reporters during practice this week (h/t OC Register).
The Bruins will eventually have reinforcements with the return of linemen Simon Goines and Jake Brendel. In the meantime, the O-line has to go back to the drawing board. Memphis is a beatable opponent, but the Tigers defense isn't a pushover, ranking 12th nationally against the run a year ago.
If UCLA's O-line struggles again, the concern about this team's realistic playoff chances will grow by Week 3 against Texas. The Longhorns, despite all their injury problems, appear to have turned a corner on defense. (Texas' Week 2 game against BYU will tell more definitively if that's true one way or the other.)
If you're head coach Jim Mora, you'd like to see some, if not significant, improvement in the trenches this weekend.
8. Can Ole Miss Quarterback Bo Wallace Make Better Decisions?
3 of 10
Ah yes, the eternal question.
It's not often a quarterback has the better day than his counterpart with three interceptions, but that's exactly what happened with Ole Miss' Bo Wallace in a Week 1 win over Boise State. Broncos quarterback Grant Hedrick outperformed Wallace, if you will, with four interceptions of his own.
The Rebels were able to overcome Wallace's mistakes thanks to overwhelming defensive line play and a few big plays. That's not always going to be the case.
Wallace has to take better care of the football during SEC play, which begins this week against Vanderbilt. The Commodores have their own turnover issues after giving the ball away seven times in a 30-point loss to Temple.
But that shouldn't mean Wallace gets a pass to play poorly. His turnaround needs to begin in earnest, not when Ole Miss plays Alabama on Oct. 4. Wallace has been inconsistent for most of his career with the Rebels. He has to be able to show he can shake his turnover problems.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Is Ohio State Able to Rebound, or Do Things Get Worse?
4 of 10
Navy was never going to be a pushover game for Ohio State, but the Buckeyes nevertheless struggled to put the Midshipmen away last Saturday. It took two touchdowns in the final nine minutes for Ohio State to finally pull away, 34-17.
It was clear that the Buckeyes' new-look offensive line, replacing four starters from 2013, experienced growing pains. It was clear that redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett, making his first start in place of the injured Braxton Miller, isn't the game changer Miller is.
Finally, it was clear Ohio State may have to rely heavily on its defense this season.
The Buckeyes get an interesting matchup at home against Virginia Tech. The Hokies have the defenders, namely cornerback Kendall Fuller, to play good coverage against Ohio State's receivers. Tech also has what appears to be a balanced offense—though a 34-9 win over William & Mary only says so much—to keep Ohio State guessing.
It could be a low-scoring affair in Columbus. Ohio State gets the edge, but it's not easy.
6. Can South Carolina Shore Up Its Defense?
5 of 10
Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill got all kinds of praise after picking apart South Carolina's defense for 511 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 52-28 win. He's even joined the Heisman race.
But the reality is that Hill had all day to throw to wide-open wide receivers. That's not to diminish Hill's performance as much as it is an attempt to provide context. South Carolina had no pass rush without bringing extra pressure and its coverage against young receivers was weak.
Guess what? East Carolina, the Gamecocks' Week 2 opponent, is no slouch and also likes to throw the football around.
Yes, this is a team South Carolina should beat, but it's far from a sure thing after watching last Thursday's game against the Aggies.
Expect Steve Spurrier's team to come out fired up and ready to silence critics, but ultimately, it comes down to whether this team can get pressure on the quarterback and tighten up its coverage.
5. Does Michigan or Notre Dame Get the Last Laugh?
6 of 10
The final game between Michigan and Notre Dame for the foreseeable future takes place this weekend. Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com has a good chronicle of what this (oft-interrupted) rivalry has meant to both sides.
In short, no one wants to leave this rivalry on the losing end. The winner, per Solomon, will have the all-time advantage in NCAA winning percentage. Add in Notre Dame announcing a future series with Ohio State, and the burn in Ann Arbor runs a bit deeper.
So which team comes out on top?
Michigan's offense looked like a new and improved unit under first-year offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier—against Appalachian State. Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson showed no signs of rust in his first start since the 2013 BCS national championship—against Rice.
Suffice to say, the competition gets stiffer on Saturday. The Irish will have to shut down wide receiver Devin Funchess, who caught three touchdown passes against the Mountaineers. The Wolverines will have to control Golson's rushing ability, which also accounted for three touchdowns in Week 1.
The home team has won the past three games in this series. Notre Dame wins in a close, hard-hitting one.
4. How Much Longer Will Alabama's Quarterback Battle Continue?
7 of 10
Blake Sims' debut as Alabama's starting quarterback in a 33-23 win over West Virginia was statistically solid. Although Sims did not account for any touchdowns, he tallied nearly 300 yards of offense, made some solid throws and extended a couple of drives with his legs.
Still, Sims had an ill-advised throw that led to an interception and some clock management issues. Though Florida State transfer Jake Coker only took the field for the victory formation, he'll have an opportunity to challenge Sims for the starting job in Week 2 against Florida Atlantic.
"I still don't hesitate to say that there's a quarterback competition," head coach Nick Saban said this week (via the Associated Press). "In some way, we'll probably try to play both quarterbacks in this game. I don't know how and when I figure it out I'm probably not going to tell."
B/R's Alabama lead writer, Marc Torrence, said that the feeling around Alabama is that there doesn't need to be a decision about a starting quarterback until the Florida game on Sept. 20. That leaves two more games for Saban to figure it out.
All the same, Sims has an opportunity to really pull away. If he cleans up his Week 1 mistakes against the Owls, he could make Saban's decision a lot easier.
3. Will Texas' Offense Sink or Swim Against BYU?
8 of 10
Here's the list of offensive players for Texas who are out for Saturday's game against BYU:
- Offensive tackle Kennedy Estelle (suspension)
- Offensive tackle Desmond Harrison (suspension)
- Center Dominic Espinosa (ankle)
- Quarterback David Ash (head)
Good luck and godspeed, Tyrone Swoopes.
The sophomore quarterback will be making his first start behind center with an offensive line that could have as few as five career starts combined. It's not like Swoopes showed he was ready to take control of the offense last year in limited play, either.
As Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News writes, this is closing in on an impossible task to ask of Swoopes:
"Do not believe Texas offensive play-caller Shawn Watson when he says Swoopes “doesn't need to put an 'S' on his chest and a cape on his back” to replace the injured David Ash. The Longhorns, subjected to more than four years of excruciating quarterback fallibility, are long overdue for supernatural intervention. If Swoopes can attain it from a radioactive insect bite, or from the orange moon of Whitewright, so be it.
"
Oddsmakers still have the Longhorns as a slight favorite, which could be a reflection on the team's defense. Given that Cougars quarterback Taysom Hill gashed Texas for 259 rushing yards a year ago, Texas will be out for revenge.
But can the offense do its part to see that revenge come to fruition? Those seem like long odds.
2. Can USC Keep Up the Pace Against Stanford?
9 of 10
USC ran 105 plays in a 52-13 rout over Fresno State in Week 1—and effectively, too. The game was basically over after the first quarter with the Trojans comfortably up 21-0. Head coach Steve Sarkisian's team averaged about 6.67 yards per play.
Stanford should offer a tougher challenge in theory. The Cardinal, though, have a new defensive coordinator (Lance Anderson) and replace key members of the front seven, including Shayne Skov, Trent Murphy and Ben Gardner.
This will be a big test for both sides after easily handling lesser competition.
Stanford has built its defense to stop high-powered offenses like Oregon's and Arizona State's. That's not to say USC runs the same kind of offense, but Stanford has conditioned itself to slow down tempo attacks. Holding the Ducks to an average of 17 points over the past two meetings is a prime example.
Keeping the USC offense in check would be a statement not only for the Cardinal defense, but for the longevity of the program. It would show that it can reload easily.
Similarly, Sarkisian can prove he's the right man for the job with a victory over Stanford, which has won the past two Pac-12 championships. Dictating the tempo against a stout team like Stanford would say a lot about his coaching chops.
1. Is Michigan State's Defense Up to the Challenge?
10 of 10
The Week 2 slate is generally pretty awful. At the same time, perhaps no early-season game has bigger playoff implications than Michigan State's trip to Oregon.
Yes, the Ducks have only played one game—against South Dakota, no less—but scoring 62 points shows this team still has the offensive horses.
How do the Spartans hold their ground against a powerful scoring attack? Chris B. Brown of Grantland has an outstanding explanation that's worth your time, but it can be summarized in the following paragraph:
"Rather than trying to call the right defense and maybe being right or maybe being wrong, [head coach Mark] Dantonio and [defensive coordinator Pat] Narduzzi have responded to this challenge by building a responsive defense that mutates into the right alignment depending on what the offense does. Against four vertical receivers, Michigan State wants four man-to-man defenders who can carry the receivers all the way upfield; against crisscrossing underneath receivers, the Spartans want to be in a zone coverage that lets their defenders break hard on the ball and on those receivers, rather than forcing them to chase in man-to-man; and against the run, the Spartans want as many as nine defenders in the box.
"
Dantonio and Narduzzi are among the brightest defensive-minded combos in college football. Schematically, they'll be prepared for what Oregon tries to throw (and run) at them by keeping things simple from a personnel standpoint. It's a matter of execution, and Michigan State is still breaking in new starters at every level of the defense.
Add in a tough road environment and this is a tall task. For what it's worth, I have Oregon winning this game, but Michigan State's defense does not get outclassed.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
