Week 2 of the college football season was one of the most chaotic on record, proving once again never to sleep on the Saturdays that seem uninteresting on paper. Starting things off was a near-upset, with No. 1 Alabama escaping Austin with a one-point win over Texas. Other national championship contenders weren't so lucky, however. No. 8 Notre Dame fell to 0-2 (and 0-3 under Marcus Freeman) thanks to a home upset vs. Marshall and Appalachian State stunned No. 6 Texas A&M in College Station.
Not every top-10 team struggled, though. No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Clemson all cruised to Week 2 wins over lesser opponents, though the Tigers still appear to have some offensive kinks to work out. The Wolverines, on the other hand, have named quarterback J.J. McCarthy the Week 3 starter vs. UConn.
It may be early in the season, but it's never too early to start looking towards the future. It's time to hand out grades to the teams that were in the mix for the College Football Playoff National Championship according to odds posted by Caesars Sportsbook prior to the start of Week 2 action.
College football grades: Week 2 report card
Team | Odds | Grade | Analysis |
---|---|---|---|
8/5 | D- | I can't give Alabama an F because quarterback Bryce Young orchestrated two key fourth-quarter drives for a 20-19 win. However, 15 penalties -- the most under Nick Saban -- a shaky offensive line and a lack of playmakers at wide receiver make it hard to trust this team moving forward. | |
13/4 | A- | A 45-12 win over Arkansas State doesn't necessarily move the meter, but the offense was on point and the defense -- an issue last year -- allowed just 276 yards. That's two straight weeks of good defense, which is a great sign moving forward. | |
15/4 | B+ | Per my completely made up rules, any team that plays an FCS opponent can't get an A. However, the defending national champs only gave up 128 yards and held Samford to 1 of 13 on third downs in the 33-0 win. That'll work. | |
12-1 | C | Let's call it like it is ... Clemson's offense needs a lot of work. The Tigers had just 70 yards and seven points in the second half of a 35-12 win over Furman. If it was an off performance, it might be excusable. This is its identity now. | |
20-1 | B+ | I'm still not sold on the offensive line, but the defensive front had 12 TFLs against the Cardinal and was the driving force in the 41-28 win. | |
25-1 | F | Coach Jimbo Fisher is supposed to be an offensive guru, but his offense was brutal in the 17-14 loss to Appalachian State. Fisher is 35-15 in his first 50 games with the Aggies. Kevin Sumlin, whom Fisher replaced, was 36-14 over the same span. | |
40-1 | B- | Don't let the 33-3 win over Kent State fool you ... this one was closer than the score indicates. The Sooners were up 7-3 at halftime before its depth and athleticism took over. That's concerning at the very least. | |
40-1 | A | J.J. McCarthy dazzled in his audition for the starting quarterback spot, and Michigan topped Hawaii 56-10. Coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game that McCarthy will start next week. He earned it on Saturday. | |
50-1 | B | I can't give Texas an A simply because it left way too many points on the field in the 20-19 loss to Alabama. A dropped touchdown and a lack of red zone production cost it the game, and that falls on coach Steve Sarkisian. A moral victory? Sure, but it was littered with mistakes. | |
75-1 | F | The Badgers had 11 penalties and fumbled the ball when they were in field goal range for a potential game-tying score late in the fourth quarter -- one of three turnovers in the 17-14 loss to Washington State. That's the polar opposite of "Wisconsin football." | |
75-1 | B+ | The Cowboys took control in the second quarter and never gave it up in the 34-17 win over Arizona State. The defense notched eight tackles for loss and running back Dominic Richardson had 131 yards and one touchdown on the ground. All and all, it was a complete game for the Cowboys. | |
75-1 | D- | The 26-16 loss to Kentucky doesn't necessarily eliminate the Gators from title contention, but the 91 yards in the second half, highlighted by Anthony Richardson's struggles in the passing game, were sub-optimal. | |
100-1 | F | The Fighting Irish dropped to 0-2 on the season with a 26-21 loss to Marshall. If that alone isn't enough to eliminate them from title contention, getting whipped at the line of scrimmage by the Thundering Herd certainly is. | |
100-1 | B+ | The 73-7 win over Southern Utah was a nice way to take out some frustration after last week's loss to Florida. As mentioned above, however, any team that plays an FCS opponent can't get an A based on my completely arbitrary rules. | |
100-1 | N/A | I'm not sure how or why Florida State is considered a title contender, but it didn't play this week, so I guess it doesn't matter. | |
100-1 | B | The 34-27 overtime win over Pittsburgh was nice, and the defensive front was as dangerous as we've seen on Rocky Top in quite some time, but 91 rushing yards is a bit concerning. | |
100-1 | B+ | The Rebels knocked off Central Arkansas 59-3, scoring 28 points in the first quarter, but you know the drill by now: you can't get an A unless you play an FBS team. | |
100-1 | D+ | The 34-27 loss to Tennessee hurts, but it is only one loss. That said, its win over West Virginia doesn't look as impressive after the Mountaineers lost to Kansas, and a non-Clemson ACC team with a loss on its résumé isn't likely to make the CFP. | |
100-1 | B- | It was a valiant effort in Provo, but the 26-20 overtime loss to BYU will make it difficult for the Bears to make the CFP. | |
100-1 | A | The 26-20 win over Baylor is huge for a Cougars team that is strong on both sides of the ball. Plus, it has a good enough schedule to impress the CFP selection committee. | |
100-1 | A | Any shutout is a good shutout, and a 52-0 win over lowly Akron will still turn some heads. Plus, the backups getting in some work is always helpful moving forward. | |
100-1 | B | The 46-10 win over Ohio was nice, but it's still a chore to watch Sean Clifford. His 213 yards through the air don't exactly inspire confidence that he's a championship-caliber quarterback. That might be why coach James Franklin made it a point to use three quarterbacks on Saturday. | |
100-1 | C- | The boo birds were out when Miami entered the locker room at halftime up 10-7 on Southern Miss. Running back Henry Parrish Jr. looked good on the ground and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke spread the ball around nicely as the Hurricanes pulled away to a 30-7 win. It wasn't a complete game by any means, though. |