2026 College Football: Week 2 Takeaways
For the second straight week, most of the FBS went up against foes that were far beneath them. Fortunately, we also had more exciting matchups. In our lone conference game in the ACC, California DB Kingston Lopa picked off THREE passes (one pick six) to beat Syracuse nearly on his own. Upset-minded Oregon State nearly defeated (13) Texas Tech, but the poor Beavers simply can’t kick. Ohio outlasted Jacksonville State in 4OT, but almost nobody saw it because the game got stuck on ESPN+. These games and plenty others are the ones that make college football exciting, so let’s find out what we learned in my week 2 takeaways!
(4) Texas Storms Back to Stun (1) Ohio State in Wild 4th Quarter
I had a very different article section planned in my head at halftime. This one starts the same though. In a rematch of last year’s defensive slugfest, Texas hosted Ohio State in the clash of the week. Perhaps they had some nerves? Their first two drives were complete disasters: the initial possession lasted just one play due to a fumble by RB Raleek Brown (10/54); on the second, WR Cam Coleman (3/35) seemed to have a great catch, but he lost the ball going to the ground, knocked it into the air, and watched in horror as Buckeys S Jayden McClain snagged it. Those turnovers led to a 10-0 Ohio State lead. Their defense was cooking.
Texas did nothing offensively in the first half. Their one good drive, which came when OSU failed on a greedy 4th-down try in the red zone, featured WR Ryan Wingo (4/22/1) dropping a sure 30-yard TD. The Longhorns settled 3. Ohio State’s line dominated Texas’ running game, and QB Arch Manning (23/37, 196 yards, TD, INT; 7/22 rushing) looked befuddled by the coverage. DC Matt Patricia confused him badly, leading him to take two unforced sacks. Meanwhile, OSU’s star offensive trio, QB Julian Sayin (17/32, 278 yards, TD, INT), RB Bo Jackson (19/74; 4/37 receiving), and WR Jeremiah Smith (8/164/1), built a 20-3 lead.
You can’t even say that Texas’ defense was bad. Ohio State was gifted so many possessions with great field position, and the Longhorns actually did well in terms of limiting the damage. After halftime though, that unit decided to take over the game whether the offense helped or not. The pass rush, led by DE Colin Simmons (sack), pressured Sayin incessantly. On the back end, the secondary clamped down on Smith, ensuring that someone else would have to beat them. Nobody did. As DC Will Muschamp changed the game at one end, the offense had to step up. They did…eventually. A scoreless 3rd quarter gave way to a crazy 4th.
Manning settled down greatly. His deep throws still failed him, and he locked onto his reads too much, but he used his mobility much more to great effect. In doing so, he neutralized OSU’s pass rush. Along with that improvement, RB Hollywood Smothers (21/74/2; 3/29 receiving) finally found room to run. Texas’ offensive line had a fantastic second half and deserve plenty of credit.
Two critical moments changed the game, and both came on 4th down. On their first drive of the quarter, Texas faced 4th and 9 at their own 42. HC Steve Sarkisian, knowing that his team needed a spark, went for it. Even the analytics didn’t agree with that level of aggression, but the upside outweighed the risk. The Longhorns converted and subsequently scored on a 91-yard drive. On their next possession, they faced 4th and 6 at their own 32. Sarkisian rolled the dice again, and Texas came through. That drive also ended in 7 points. One missed FG by Ohio State later, and the Longhorns suddenly had the game in their hands.
Down 23-17, Texas went down the field easily yet again and burnt all but 25 seconds before scoring the go-ahead TD. Time ran out for the Buckeyes, who shockingly fell 24-23. This comeback was masterful. We watched two expensive roster with all-star coaching staffs go at it, and the Longhorns’ group made the better second-half adjustments. Ohio State will fall from #1 in the rankings, but I’m not worried about them. They’re still really good. Texas had more to gain. Breaking through their OSU block could be a major springboard that propels them forward. If they reach their goals, they’ll remember this game as the inflection point.
Oklahoma State Topples (6) Oregon to End Run of Futility
Last week, Oregon squeaked away with a win against Boise State. Oklahoma State, who fell to Tulsa in week 1, was supposed to be an easier opponent. In reality, the exciting offense we expected to see from the North Texas transplants just took an extra week to jell. As in their game against the Broncos, Oregon fell behind in the first half. Also similar to that contest, the Ducks took a second-half lead. After all, the Ducks are too talented to keep down on a permanent basis. The difference this time? Oklahoma State fought back. Their defense came up with timely stops, and the offense was a nearly unstoppable beast.
For better or worse, QB Drew Mestemaker (26/43, 317 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs; 6/109/1 rushing) was a true gunslinger. He turned the ball over a couple of times, including one pick six he’d love to have back. However, he generated over 400 yards of offense on his own, and he even had a Fernando Mendoza moment when he vaulted over a defender and scored while being blasted. Receivers Wyatt Young (5/121/1) and Justin Bowick (5/81) gave Mestemaker great targets to throw to, while RB Caleb Hawkins (23/110/1) never generated a negative play and provided fantastic balance. This is the offense we hoped to see from the Cowboys.
Naturally, the Big Ten officials tried to help the Ducks. I kid in the sense that I don’t think their miss was intentional, but they called a critical face mask penalty on OKST when there should’ve been offsetting fouls. The Cowboys got that one back when Oregon committed a face mask a bit later and extended their drive on 4th down. Ducks HC Dan Lanning also made a curious decision late in the game. Down 36-31 with 6:48 to go, he made the call to go for it on 4th and 8 at their own 33. They failed, with QB Dante Moore (14/29, 191 yards, 2 TDs), CFB’s most overrated passer, firing the ball well out of bounds.
Oklahoma State added a field goal, and a fumble by Oregon RB Dierre Hill Jr (15/74) put the 39-31 game away. To say this was an upset would be an understatement. Oklahoma State came in on a 12-game losing streak. They had lost 21 straight contests against FBS opponents. Meanwhile, Lanning was 35-0 versus unranked teams, and his Ducks crushed the Cowboys 69-3 just last year. Oregon is officially a fraudulent contender. They’re a good team, but not a great one. Conversely, I’m really happy for OKST fans. That team hasn’t been even average in a few years, so it’s nice that there’s finally hope for this Eric Morris-led squad.
(11) Oklahoma’s Offense Vanishes in Pathetic Loss to Michigan
I guess only one team with “Oklahoma” in their name can win in a given week? Presumably that isn’t true, but Oklahoma State appears to have siphoned all offensive firepower from their former conference rivals. One week after Michigan actually lost to Western Michigan (thanks for nothing NCAA), they found themselves on the winning end of a game against the #11 team in the country. The interesting part is that the Wolverines weren’t much different. Their defense was excellent as usual, while QB Bryce Underwood (9/17, 111 yards; 18/87/1) still can’t throw; at least he leaned into his RB ability this time around.
The difference was the team on the opposing sideline. While the Broncos knew their limitations and planned accordingly, Oklahoma tried to be their normal offensive selves. Too often under HC Brent Venables though, those selves are not nearly good enough. The Sooners used to be renowned for their offensive linemen. Maybe that specialty left with Lincoln Riley, because for the past year and a half, that unit has been poor. In this game, Oklahoma ran for just 3.4 YPC and allowed 3 sacks. Without a rushing attack, the onus fell upon QB John Mateer (17/33, 189 yards, TD, INT), last year’s prized transfer, to lift the team up.
When Mateer failed to do so last season, his hand injury was a clear detriment. Against Michigan, no such excuse could be found. Mateer was inaccurate as a passer and botted up as a rusher. With the game tied 10-10, he threw a terrible INT that set the Wolverines up with first and goal. They ran the ball in, and that 17-10 score stood for the remainder of the tilt. Ten points will not win you most games in college football. If they can’t beat one bad Big Ten opponent, how will the Sooners handle a rugged SEC schedule? OC Ben Arbuckle needs to fix the offense and quickly, or this season will circle the drain before long.
Big Ten Review Actually Correct, Saving Wake Forest in 2OT
I’m as shocked looking at this section heading as you are. This is not a typo! In a game with one Big Ten team and a non-conference opponent, the Big Ten replay center did the right thing in a critical moment. In a back-and-forth game between Wake Forest and Purdue, the Boilermakers kicked an FG as time expired to tie the score at 23. Both teams scored TDs during overtime, and then Purdue scored another in 2OT (but missed their mandatory 2-point try). Facing 4th and 15 at the 17, an injury-hobbled Gio Lopez fired to WR Carlos Hernandez (6/88), and he went down extremely close to the line to gain. The zebras ruled him short.
Purdue fans celebrated even as the play went under review. They likely thought that the Big Ten would protect one of their own as they did for Michigan the prior week. Instead, they surprised everyone: they made the correct call. Replays showed that before landing out of bounds, Hernandez had the ball in his right arm just past the first-down marker. The crowd booed the announcement of a first down, but the ruling was correct. Lopez (16/27, 225 yards, TD; 13/59/2 rushing), still clearly hurting, ran in for a TD on the next play and then rushed for the winning two-point conversion. Instead of a 36-30 loss, Wake Forest won 38-36.
If it feels like I’m belaboring this point, that’s my intent. It should really be simple: the replay center evaluates a play, examines the evidence, and then makes the correct decision based on that evidence. Last week, the Big Ten did not follow this procedure. I’m highly focused on the process here. The outcome of this particular game may not be all that relevant unless either Wake Forest or Purdue is on the cusp of bowl eligibility. Neither team is a likely conference contender. However, fans should be able to expect a set of impartial and competent officials in every game they watch. This 2OT thriller was a step in the right direction.
I Really Don’t Like the NCAA’s Injury Timeout Rule
As you likely know, since last season, the NCAA has possessed a new rule concerning injury timeouts. In an effort to stop players from faking injuries (sometimes at the behest of their coaches) to kill opponents’ momentum, the organization went too far. The new rule states that if an injury occurs after the ball has been spotted for the next play, the team with the injured player is charged a timeout. Injuries used to only ever incur timeouts when under 2 minutes to go in either half. While I sympathize with the intent (fake injuries did need to be addressed), the new rule is having some serious unintended consequences.
Consider the following scenario. A team is trailing in the second half, so retaining their timeouts is critical. One of their important players suffers an injury but tries to continue playing for the sake of his team. Moments later though, the player realizes that he can’t fight through the pain and goes down after the ball has been spotted. His team incurs a timeout for a real injury, hampering them later in the contest. This situation happens every week in college football, and it’s always disappointing. However, we rarely see it actually have a tangible outcome on a game. That changed this week in my opinion.
The game between Duke and Illinois may not have been the first such case, but I consider it a notable one. During the 4th quarter and trailing 31-27, the Fighting Illini had two players go through the exact situation I described above. They lost both of their remaining timeouts, and that changed their strategy. With 2:54 left and facing 4th and 4 at their own 38, Illinois went for it and failed. If they still had 2 timeouts, given their field position, coach Bret Bielema might have punted instead. Thanks to the new rule though, he had to try a lower-percentage play, and his team lost the game. The rule materially affected the outcome.
I think the problem here is pretty obvious: young men try to get up when they shouldn’t and tough out their injuries before realizing they can’t. In the past, those situations visually looked like cases in which players dropped to a knee late simply to interrupt their opponents’ flow. Coaches justifiably complained about the latter scenario, and now here we are. I believe officials should have discretion with regard to charging timeouts. Most of these legitimate cases are easy enough to discern. Continuing as-is will only cause more teams to be unjustly impacted. At least we have the new targeting rule tweak for me to be happy about.