Biggest Questions Facing Top 25 Teams Heading into Week 2

Well, that was fun. Let's do it again, shall we?

With Week 2 of the 2015 college football season on the horizon, it's time to look ahead at the biggest questions facing Top 25 teams. The problem, however, is that not many Top 25 teams are playing compelling games in Week 2. 

It happens. And who knows, maybe it inspires a bunch of surprising losses, which in turn will inspire next week's edition of "Biggest Questions" to revolve around "What the heck happened?" 

For the time being, we'll double up on huge games between Associated Press Top 25 teams: Oregon at Michigan State; Oklahoma at Tennessee; and LSU at Mississippi State. We'll sprinkle some other storylines into this week's top 10 as well. 

Let's get to it. What should you be watching for this weekend? We provide the answers based on last week's results, upcoming matchups and more.

Can Auburn QB Jeremy Johnson Overcome His Slow Start?

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Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson didn't exactly get off to the Heisman-like start he wanted to against Louisville. Though the Tigers won 31-24, Johnson threw three picks by staring down receivers and making poor decisions. 

A home game against Jacksonville State should be just what the QB doctor ordered. And, for the record, head coach Gus Malzahn told James Crepea of AL.com that he was "not concerned at all about [Johnson] moving forward." 

A big game against Jacksonville State could serve as a confidence boost for Johnson and a chance to get back on track. Auburn starts its SEC schedule the following week at LSU. Now's the time to work out the problems. Another bad or average showing, and Auburn fans could start to worry about how far this Tigers offense can go.

How Does TCU Look at LB?

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Yes, it's just Stephen F. Austin, but who's going to suit up at linebacker for TCU? Earlier this week, head coach Gary Patterson confirmed that one starting linebacker, Sammy Douglas, would miss the remainder of the season with an undisclosed injury, according to Jake Trotter of ESPN.com. 

Now, we find out that another linebacker, freshman Mike Freeze, is taking a "personal leave of absence," and it's not clear when he'll return, as the Forth Worth Star-Telegram's Carlos Mendez reported. That means two more freshmen, Ty Summers and Montrel Wilson, are expected to start against SFA.

TCU had a better-than-expected defensive showing against Minnesota and, theoretically, should be able to handle SFA. But youth, depth and performance in the middle of the defense will be a focal point going forward.

Can Mississippi State Slow Down LSU RB Leonard Fournette?

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Mississippi State and LSU were in opposite places last year. LSU running back Leonard Fournette, then a freshman still trying to break through, carried the ball just seven times against the Bulldogs defense. Now a primary back coming off a 1,000-yard season, the Tigers could ask Fournette to shoulder the load of an offense taking the field for the first time this year in a tough environment. 

How will Mississippi State's defensive front respond? The Bulldogs didn't play as well against the run versus Southern Miss as the stat sheet indicates. If you take away the sacks against quarterback Nick Mullens, Mississippi State gave up 4.1 yards per rush against running backs. 

And no one on the Southern Miss offense is nearly as good as Fournette.

Can Notre Dame RB C.J. Prosise Remain a Viable No. 1 Option?

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Greg Bryant is no longer on the team for academic reasons, and Tarean Folston is now done for the year with a torn ACL. In roughly a month's time, Notre Dame lost its expected top two leading rushers. Now, it's the C.J. Prosise show. 

Prosise, a converted wide receiver, had just 10 carries last year, but he did a nice job in the opener against Texas by carrying the ball 20 times for 98 yards. Quarterback Malik Zaire is a capable rushing threat, too, and the Irish offense is far more based in the run and zone read than it ever was with former quarterback Everett Golson. 

Still, as B/R colleague Mike Monaco put it this week, "The margin for error and the leeway in depth are shrinking." The running back depth chart is basically becoming a patchwork group. Given how much more Notre Dame wants to run the ball this year, that's a potentially critical problem. Will it show up on the road at Virginia in Week 2?

How Will LSU QB Brandon Harris Perform in His First Real Game?

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LSU quarterback Brandon Harris didn't get a chance to make his first start of 2015 against McNeese State in Week 1 because of severe weather that cancelled the game shortly after it began. As a result, Harris gets his first real start of the season on the road at Mississippi State.

Will Harris be ready?

The sophomore didn't come along as quickly as some hoped last year, ultimately playing the role of complement/backup to Anthony Jennings. Though Harris performed well in a win over New Mexico State, he couldn't carry it over into a similar performance in his first career start against Auburn the following week. 

With no warm-up to smooth out kinks, the Tigers will ask Harris to start in a tough road environment for the first game of the year.

"The game is a lot slower," Harris said, per Ron Higgins of NOLA.com. "Coach Cam is in his third season (at LSU), I'm in my second season. There's not any more teaching. It's adding to the offense and opening it up to where we can do more things."

Will Oklahoma RB Samaje Perine Break Loose?

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Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine entered the year as one of the early Heisman favorites. But after rushing for just 33 yards against Akron—Joe Mixon stole the show with 142 yards rushing and receiving—Perine found himself on the back burner of the Heisman conversation. 

He can get back in the heart of the discussion, not to mention help his team tremendously, with a huge game against Tennessee. In Oklahoma's game against the Vols last year, Perine rushed just nine times for 67 yards. Will his workload increase this time around? The Sooners have tremendous depth at running back, but Perine has proven he can put the team on his back when needed. 

How will Perine fare against Tennessee's talented front seven? That could be the matchup of the night in Knoxville.

How Does Urban Meyer Handle Ohio State's QB Situation?

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Cardale Jones may have started (and played most of) the opener against Virginia Tech, but that doesn't mean head coach Urban Meyer is done with the suspense. 

On the Buckeyes' updated depth chart, provided by Ari Wasserman of Northeast Ohio Media Group, Jones is listed as a co-starter along with J.T. Barrett. What does this mean exactly? Will reps between the two against Hawaii be split more evenly? Is the competition still ongoing? It's not abundantly clear, and it probably won't be clear until Saturday. Maybe. 

This is still as unique a situation as you're going to find in college football. Plenty of coaches will say something like, "We have two guys we feel we can win games with," but how often has it actually been proven to this degree?

Competition is designed to bring out the best in everyone involved. With two proven players vying for one spot, it's probably a good thing Meyer doesn't want to see any sort of complacency develop.

Can Michigan State Stop Oregon's Deluge of Points?

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One thing to know about Michigan State is the Spartans can flat-out score. This is not a slow, low-scoring offense. Last year, the Spartans averaged 43 points per game, led the Big Ten in passing yards per game.

Yet, in two high-profile, high-scoring games against Oregon and Ohio State, Michigan State came up short. Had it not been for a come-from-behind victory against Baylor in the Cotton Bowl, Sparty would have been 0-3 against teams that scored at least 40 points. 

Specifically against the Ducks, Michigan State had a 27-18 third-quarter lead before allowing 21 straight points in 5:14. That kind of quick momentum shift cannot happen again if Michigan State wants to win. That plays right into Oregon's game.

Michigan State's defense doesn't have to play lights-out to win, but it does need to control at least one of the following categories: turnovers, red-zone defense or third-/fourth-down defense. Limit or otherwise eliminate mistakes, and you limit or otherwise eliminate Oregon's ability to capitalize on them.

Will Tennessee Finally Get Its Huge Home Victory?

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Tennessee head coach Butch Jones has already won a big game at Neyland Stadium—versus South Carolina in 2013. Even though the Gamecocks were ranked No. 11 at the time of the victory, Saturday's game against No. 19 Oklahoma feels bigger.

That has a lot to do with the expectations surrounding the Vols program. It's the type of prime-time, big-atmosphere game the program, which has been rebuilding for what feels like a decade, has been craving. But can it get the win to go along with the hype?

It's no secret the Vols can score, but is the defense up to the task after getting burned by Bowling Green in Week 1? Oklahoma's new Air Raid offense has the talent, coaching and potential to go toe-to-toe with Tennessee.

Whether or not the Vols find themselves in a shootout for the ages on Saturday remains to be seen. What is known is that Tennessee, as a program, desperately wants to be on the right side of the win-loss column.

Will Oregon QB Vernon Adams Jr. Arrive on the National Stage?

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There's not a bigger game in Week 2 than Oregon's trip to Michigan State. It would only be appropriate, then, if the Ducks' grad-transfer quarterback, Vernon Adams Jr., officially introduced himself to the entire college football world on the day's biggest stage. 

Adams already passed one challenge by beating his former team, Eastern Washington, in Week 1. Though he left the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit, Adams said he's good to go for Saturday's game against the Spartans. 

The challenge for Adams, as noted by Andrew Greif of the Oregonian, is Michigan State's defensive front four:

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If he can buy time against a defensive front that includes All-America end Shilique Calhoun, it could pay big dividends. Per Pro Football Focus' data, Adams completed 4-of-8 passes — not including a drop — that were targeted at least 20 yards downfield, and each completion gained an average of 33.5 yards. The Spartans allowed 365 passing yards in their opener.

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The Spartans' stout defensive front/pass rush against Adams' improvisation ability will be the area to watch. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.