Week 2 Recap!

I didn't see that one coming.  Week 2 hit me like a ton of bricks.  It hurt.  This damaged the confidence a bit.  The picks were atrocious (but at least it can't get worse!) and my preseason crushes looked AWFUL.  But that's why the game is played.  If not, Louisiana-Monroe wouldn't have stunned Arkansas, four FCS teams wouldn't have knocked off the "big boys" in the FBS, and the Big Ten Leaders division wouldn't suddenly look wide open.  Week 2 is the epitome of why I love college football!

Disappointing Displays

How about those Badgers?  I had the pleasure unfortunate opportunity of tuning into watch this game.  I was pumped to finally get a look at Danny O'Brien, Monte Mon'tay Ball, and the offense under the new offensive coordinator.  Well, to say the least, I wish I didn't.  Oregon State had received a bit of offseason attention, but I really gave them no shot of making any noise in the Pac-12.  While, they won't win the conference, they certainly can cause some issues for a few teams and pull out some wins.  The Beavers quarterback, Sean Mannion, showed why people are talking about him, but the defense was what won this game.  They were flying around, putting pressure on O'Brien, and absolutely shutting Ball down.  Ball really hasn't looked the same this season, certainly not like a Heisman candidate.  I'm going to let him slide here for these two weeks, maybe he's still fighting off the cobwebs from getting jumped by 5 guys in the offseason.  Even with the subpar performance of Ball, this Badger offense has no identity.  The losses of Russell Wilson, key offensive linemen, and Paul Chryst to Pitt is killing the Wisconsin offense.  The Big Ten Leaders division is now wide open, but I say wide loosely here.  Only Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois and Indiana can win the division, and after the Illinois and Indiana performances this division will be decided when Wisconsin visits Purdue October 13th.

Time to talk Razorback football!  This was stunning a result and resulted in a historic plummet from the AP rankings.  Only Michigan dropped further after their defeat to App State at home.  I unfortunately didn't get to watch this one, but from everything I've read, the loss of Tyler Wilson wasn't the only factor.  Louisiana-Monroe just worked harder.  No disrespect to them, but Arkansas has no business losing to this team at home.  They are bigger, stronger, faster, deeper, and more skilled.  Lack of effort and poor preparation doomed Arkansas.  The embarrassing stat is they were up 28-7 at home with 6 minutes to play in third quarter.  The defense was a weak point last year, but that was suppose to have improved and allow them to compete for a national championship.  Couple the shocking defensive let down in the second half with an offense that looked lost with second string quarterback, Brandon Allen, and the result?  A mind-numbing, home overtime loss to a Sun Belt team.  The season isn't completely over Arkansas.  Tyler Wilson looks like he will fully recover and they can still win the SEC, but all thoughts for the national championship are as good as dead.  Happy I decided not to opt with Arkansas in my SEC Breakdown...

In other upset news...Colorado dropped a game at home to FCS member, Sacramento State.  I'm still wondering why I didn't place head coach, Jon Embree, on the hot seat, because this team looks atrocious.  The Pac-12 conference isn't any kinder, so expect a humiliating season, yet again in Boulder.  Lucky for the Buffs, the WAC is accepting applications!

Don't Look Now!
Is it possible Northwestern has a shot at competing for the Leaders division?  Probably not, but it's absolutely feasible to picture Northwestern winning their first bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl!  Seriously though, it's possible with continued improvement and this kind of effort that Northwestern sneaks up on the Leaders division favorites.  Northwestern beat an impressive week 2 Vanderbilt team at home, and the rest of schedule lines up nicely.  It's absolutely possible (but not likely) that they start the season 7-0 winning at Penn State and Minnesota.  This would set up a home Nebraska match with the only remaining major hurdles on the road at Michigan and at Michigan State.  All it may take is to steal one at either of the Michigan schools and you're looking at a team in the running for the division.  While I won't submit this as a prediction, Northwestern is a team I wouldn't want to face.  They'll be a tough out and expect conversation on the pressure of winning a bowl game come the holiday season. 

Heisman Hopefuls

Both Johathan Franklin and Le'Von Bell came from nowhere and are now at the forefront of Heisman predictions.  Neither are favorites to win, but after the disappointing start to the Monte Mon'tay Ball follow-up season, and the mediocre performances of Marcus Lattimore, these two are being discussed as the two best power backs in the nation.  Franklin has run for over 200 yards in each of his first two games, with the second against the black shirts of Nebraska.  Le'Veon had 50 touches in his first game against a better-than-expected Boise State team, and is arguably the reason State survived at home against the Broncos.  It will be a fun season watching these two run through teams, but both have a lot of ground to cover if they are to catch Matt Barkley or Geno Smith.

And We're Back!

Welcome to the SEC Texas A&M.  It's nice to see you're picking up where you left off.  That would be blowing second half leads and losing after looking to be the more dominant team.  At least you're consistant.  Now that I know it's the same team, I'm taking the second half lines against the Aggies in every game.  It's almost a sure bet.  Anyway, A&M looked like a force to be reckoned with in the first half.  Freshmen QB, Johnny Manziel, is the real deal.  It was clear from the first series why he was heralded as one of the best high school quarterbacks in Texas high school history.  Yes, best ever.  He's accurate, poised, fast, and mobile.   He's the full package and will only get better.  If that wasn't scary enough, he fits Kevin Sumlins' offense perfectly...  Florida was able to battle back and largely survived of the fast, skillful defense the Gators possess.  Without the second half adjustments, the Gators would have never got back in this game.  I'm pumped for the rest of the SEC East race.  Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina all have the pieces to win the division.  It's all just a matter of who puts it all together and how quickly. 

Well here's to hoping for more week 2 like surprises.  I leave you with my favorite video from week 2- the end of the Arkansas vs. Louisiana-Monroe.  How exciting was the end of this game?