Week 2 delivered, despite the lackluster matchups that might have seemed underwhelming on paper. I want to start in SEC land, where a former champion came into a very hostile environment and struggled early. That’s right—we’re going to start in Starkville, Mississippi.
SEC Dominance
The Bulldogs of Mississippi State are 1–15 in their last two seasons of SEC play, far from the standard of dominance they set in 2014 with Dak Prescott and again in 2020 when they hired Mike Leach. Since the tragic passing of the Pirate, tough times have fallen hard on Starkville.
Last year, they traveled to Tempe and were beaten by an up-and-coming Arizona State team that went on to win the Big 12. Many picked the Sun Devils to repeat as Big 12 champs this year, and ASU entered last night’s game as a 5.5-point favorite.
Right out of the locker room, Arizona State got punched in the mouth. Before they knew it, Mississippi State was up 17–0 while ASU had only 56 total yards. Thanks to a roughing-the-passer penalty and a nifty move from Jordyn Tyson, the Sun Devils managed to steal 3 points at the end of the half to make it 17–3.
The second half was a different story, as the Arizona State most expected finally showed up. Grinding clock, scoring, and stifling defense tied the game at 17–17 with just under 10 minutes to play. The next time the Sun Devils touched the ball, they unleashed a 17-play, 95-yard drive that could be compared to the great masterpieces of Da Vinci or Monet. The only problem? It ended in 3, not 6, giving ASU just a 20–17 lead.
Having not scored the entire half and generating only 51 yards of offense after the break, there was no way the Bulldogs would drive 77 yards to win—let alone get into field goal range—right? Seems like Arizona State thought the same, as they played normal defense instead of prevent. A wide receiver crossing route on 3rd-and-9 left the defensive backs confused, and with no deep safeties, Brenen Thompson was wide open streaking to the end zone. Game over. Cow bells ringing. Field stormed. Goal posts ripped down. Stark-Vegas went wild.
In Norman, Oklahoma, the Sooners dominated all aspects of the game to cruise to an easy 23–14 win over the 2023 National Champion Michigan Wolverines. John Mateer dazzled as he threw for 270 yards and 1 touchdown, adding two more with his legs—firmly planting his name in the Heisman conversation.
Highly touted freshman Bryce Underwood seemed to handle the atmosphere just okay. No huge mistakes, but you could tell he wasn’t as sharp as he wanted to be—missing targets and struggling with his reads. Nothing to be concerned about, though. You have to remember, he just turned 18 a few weeks ago. Those things should smooth out with time and experience.
Upsets and G5 Contenders
After losing to FCS opponent Tarleton State last week, Army came out and upset Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas. The Black Knights dominated all aspects of the game, scoring late to take and hold the lead. Two weeks ago, I referenced Avery Johnson and Kansas State’s loss to Iowa State and said I didn’t want to make a claim yet, but would monitor the situation. I don’t need to monitor anymore—they aren’t good, and they’ll need a major midseason turnaround to even be mentioned on the blog again.
Two more FCS teams defeated FBS teams this week: Bryant edged UMass 27–26, and Long Island beat Eastern Michigan 28–23. Shoutout to the Bulldogs and Sharks as they add their names to the great FCS upsets of 2025.
Five Group of 5 teams beat up on higher-conference opponents this weekend: UNLV over UCLA, Army over Kansas State, Ohio over West Virginia, Fresno State over Oregon State, and South Florida over Florida. Don’t worry—Florida will get their spotlight a little later.
Lastly, a huge shoutout to Adrian College, a Division III school in Adrian, Michigan, that defeated FCS opponent Valparaiso. For those of you keeping track at home, that’s a difference of three divisions between these two teams.
Week 2 Rivalries
Week 2 gave us multiple out of conference rivalry games.
Iowa vs. Iowa State
Nothing better than trading punts and field goals. This is the sixth time in the last seven meetings that neither team surpassed 20 points. This year, neither team even eclipsed 250 total yards. The hero of the 2024 Cy-Hawk game, Kyle Konrardy, was also the hero for Iowa State this year in Ames, as he hit a 54-yard field goal to give the Cyclones the lead for good. Iowa State went on to beat their in-state rival Hawkeyes 16–13.
Kansas vs. Missouri
The Border War returned for the first time since 2011. A back-and-forth game left them tied 21–21 at halftime. A 92-yard drive gave Kansas a 31–28 lead with just over half the fourth quarter remaining. Kansas must have thought the game ended at that point, because they didn’t give much resistance to the next 14 points Missouri scored. The Tigers notched their fourth win in a row in the current installment of the rivalry. They’ll play again next year before taking another five years off.
Baylor vs. SMU
SMU hadn’t beaten Baylor since 1986, the year before their program was given the death penalty. All signs pointed to the Mustangs’ way this year—coming off a playoff appearance last season, with a Week 1 win for SMU and a Week 1 loss for the Bears. SMU looked to have iced the game as they went up 14 points heading into the fourth quarter. Holding that lead with just over five minutes to go, the wheels came off the stagecoach being pulled by those Mustangs across the Texas plains. The Bears scored 14 points in those final minutes, the last seven coming on a 10-play, 82-yard drive in under 90 seconds to tie it with 20 seconds left in regulation.
Overtime brought both teams trading touchdowns—Baylor with methodical play-calling, and SMU just chucking it into the end zone on their first play of OT. The second overtime wasn’t as kind to the Mustangs: they went three-and-out and then missed a 38-yard field goal. Baylor moved the ball deliberately and kicked on fourth-and-goal to seal the victory. With just over five minutes to go in regulation, ESPN’s win probability gave SMU a 98.9% chance to win. Yikes.
Game of the Week: South Florida 18, Florida 16
Florida entered this game on a high. Coming off a 55–0 win in their opener last year and the finish they had in 2024, Gator fans were quick to declare that they were back and that a title was in reach. Never mind that many of those same fans wanted Billy Napier’s head last year after starting 4–5—suddenly he had figured it out, and he and DJ Lagway were supposed to bring Florida back to national relevance.
South Florida also came into this game riding high, fresh off demolishing last year’s G5 playoff participant, Boise State. However, the national media and sportsbooks weren’t nearly as high on the Bulls as the Bulls were on themselves. Florida entered as an 18.5-point favorite, and based on numerous metrics, the Gators were given roughly an 82% chance to win.
Did the national media forget what kind of coach Napier has been at Florida? Not to toot my own horn, but I had this on my “games to watch” list last week—I saw this coming a mile away.
The game started slow, with only field goals in the first half. Florida carried a 9–6 lead into the break. Byrum Brown was as explosive for the Bulls as they hoped, using his legs and arm to move the ball just enough for a couple of field goals. DJ Lagway, on the other hand, was not what Gator fans wanted to see. He struggled with downfield throws and extending drives, as Florida finished just 4-for-12 on third down.
Early in the third quarter, Brown struck with a 66-yard touchdown pass—helped by the fact that Florida’s defensive backs ran into each other. Things unraveled quickly. A special-teams breakdown led to a punt snap sailing 15 yards over the punter’s head and into the end zone for a safety, giving USF a 15–9 lead. Florida briefly regained control in the fourth quarter, thanks to a great punt return that set up a touchdown to go ahead 16–15. At that point, at home with the crowd behind them, Florida should have closed it out. ESPN’s win probability gave them a 73.4% chance. Just wait—it gets worse.
After trading possessions, South Florida reached the Florida 41-yard line and attempted a 58-yard field goal with just over three minutes left. Nico Gramatica—son of NFL kicker Martin Gramatica—lined up for the long kick, but it came up about three yards short. Florida got the ball back with 2:52 remaining, and USF had only two timeouts left. Win probability was at 82.4% at this point.
Everyone in America knows what to do in that situation: run the ball, burn the timeouts, and pick up a first down to seal the win. Everyone except Billy Napier, apparently. Florida came out throwing—an incompletion. A short two-yard run followed, then another deep incompletion. Just 34 seconds later, Florida punted the ball back, and USF had only used one timeout.
The rest is history. Byrum Brown turned into Houdini, escaping defenders and marching South Florida down the field with ease. Thanks to Florida’s moronic time management, USF actually had too much time, running extra plays before setting up Gramatica for a chip-shot 20-yard field goal as time expired. This one he didn’t leave short. South Florida wins, 18–16.
The noise in Gainesville is just as loud now as it was last year. Florida now faces a brutal stretch: four straight top-20 opponents, five of their next six, and eight top-20 opponents total still remaining. It hasn’t gone as planned for the Gators, and it could get a lot worse before it gets better.
South Florida, meanwhile, firmly has the Group of 5 playoff spot in its grasp as it travels to Miami next weekend. Regardless of that outcome, the Bulls now control their own destiny with their victory in this week’s College Footblog Game of the Week.
Stat Line of the Week
Steve Angeli (Syracuse): 33/53 417 YDS 2 TD
Angeli lit up the air in the JMA Wireless Dome as the Orange needed every last yard to beat UConn in overtime. Not included in the stat line was the number of 20-yard sprints the entire Syracuse team was forced to run by coach Fran Brown—but look on the bright side: at least coach Brown finally got to shower yesterday.
Will’s Corner
BYU 27, Stanford 3
BYU looked sharp on defense, giving up only 161 yards and forcing three turnovers. A balanced attack on the ground and through the air meant the Cougars never felt uneasy in their win over the Cardinal. Freshman QB Bachmeier played alright, but BYU’s offensive MVP was LJ Martin, who surpassed 100 yards rushing for the second time this year. The Cougars have a week off before traveling to East Carolina on the 20th.
Tennessee 72, East Tennessee State 17
Joey Aguilar dazzled with the deep ball, throwing for nearly 300 yards. Star Thomas added three touchdowns on the ground as Tennessee had a historic offensive day. Everything is clicking at the right time ahead of a highly anticipated top-15 matchup this week, as the Georgia Bulldogs come to town.
Washington State 36, San Diego State 13
Jimmy Rogers came through as the Cougs debuted new white Wazzu helmets and an offensive line that could actually get some push. After an early touchdown for the Aztecs, Washington State rattled off 29 unanswered points over the next three quarters. Jaxon Potter looked sharper, and Rogers didn’t substitute another QB until the game was out of reach. Washington State now takes its talent on the road to face North Texas and their former OC Eric Morris—though it’s unclear if any staff or players remain from when Morris held that role in 2022.
AP Poll Reaction
Top 3: All stay the same.
Oregon moves to #4.
Tennessee climbs into the Top 15.
South Florida, Auburn & Missouri enter the Top 25, replacing Florida, Arizona State, &.
Biggest loser: Michigan drops 8 spots to No. 23.
Clemson falls out of the top 10 while Illinois and Florida State enter.
CFB News
Bill Belichick banned New England Patriots scouts from North Carolina’s facilities. This comes after he said he isn’t allowed around the Patriots’ facilities, so he’s just returning the favor.
College Gameday heads to Knoxville next week for the highly anticipated matchup between the Vols and the Bulldogs. That decision came to the disappointment of host Pat McAfee, who was hoping to attend his alma mater, West Virginia, for the Backyard Brawl. Maybe don’t lose to Ohio and Gameday can make its way to Morgantown.
Big Noon Kickoff goes to Evanston, Illinois, for the Oregon–Northwestern game this upcoming week. Can’t imagine that one being remotely close, but hey—you’ve got to go somewhere, I guess.
Games to Watch – Week 3
6. Georgia @ 15. Tennessee – Sept 13, 3:30 PM ET (ABC)
Pittsburgh @ West Virginia – Sept 13, 3:30 PM ET (ESPN)
18. South Florida @ 5. Miami – Sept 13, 4:30 PM ET (The CW)
16. Texas A&M @ 8. Notre Dame – Sept 13, 7:30 PM ET (NBC)
Guest Guesser Update
Week One Started out rough for me. I got 5/10 college picks correct while Mom got 8/10 correct. Long season ahead to make up the ground.
I’d love to hear from readers, too. Think my takes are dumb? Want my opinion on something I missed? Email me at thecollegefootblog@gmail.com.
