12 Things We Learned from Week 2 of the College Football Season

Week 2 of the college football season was off to a hot start, with powerhouses Auburn, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State being among just a few of the teams who played in the early block of games this Saturday.  

Not surprisingly, all of these games were very telling for each team.  

Arizona State also pulled off a big upset over No. 21 ranked Missouri in overtime, so how did they do it?

These questions, among others, will be answered in this week's 10 things we learned.  

12. Ohio State Is Going to Struggle

Ohio State really had to sweat out a victory this week over a mediocre team in Toledo.  

The Buckeyes won 27-22, but Toledo hung competitively the entire time.  

Running back Chris Hyde scored twice for Ohio State, but otherwise, no one looked particularly impressive for the Buckeyes.  

Had Toledo's starting quarterback Austin Dantin been playing the whole game, it is quite possible that Ohio State's 90-year streak of defeating in state opponents would have been ended.  

11. Toledo Could Be a Deep Sleeper This Year

After opening up impressively with a 58-22 win over New Hampshire, Toledo nearly pulled off a massive upset by beating No. 15 ranked Ohio State.  

The loss of starting quarterback Austin Dantin no doubt hurt, but backup Terrance Owens certainly looked respectable in relief duty.  

Junior wide receiver Eric Page was excellent, reeling in 11 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns, already giving him three scores on the season. 

The defense looked great as well, holding the Buckeyes to just 3-for-12 on third-down conversions and forcing a turnover. 

If they can cut back on penalties (14-for-102 yards against Ohio State), perhaps Toledo can be a real threat in the MAC conference.  

10. Rutgers Just Can't Win the Games They're Not Supposed to

Since a 10-2 campaign in 2006, Rutgers has only looked between mediocre and slightly above average for the most part.  

They lost another heartbreaker this week to UNC, by a close score of 24-22.

The loss was particularly disheartening given the fact that RU's defense forced a rarely seen five turnovers. 

Despite having the best recruiting class in the school's over century-long history, the team's strong defensive and quarterback play is just not enough to overcome an absolutely terrible offensive line.

The O-line seems to struggle against literally every situation, which could make 2011 a long season for the Knightsparticularly unfortunate since no Big East squad outside of West Virginia looks that great.   

9. Michigan State Is the Real Deal

No. 17 Michigan State absolutely blew out Florida Atlantic 44-0, in a game where the Spartans put up over 400 yards of offense.  

Throw in a defensive score, and it was blatantly obvious that this time, they were clicking on all cylinders.  

The Big Ten school likely faces a tougher challenge next week when they go up against Notre Dame, but this team does not appear to be falling flat anytime soon.  

8. Quarterback Russell Wilson Is a Great Fit in Wisconsin

On the season, Russell Wilson is 10-for-13 for 255 yards and two scores, with zero turnovers.  

While that's not the most yardage and touchdowns ever, he is also averaging 19.62 yards per attempt with a 292.5 quarterback rating.  

With the Badgers off to a 2-0 start, it is quite obvious that Wilson is a huge part of that.  

7. SEC Running Backs Are Good, Real Good

Auburn's Michael Dyer, South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore, and Mississippi State's Vick Ballard both already have four touchdowns on the young season.  

All three backs also have over 200 rushing yards.  

As a matter of fact, Ballard has over 300.

Don't forget about freshman tailback Isaiah Crowell, who has over a 100 yards, a touchdown, and over 7 yards per carry tonight against South Carolina.  

Another explosive back from the SEC has a slide of his own later on.   

6. Serra High School Wide Receivers Are Really Good

USC's Robert Woods set a school record for catches in a game (17) last week against Minnesota.  

Woods was simply an unstoppable force, racking up 177 yards and scoring three times.  

Meanwhile, Colorado wide receiver Paul Richardson went off today against California, reeling in 11 catches for 284 yards, and crossed the chalk twice.  

Not bad for a freshman.  

As the slide title indicates, both receivers are graduates of Serra High School in California.   

5. Arizona State Is a Top 25 Team

After their overtime win over No. 21 Missouri, it's hard to deny that Arizona State has a talented team this season.  

Quarterback Brock Osweiler has over 600 passing yards and five touchdowns on the season to just one interception, while wide receiver Aaron Pflugrad has over 200 receiving yards and four touchdowns already in just two games.  

While their defense needs some tune ups, this offense will give a lot of top-tier teams some trouble.  

4. Trent Richardson Knows How To Find the End Zone

Alabama running back Trent Richardson has scored four touchdowns in two games and doesn't look like he's slowing down anytime soon.  

Despite a pretty mediocre offensive line, Richardson gets it done with great vision, power and certainly also great focus and determination. 

Richardson is a big reason why Alabama is a top three school in the nation.  

3. Penn State Still Isn't Ready for the Big Time

Despite one of the most historic college football programs in the nation, Penn State has not had a top-tier program in years.  

While a 23 ranking is nothing to be ashamed of, it seems obvious that the Nittany Lions cannot hang with elite teams after taking a sound 27-11 beating at the hands of Alabama.

It is hard to say how far Penn State goes this season, but the fact that they do not seem to have one reliable quarterback on their roster cannot be comforting.  

2. Auburn Can't Stop Anybody

The Auburn Tigers pulled off a huge win over No. 16 ranked Mississippi State, winning by a score of 41-34. 

Last week against Utah State, Auburn won 42-38.  

There is no question that the Tigers have a star-studded offense; their defense is clearly not all that impressive.  

At some point, another perennial powerhouse school will find a way to exploit Auburn's spotty secondary to the point where a signature last-second Tigers victory is no longer an option.   

1. Alabama Can Very Well Be the Best in the Nation

The Crimson Tide simply looked immaculate beating up Penn State today.  

Not surprisingly, Trent Richardson was a one-man highlight reel, racking up 111 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

With a hard-nosed defense that makes all the critical stops, along with one of the best backs in the nation, is it really crazy to think that Alabama could beat LSU and Oklahoma?