College Football Playoff Rankings: Biggest Takeaways from Week 2
It has often been said the biggest improvements are made from Week 1 to Week 2 of the college football season. The idea is that, with opening-week jitters behind, coaches and players are able to make critical adjustments from film and practice and look better in their second opportunity against real competition.
The hope, of course, is we know more about the nation's elite college football teams than we did in Week 1, but it doesn't always work that way. The Top 25 will look a little different Monday morning, but only one current Top 25 team suffered what would be considered an upset: No. 18 Arkansas' 16-12 loss to MAC foe Toledo in Little Rock.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
That said, we were still able to glean plenty from our second full week of college football competition from coast to coast. What did we find out? Let's read on:
The SEC isn't as deep as we thought
Despite failing to bring home a national title in each of the past two seasons, the SEC's hubris and reputation are both as strong as ever. This week, the league had 10 representatives in the Associated Press Top 25.
It's fair to say that will not be the case this week. Arkansas will likely fall out of the rankings following its stunning home loss to Toledo, the kind of game that might lead Razorbacks fans to move every home game to Fayetteville.
Following an uneven opener against Louisville, No. 6 Auburn looked severely overrated after being pushed to overtime at home against in-state FCS foe Jacksonville State, scoring a late touchdown to send the game to overtime and eventually grabbing a 27-20 victory.
Quarterback Jeremy Johnson looked positively mortal, throwing for 236 yards with two touchdowns against two interceptions (he has five picks in his first two starts). The Tigers will be fortunate if they only fall out of the Top 10 this week.
No. 19 Tennessee appeared on the verge of a statement win over Oklahoma, but the Vols blew a 17-point second-half lead and dropped a 31-24 double-overtime defeat that showed Butch Jones' team has work left to become a true force in the SEC East.
And this league will just keep beating up on itself, starting with next week's Alabama-Ole Miss showdown. Here's guessing that no league coaches will criticize Ohio State's schedule, as Arkansas' Bret Bielema did last week on the SEC teleconference.
Notre Dame's offense has issues
One week ago, Notre Dame's offseason moves appeared to have paid off. The Fighting Irish stomped Texas 38-3, and Malik Zaire, who assumed the starting quarterback role following Everett Golson's transfer to Florida State, was very sharp.
Following Saturday's thrilling 34-27 win over Virginia, the Irish and coach Brian Kelly are back to the drawing board. For the second consecutive week, the Irish offense lost a key contributor for the season.
Late in the third quarter, Zaire had his right ankle rolled up on, and he suffered a broken ankle that will end his season.
That put sophomore DeShone Kizer in charge of the offense. Kizer rose to the role, completed eight of 12 passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and excelled under pressure. With Notre Dame trailing 27-26, Kizer made a beautiful throw down the left sideline into Will Fuller's waiting hands for a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining.
Now, Kelly must adjust to an offense which is without its starting quarterback and best tailback following Tarean Folston's torn ACL suffered against Texas. Tailback C.J. Prosise rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown and looks like a backfield force, but filling in for such important pieces won't be easy.
Oklahoma's offseason moves paid off
Following a highly disappointing 8-5 2014 season that began with College Football Playoff aspirations and ended with a Russell Athletic Bowl demolition at Clemson's hands, Bob Stoops cleaned house on Oklahoma's offensive staff, hiring Lincoln Riley away from East Carolina to install the Air Raid offense.
The new-look Sooners got their first major test Saturday in a hostile environment at No. 19 Tennessee, and Stoops had to be encouraged with what he saw.
Tennessee built a 17-0 lead in the third quarter, but new starting quarterback Baker Mayfield wasn't deterred. He rallied the Sooners to 17 consecutive points to force overtime, and the Sooners claimed a 31-24 double-overtime win.
"It's one of the more special wins, maybe my favorite of all of them," Stoops told reporters. "A little Sooner magic came back out. It reminded me of maybe like we're back at A&M back in 2000, where we made some plays to win the game that you feel pretty fortunate and blessed to make."
Mayfield completed only 19 of 39 passes for 187 yards with three touchdowns against two interceptions, adding 46 rushing yards and a touchdown, but his numbers don't really tell the story of his play. He was consistently elusive in the second half, creating plays with his legs, and he never gave up despite a rough start.
Oklahoma still has a tough Big 12 slate ahead, but this was a sign the Sooners are on the right path back to national relevance.
Dalvin Cook is a force to be reckoned with
Following a raft of offseason NFL departures and graduations, Florida State is in reloading mode. Anyone who watched Saturday's 34-14 win over South Florida can see that. The No. 11 Seminoles went into halftime tied 7-7 with a USF team far south of the heights reached under Jim Leavitt's watch.
New quarterback Everett Golson struggled behind a revamped offensive line, completing 14 of 26 passes for 163 yards with a touchdown.
What gives us hope Florida State can still make some noise in the ACC race this season? Sophomore tailback Dalvin Cook. Cook, a quick, electric back, carried the Seminoles offense all by himself. He carried 30 times for 266 yards and three touchdowns, the second-best rushing day in FSU history.
Cook's FSU future was uncertain after he was accused of assaulting a woman outside a Tallahassee bar (he was acquitted of the charge). But the drama hasn't carried over to the field. He now has five consecutive 100-yard rushing games dating back to last fall and averages 8.6 yards per carry. The Seminoles might be revamping their offense, but Cook is an impressive piece to build around.
Michigan State is a College Football Playoff contender
One year ago, Michigan State was left picking up the pieces of its College Football Playoff hopes following a second-half collapse at Oregon that led to a 46-27 loss.
Saturday night, the No. 5 Spartans reversed those feelings, holding off a late Oregon rally and dealing the Ducks a 31-28 defeat. There was no one true standout, but the Spartans put together an impressive team effort and fed off Spartan Stadium's energy for a crucial victory.
Senior quarterback Connor Cook had a solid game, throwing for 192 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but one of the biggest developments came in the ground game, where Madre London rushed for 103 yards. Following Jeremy Langford's graduation, the Spartans needed a talented back to step forward, and London is an excellent candidate.
From here, the Spartans' slate gets much easier, and they might not face another ranked team until heading to No. 1 Ohio State Nov. 21. That's plenty of time to jell as a team and get ready for a game that could be a College Football Playoff play-in. As of right now, they're a clear playoff contender.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
