WR Adonai Mitchell silences the Tuscaloosa crowd during Texas' big win over Alabama.
Week 2 in college football has wrapped up and after the dust has settled, or more appropriately, the lighting and rain have cleared out, 51 teams remain unscathed after at least two games. Among those who pulled out high-value wins were Texas (at Alabama), Oregon (at Texas Tech), Utah (at Baylor), Miami (over Texas A&M), and Washington State (over Wisconsin). With success comes failure as 16 teams have yet to record a win. A list that surprisingly includes four Power 5 schools (Baylor, Texas Tech, Nebraska, and Virginia) as well as Boise State.
Virginia found itself in one of the many thrilling finishes, although it was a paycheck game gone wrong, as James Madison scored in the final minute to win 36-35 over the Cavaliers. Central Michigan needed a last-second field goal to hold off New Hampshire (FCS) 45-42, a game that saw the Chippewas allow nearly 500 yards passing. Fresno State needed two overtimes to hold off Eastern Washington (FCS) as did North Carolina, which nearly became another name on Appalachian State's resume. Mississippi State nearly blew a 14-point lead to Arizona but held the Wildcats off in overtime. The best overtime game belonged to Rice in their upset victory over Houston.
Rice vs. Houston is a big deal in the nation's fourth-largest city, with the inner-city rivals playing for the Bayou Bucket. The Cougars had long dominated the rivalry with seven-straight wins coming since 2010 and with their move to the Big 12, it was even more of a surprise that the Owls hung on, despite blowing a hefty lead. Luke McCaffrey (pictured) had one the most iconic pictures in Week 2 after a one-handed diving catch that popped his helmet off. It's no surprise he could accomplish such a feat as his father is longtime Broncos' receiver, Ed McCaffrey, and his older brother, Christian, is one of the elite backs in the NFL. The Owls' 43-41 win in double-overtime capped their first win in the series since 2010 and only the 12th win in their 45 meetings.
Another bizarre factor in Saturday's contests was the weather. Essentially, any game played from Tennessee to Massachusetts with an afternoon kickoff was delayed at some point. Notre Dame/NCST, Purdue/Virginia Tech, and Vanderbilt/Wake Forest all spent several hours waiting out heavy rains and lightning. The ones who endured the longest were Miami (OH) and UMass, which sat through a five-hour lightning delay, began play, and had to wait longer after the first quarter saw more lightning, and then by then had to play through heavy rains to finish out their game. Kickoff was set for 3:30 P.M. and the game finally finished around 12:30 A.M, a 41-28 win for the Redhawks because MACtion never quits (unless its in losses to FCS schools, i.e. NIU, Buffalo, and almost Akron).
Here's a look at the top performers in games featuring an FBS team (*Denotes FCS school).
Passing:
1. Max Brosmer (UNH*): 32-50, 493 yards, 4 TD, INT (vs. CMU)
2. Michael Pennix Jr. (Wash): 28-38, 409 yards, 3 TD, INT (vs. Tulsa)
3. J.T. Daniels (Rice): 28-42, 401 yards, 3 TD, INT (vs. Houston)
Rushing:
1. Omarion Hampton (UNC): 26 carries, 234 yards, 3 TD (vs. App St)
2. Darius Taylor (Minn): 33 carries, 193 yards, TD (vs. EMU)
3. Keith Willis Jr. (La Tech): 13 carries, 188 yards, 2 TD (vs. NWST*)
Receiving:
1. Dylan Laube (UNH*): 12 catches, 295 yards, 2 TD (vs. CMU)
2. Gage Larvadain (MOH): 8 catches, 273 yards, 3 TD, School Record 99-yard TD (vs. UMass)
3. Hudson Clement (WVU): 5 catches, 177 yards, 3 TD (vs. Duquesne*)
After two weeks, the Pool Poll shifts to its most ridiculous form. There's not a ton of data to calculate, but some teams need to get more love than their preseason rank. For example, Colorado was ranked 109th to start the season and that's not fair for all those teams they keep beating to have such a high loss average. Without further delay, the most unique Top 25 you'll see after Week 2.
1. Colorado (2-0)
2. Florida St (2-0)
3. Utah (2-0)
4. Texas (2-0)
5. UNC (2-0)
6. UCLA (2-0)
7. Washington (2-0)
8. UCF (2-0)
9. Minnesota (2-0)
10. Miami, FL (2-0)
11. Duke (2-0)
12. Ole Miss (2-0)
13. Washington State (2-0)
14. Wyoming (2-0)
15. Kansas State (2-0)
16. Oregon (2-0)
17. Cincinnati (2-0)
18. Kansas (2-0)
19. Michigan (2-0)
20. Fresno St (2-0)
21. Notre Dame (3-0)
22. Oklahoma (2-0)
23. Iowa (2-0)
24. Liberty (2-0)
25. USC (3-0)
Waiting List (or the rest of the undefeated teams): Ore St, WF, Marsh, Mizzou, GSO, Miss St, UL, ULM, Auburn, GST, TOSU, PSU, Rutgers, OKST, Tenn, JMU, Cuse, MSU, UGA, UK, Ark, Mem, Mary, WKU, AF, BYU
(See more of the best pictures from Week 2 here)
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