NCAAF Week 2 Review

By Owen Pannell | KZA Sports

After a very entertaining Week 2, there’s a lot to unpack and recap. Time to analyze the weekend.

Most Important Results

• Oklahoma 24 – Michigan 13 - In the game of the week, Oklahoma took care of business vs the Wolverines. The defense looked great, and so did the offense. The final score was closer than the game felt; OU was a few mistakes away from winning this game 38-3. The Sooners look to be a problem after what we saw in this game.

  
  

• Oregon 69 – Oklahoma State 3 - This was such a bloodbath it’s almost unbelievable. Oregon might be very, very good this year, or Oklahoma State is one of the worst teams in the country. It’s probably some of both, but the Pokes better prepare for a 2–3 win season.

  
  

• Illinois 45 – Duke 19 - Illinois is a real playoff contender this year. Duke is a decent team that I had in my preseason top 25, and Illinois went on the road and demolished them. Illinois has a shot to really compete in the Big Ten.

  
  

• Mississippi State 24 – Arizona State 20 - This is a massive win for Jeff Lebby and the Bulldogs. Arizona State was ranked as the 12th team in the country, and they are in position to make a top 25 appearance with a couple of wins over Alcorn State and Northern Illinois. This is major trouble for the Sun Devils; they had huge aspirations for this season and this is definitely a setback.

  
  

• Baylor 48 – SMU 45 (OT) - This game was nutty. SMU led by 2 touchdowns with 5 minutes left, but Baylor forced overtime and proceeded to win. The ACC is looking rough, with SMU and Clemson both looking poor. Florida State and Miami are carrying that conference. Sawyer Robertson is a stats maniac; he could find himself in the Heisman conversation if they win some games.

  
  

• Iowa State 16 – Iowa 13 - In the annual CyHawk game, the Cyclones were able to pull out another victory with a game-winning field goal. After ASU lost, the Big 12 could be up for grabs, and the Cyclones have a good shot at that. Iowa’s offense is still terrible, and QB Mark Gronowski is terrible.

  
  

• USF 18 – Florida 16 - In a crazy upset, the Bulls improve to 2-0 with 2 top 25 wins. Their resume is as good as anybody’s right now, and with a win next week they will be a top 10 team. Florida is in trouble now; there was an insane amount of hype going into the season and this is not the way to start.

  
  

Upset Alert

(This includes almost-upsets, and doesn’t include games previously mentioned)

• Clemson 27 – Troy 16 - Troy was up 16-3 at halftime. Clemson was able to dominate the 2nd half, but this is not a good look for them. With LSU struggling vs La Tech, both those teams that played each other Week 1 could just be mid.

  
  

• South Carolina 38 – South Carolina State 10 - The Gamecocks were losing after the 1st to this FCS team. They ended up winning comfortably, but this was not a great performance for them.

  
  

• Syracuse 27 – Connecticut 20 (OT) - Syracuse going into OT with UConn isn’t a great look. Clearly, Orange head coach Fran Brown agrees, as he made the players run sprints on the field after the game.

  
  

• Ohio 17 – West Virginia 10 - Ohio is a good football team, but West Virginia should’ve won this game for sure. This is a pretty tough blow for the Mountaineers, who I thought might have been able to contend in the Big 12.

  
  

• Missouri State 21 – Marshall 20 - Most folks probably don’t care about Missouri State vs Marshall, but this was a big win for the Bears. Their first-ever FBS win, after a beatdown vs USC last week, is cool, but this is definitely a red flag for Marshall, who might be pretty bad after losing a bunch of their players.

  
  

• Army 24 – Kansas State 21 - Kansas State is looking ROUGH this year. Loss to Iowa State, almost-loss to North Dakota, and now a loss to Army, who just lost to an FCS team. They might be a bottom feeder in the Big 12 this season.

  
  

Best Games

(This does not include previously mentioned games)

• North Carolina State 35 – Virginia 31 - This game was crazy. The Wolfpack picked off Chandler Morris in the end zone with seconds remaining to give NC State the win. This is a great W for them, and they might be a solid team this year.

  
  

• UNLV 30 – UCLA 23 - Nico threw a pick in the final seconds to seal the win for UNLV. The Rebels look pretty decent. However, the Bruins look atrocious. Paying Nico all this money was not worth it, and I’m pretty confident he won’t be sticking around after this season.

  
  

• Missouri 42 – Kansas 31 - Kansas started this game looking amazing, but the Tigers were able to win the last 3 quarters 36-10. That’s not a recipe for success for the Jayhawks; this would have been a massive win for them. Missouri despises Kansas, and this gets them into the top 25, so great for the Tiger fans.

  
  

Best Players

• Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson - Robertson had 440 yards and 4 TDs while leading the Bears to a massive win over SMU. If he keeps this up, he’ll find himself in the Heisman conversation.

  
  

• Oklahoma QB John Mateer - The stats weren’t as good as Robertson’s, but Mateer led the Sooners to a massive win over Michigan, while having 3 TDs and winning SEC Offensive Player of the Week.

  
  

• Jacksonville State RB Cam Cook - Cook had 195 yards and 2 TDs in a massive win over Liberty. Jacksonville State are definitely contenders in the Sun Belt, and a big part of that is thanks to him.

  
  

• Oklahoma WR Deion Burks - 7 catches for 101 yards and a TD in a big game vs a team Burks wanted revenge on. That’s certainly a performance he’ll remember for the rest of his life.

  
  

• Oregon DB Peyton Woodyard - 5 tackles and a pick-6 in a BLOWOUT win vs Oklahoma State. Good day for Woodyard.

  
  

• Mississippi State WR Brenen Thompson - Thompson had 6 catches for 133 yards and 2 TDs, including the game-winner. Hard to have a better Saturday than him.

  
  

• Baylor WR Josh Cameron - 9 catches for 151 yards and 2 TDs. Cameron was also elite, maybe even better than Thompson. A huge role in the big victory over SMU.

  
  

• Iowa State S Jeremiah Cooper - Cooper was great vs Iowa: 4 tackles, a PD, a TFL, and an interception. He was a massive part of the amazing performance for the Cyclone defense.

  
  

My Predictions

Weekly record: 14-11 (56%)

Total record: 31-24 (56%)

Weekly points: 36

Total points: 76

Things are not going great for my predictions, but it’s alright—there’s still a lot of the season left. We need a big week this weekend, but I’m very confident. Stay tuned. Also, feel free to play along! Just pick 25 games each week and post them using #KZACFBpicks and use the scoring system down below. The winner each week gets a cash prize!

Scoring System

• -35+ = 0.5 points

• -21.5 to -34.5 = 1 point

• -15.5 to -21 = 1.5 points

• -11 to -15 = 2 points

• -7 to -10.5 = 2.5 points

• -3.5 to -6.5 = 3 points

• -0.5 to -3 = 3.5 points

• +0.5 to +3 = 4.5 points

• +3.5 to +6.5 = 5 points

• +7 to +10.5 = 5.5 points

• +11 to +15 = 6 points

• +15.5 to +21 = 6.5 points

• +21.5 to +34.5 = 7.5 points

• +35+ = 10 points

You can find Owen Pannell on X here.

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