Week 2 takeaways: Miami, Florida State heating things up in
2 weeks into the college football season, we’re seeing some old powers reveal indications of rising again.Florida State
, Texas and Penn State are appearing like possible playoff contenders, while Miami is making some noise as well.Meanwhile, Texas A&M
was on the short end against the Hurricanes, part of a surprisingly slow start for the effective SEC.Our college football press reporters take a closer take a look at what we learned in Week 2.
Magnificence days in Florida?Florida State and Miami are both great and nationally relevant at the very same time? It might be early, however this would be a huge development not just for college football however for the ACC, which requires both teams to get back to their particular glory days for the good of the conference. What has stuck out is the way both teams completely managed their SEC opponents. That’s right, the ACC has had the upper hand in the early-season matchups, going 4-1. It brings new meaning to #goacc.
Brashard Smith’s 98-yard kickoff return amazed the crowd during Miami’s win over Texas A&M. Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire Florida State and Miami take place to have the two most remarkable wins. The Seminoles revealed the swagger we anticipate from an FSU team in a Week 1 win over LSU in which they delighted in breaking the Tigers’ will. Miami revealed the same kind of physicality and dominance in a 48-33 win over Texas A&M on Saturday, a substantial advance in altering the narrative around the program.Miami may not
rather be where Florida State is now, however the Hurricanes are extremely plainly thinking in what Mario Cristobal is preaching. The way they won that game– in contrast to the slog of a loss to A&M last year– is proof of their progress. Provided the concerns we have actually seen with Clemson and North Carolina, it’s not so tough to think of a scenario in which Miami and Florida State end up in the ACC championship game– a dream matchup the league has longed to see.– Andrea Adelson Jimbo still has work to do Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher
, who received an ensured 10-year
contract extension prior to the 2021 season that will pay him$95 million through 2031, lost to Miami on Saturday.The Aggies are paying Fisher $95 million NOT to lose … to anybody.
And 2 games into his 6th season at College Station, Fisher has lost 22 times.What was so striking about Saturday’s decisive loss to the Hurricanes is that it’s evident the Aggies are much better than they were during last year’s 5-7 season– and yet it still wasn’t good enough against a Miami program that is still” building, “as coach Mario Cristobal explained it.The excellent news for Texas A&M? Alabama and LSU have actually currently lost, too, which means the SEC West is up for grabs. The problem? The Aggies will not
win it if they continue to lose the turnover battle, can’t push the quarterback and can’t sustain a lead.– Heather Dinich Is the SEC broken?For the very first time given that 2002, according to ESPN Stats & Info, Alabama, Florida and LSU all have a loss by the end of Week 2. LSU fell by three goals 45-24 to Florida State in Orlando, Florida, in Week 1. Texas handed the Crimson Tide a 34-24 loss Saturday night, their first double-digit defeat under coach Nick Saban and his very first as a college head coach considering that 2003. While it might have been less unexpected, the Gators fell at Utah by 13 and couldn’t even get the correct variety of players on the field in their opener. Texas A&M lost 48-33 at Miami on Saturday, and Vanderbilt fell 36-20 to Wake Forest.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Two-time safeguarding national champion Georgia is still No. 1, but the remainder of the SEC looks rather ordinary. It could have been even worse for the SEC on Saturday. Tennessee led by only 7 at the half against FCS program Austin Peay
before pulling
away for a 30-13 success. Ole Miss won 37-20 at Tulane, which played without star quarterback Michael Pratt. The Rebels scored 10 points in the final 2 minutes, consisting of a 56-yard field goal. Kentucky trailed FCS program Eastern Kentucky in the 3rd quarter before finally getting things together in a 28-17 victory. Missouri beat Middle Tennessee State by 4, Mississippi State defeated Arizona by 7 in overtime(after getting a protective stop inches from a first down on fourth-and-10 on the last play of the game), and Auburn endured by 4 at California, which missed out on 3 basket. It may mean more in the SEC, as the motto goes, however it may suggest a lot less for its groups in December if things don’t turn around.– Mark Schlabach The Pac-12 leftovers are prepared to play spoiler Colorado might be the sport’s attention magnet today, but elsewhere in the dying Pac-12, its two staying constituents continue to impress. Throughout a week when both Oregon State and Washington State took legal action versus the conference and commissioner George Kliavkoff, the schools’football teams had outstanding efficiencies. After looking after UC Davis at home with ease and outscoring their first 2 opponents 97-24 through 2 games, Oregon State sits at No. 16 in the AP poll. Meanwhile, unranked Washington State will not be unranked a lot longer after removing No. 18 Wisconsin in Pullman.While Oregon, USC and Utah continue to be the favorites for the conference title and a prospective playoff spot, all 3 of those groups will need to deal with at least among the Cougars and Beavers, if not both, on their way to trying to accomplish their goals. There will be no shortage of inspiration in those games for the Cougars and Beavers, who will be left as their conference mates run away to the Big 10
and Big 12 next season. As Wazzu head coach Jake Dickert proclaimed after the win Saturday, the Cougars”belong in a Power 5″and both they and Oregon State seem to be intent on advising everyone of that.– Paolo Uggetti Texas overcomes the bulge I’m not going to sit here and compose that Texas is back. That’s no certainty after only two games. However something appeared proper about the Longhorns beating Alabama on Saturday night. It appeared a little bit like they were exorcising their satanic forces. Due to the fact that in some ways it was the Crimson Tide that started Texas’down slide in the 2009 BCS national championship game. Mack Brown could not turn things around when they went south after that. Neither might Tom
Herman or Charlie Strong. play 0:28 ‘Hook ’em, baby! ‘McConaughey goes wild for Texas ‘very first TD Matthew McConaughey is fired up on the mic after Xavier Worthy’s deep touchdown for Texas.And yet there was Strong on the sideline in Bryant-Denny Arena as a member of Alabama’s support personnel, congratulating Longhorns incredibly fan Matthew McConaughey. And there was Steve Sarkisian, who said it seemed like a”full circle “moment, going back to Tuscaloosa, where Nick Saban reanimated his career and paved the way for him to become Texas’head coach. Sarkisian’s athletic director, Chris Del Conte, said moments like Saturday’s postgame
celebration were why he hired Sarkisian– for that offense and for his ability to recruit.It has been a long period of time since Texas could go toe-to-toe with a team like Alabama, but the Horns had the much better quarterback in Quinn Ewers and the better receivers in Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington. They had the more complete team. “You can inform we’re beginning to get our footing,”Del Conte said.”It’s nowhere near a completed item, but it’s pretty enjoyable to be where we’re at today.”– Alex Scarborough Iowa’s offense has subtle signs of hope Iowa may not average 25 points per game to satisfy offending organizer Brian Ferentz’s changed contract. The Hawkeyes have just 44 in 2 games, 37
from the offense. However they’re undoubtedly better than the traditionally bad unit we saw last season, and there are indicators of enhancement as the games pass. Redshirt freshman running back Jaziun Patterson supplies a different component, as he showed with a 59-yard breakaway against Iowa State. Patterson can be used beyond short-yardage circumstances to complement Kaleb Johnson.”I’m a downhill runner,”Patterson said.” They state I run wild. I run with a function.
Every time you see me run the ball, I’m running
the ball hard.”Ferentz can diversify his play calls with a more skilled unit. The next step is to strike on more portion plays, as Diante Vines and others supported Iowa State’s defense Saturday, however quarterback Cade McNamara could not connect.” We’re growing, “coach Kirk Ferentz stated.”The important things I’m most likely most thrilled about is we have a lot of prospective to continue to grow.”– Adam Rittenberg Persistence settles for Penn State On the surface area, Penn State did what it was expected to do versus Delaware. Its offense scored on 8 of its 11 ownerships in a 63-7
thrashing, consisting of the very first 4 times it had the ball– all on hurrying touchdowns (three from Nicholas Singleton and one from Kaytron Allen). But consider this as
the competitors gets stiffer for the Nittany Lions, with their yearly White Out game coming in two weeks versus Iowa: 6 of those scoring drives lasted at least eight plays, and two addressed least 10 plays(a 13-play, 60-yard drive in the first quarter and a 10-play, 74-yard drive on the opening ownership of the 2nd half). Penn State also won the time of belongings battle 42:22 to 17:38. That type of ball control behind