It might not have had the marquee matchups that Week 1 did, but Week 2 of the college football season certainly entertained! In the Big Ten, Illinois looks like it’s a real threat to make a playoff push, and Michigan had a few growing pains with a freshman quarterback on the road. Plus, a few teams with high expectations didn’t look so great, and Mississippi State and Arizona State gave us an epic college football moment. Let’s get to that and more.
Sep 7, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson – Imagn ImagesIllinois Looks Legit
After a slow start in a bit of a tricky game at Duke, the Fighting Illini erupted in the second half of Saturday’s 45-19 win. Several folks had that as a tight game for Bret Bielema’s or even a Duke upset win, but Illinois nipped that in the bud quickly. Last year, they finished strong and did so behind some hard-nosed, physical football on both ends.
This year, quarterback Luke Altmyer appears to have gone from being a solid quarterback for a team that plays tough defense and runs the ball well to one who can take over a game. If Altmyer looks as dangerous as he did on Saturday and keeps progressing throughout the year, U of I can absolutely be in playoff contention all season long.
Not only has the team lived up to the preseason hype early in the year, but its schedule also looks pretty favorable to make a run. It’s by no means a cakewalk, but they avoid Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan and get USC and Ohio State at home. After hosting Western Michigan this weekend, the Illini have a tough test at Indiana that should tell us a lot about both teams.
Michigan’s Growing Pains
Michigan dropped a tough, early-season road test at Oklahoma on Saturday night. I watched most of the game, though I missed the first quarter due to an early dinner reservation. After the game, much of Twitter was upset with Bryce Underwood’s performance and Sherrone Moore’s offensive game plan. I kind of think that the country just needs to take a collective deep breath regarding the Wolverines. It wasn’t Moore’s best game, but he’s still in just year two of a job he was unexpectedly thrust into. And in year one, he didn’t have a quarterback.
As for Underwood, the dude has all the physical tools in the world. Did he play well against the Sooners? No. But he’s a true freshman playing his second collegiate game in an incredibly difficult place to play and, oh by the way, the Sooners’ head coach is one of the best defensive minds in college football. I thought that game said a little bit more about how good John Mateer is for Oklahoma, and despite some issues he’s had as a head coach, how good a defensive player Brent Venables can be.
The Wolverines still have everything in front of them. They’ve recruited well as of late and have some really good, young talent. Is it possible we see some more growing pains? Surely. But panicking over a quarterback as talented as Underwood having a bad start in the second game as a true freshman seems like a bit of an overreaction.
Oklahoma’s Sammy Omosigho (7) and Jayden Jackson (65) sack Michigan’s Bryce Underwood (19) in the second half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooner and the University of Michigan Wolverines at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.Are Florida and Clemson In Trouble?
Last week, many (myself included) were talking about the Clemson and LSU game being a potential playoff preview. While that’s still technically on the table, um, Clemson looked pretty rough in their win over Troy on Saturday.
Yes, a win is a win, and winning is hard and all that jazz, but the Tigers’ offense was horrible for the first half. Cade Klubnik, who was a preseason Heisman hopeful, has looked lost at times. The Tigers put up just three points at home against Troy in Week 2. That’s just not good enough for a team with National Title hopes.
This weekend, they head to Georgia Tech for an 11:00 am road start. That’s going to be a really tricky game against a hard-nosed, well-coached team that is absolutely capable of beating Clemson if their offense looks the way it has the past two weeks.
As for Florida, that was just an awful loss. And that’s not to take anything away from South Florida. They blew the doors off Boise State in Week 1 and pretty much perfectly executed their game plan in The Swamp on Saturday. Having said that, that’s just a brutal loss for Florida.
Billy Napier was outcoached. DJ Lagway didn’t look very good. Not to mention their next six games are at LSU, at Miami, home vs Texas, at Texas A&M, home vs Mississippi State, and against Georgia. There’s a very real chance that Napier’s team loses five of its next six games. We’ll see how the Gators look Saturday at LSU, but it feels like after that loss to South Florida and the schedule ahead, Billy Napier’s days in Gainsville might be numbered.
More College Football Notes
Speaking of LSU, their effort at home against Louisiana Tech wasn’t exactly inspiring. They picked up a 24-7 win at home that they kind of just sleepwalked through. It’s probably not much to look into, though. Their defense was still good, and Brian Kelly’s teams have had a history of doing that against lesser opponents at home, especially after coming off such a high with the win at Clemson. Now, Clemson struggling last week might make this more noteworthy, but LSU still likely ends up being a very good team the rest of the way. Could Mike Gundy’s time at Oklahoma State be nearing an end? The Cowboys have underachieved over the past few seasons, and the long-time head coach seems to be struggling in the NIL era. After talking some stuff about Oregon and the cost of their roster prior to their matchup Saturday, Mike Gundy’s team got embarrassed in Eugene 69-3, by Dan Lanning’s Ducks. Oklahoma State went 3-9 last season and is off to a 1-1 start now. Anything can happen in the wide-open Big 12, and Gundy has done some of his best work when expectations have been lowest, but another rough season could end in a shakeup in Stillwater. Tennessee hosts Georgia in one of the games of the weekend this Saturday, and the Volunteers will be doing so without their two starting cornerbacks. Preseason All-American Jermod McCoy and junior Rickey Gibson III are both out for the big matchup. McCoy is still recovering from a torn ACL, and Gibson left the Vols’ Week 1 win with an injury to his left arm. The Bill Belichick petty wars continue! After picking up his first UNC win, Belichick confirmed, when asked, that he had banned Patriots personnel from UNC football access, saying, “obvious I’m not welcome at their facility.” Well, if Belichick isn’t welcome there, that’s news to Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel! “Bill came back for, to the best of my knowledge, [to] Tom’s ceremony…So I guess he’s welcomed back based on the fact he was there,” Vrabel told WEEI. Belichick’s sour grapes and pettiness in this matter are just wild to me. It doesn’t accomplish really anything, and honestly, cutting off an NFL franchise’s access to your team doesn’t do your players any favors whose ultimate goal is to make it to the NFL. Give it a rest, Bill. Sep 1, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick walks off the field after the game at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn ImagesHence then, the article about around the campus illinois looks legit michigan s growing pains trouble at the top more week 2 reaction was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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