FAVORITE TEAMS

Here are the takeaways from Week 2:

• Boise State won but their first two games looked a little shaky. Hint: turnovers and ball control.
• Wisconsin’s defense really rocked their first two opponents. Even though they weren’t strong competition, Wisconsin’s more confident to compete for the Big Ten West.
• Speaking of Big Ten, I did say be careful last week and yet, Michigan survived overtime against Army. Nebraska’s 2019 hype simmered down after a Colorado loss. Minnesota again wins a close game against non-Power 5 opponent. But for Michigan State, their offense made up by scoring 42 points against Western Michigan. Let’s see if they turned a corner in their next matchup against Arizona State. Maryland ran up the score again, but this time on then #21 Syracuse.
• There were six overtime games and I watched five of them. Fresno State nearly upset another Power 5 team. Tennessee was a huge disappointment again and Florida State was nearly 2019’s biggest disappointing college football team if UL Monroe didn’t miss the extra point. Michigan, like Oklahoma last season, survived a heartwrenching game against Army’s triple option attack. Nebraska failed to defeat their former Big 12 rival. Minnesota may become a skepticism if Georgia Southern tries to upset them.
• The Pac-12 standings look bizarre. The North has Washington and Stanford are at the bottom while their rivals Cal and Washington State are at the top. Arizona and Oregon State failed at Hawai’i. Colorado starts 2-0 once again and stands alongside USC, Utah, and Arizona State. It’s early, but it’s bizarre.
• Clemson took care of business against ranked Texas A&M. Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Ohio State blew out their opponents. And finally, LSU may have the formula to make a serious run for the college football playoffs with quarterback Joe Burrow.

 

5) UNC (2-0) AT WAKE FOREST (2-0) – 3PM PT/ 6PM ET [ESPN] (FRIDAY)

UNC played a neutral site game, a home game, and now they’re on the road all while still not leaving the state of North Carolina. They enter 2019 still playing hard-nose football against tough opponents and starting 2-0. I’m impressed with freshmen quarterback Sam Howell but coach Mack Brown gets the credit for his passion of the game. Wake Forest also starts 2-0 and has one of the better offenses in the ACC. They scored 79 points in two games and average nearly 40 points per game. Quarterback Jamie Newman already has 713 passing yards in two games, six touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 74 percent of his throws. Their defense may hold them back a bit, but linebacker Justin Strnad and defensive end Carlos Basham Jr. are proven playmakers. The Tarheels had a few lucky breaks when they took the lead late in the fourth and prevented both South Carolina and Miami (FL) from tying or taking the lead. The winner starts 3-0, but UNC’s goal is to prevent Wake Forest from having another 30 plus point game.

 

4) FLORIDA STATE (1-1) AT #25 VIRGINIA (2-0) – 4:30PM PT/ 7:30PM ET [ACC NETWORK]

Florida State is inconsistent after the first two games. They led big through halftime twice before it slipped away. They lost to Boise State and got lucky with a win against UL Monroe due to their missed extra point in overtime. Running back Cam Akers will only take Florida State so far before fatigue sets in. Other players on offense and defense must do their part to spark this teams run and maintaining it. Virginia, for now, has control of the Coastal division but their focus turns to Florida State and their unproven squad. What may hurt them is turnovers. They have three interceptions and a couple of fumbles forced, which Florida State could expose. Florida State could atone for their inconsistencies just a bit by upsetting Virginia on the road, but if they get an early lead, they must maintain that lead while trying to contain quarterback Bryce Perkins. Virginia could become a threat to most of the ACC opponents if they defeat Florida State. Their priority would be to contain Cam Akers and pressure quarterback James Blackman.

 

3) #20 WASHINGTON STATE (2-0) VS HOUSTON (1-1) AT NRG STADIUM – 6:15PM PT/ 9:15PM ET [ESPN] (FRIDAY)

Houston plays their second straight game against a high-powered offense, but they’ll technically be at home this time. Washington State is on upset alert because they’re on the road and are playing on a Friday night while Houston had a week of rest last week. Houston coach Dana Holgorsen and Washington State coach Mike Leach go against each other after working together at Texas Tech from 2000-2007. Both have potent offenses that will score a lot of points, but Wazzu has leverage as a defensive team. Hopefully Houston learned from the Oklahoma loss, especially on defense. They’ll need all the help they can get to make enough stops. If I learned anything about Friday college football games is that miracles can happen and upsets are possible!

 

2) KANSAS STATE (2-0) AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (2-0) – 9AM PT/ 12PM ET [ESPN]

This game caught my interest because someone could start 3-0 before conference play. Kansas State’s changing their culture under new coach Chris Klieman and it may be working (even though it’s been two games). Klieman mentioned during spring practice that Skylar Thompson feels comfortable in the new system and he might be right. He’s completed over 74 percent of his passes, 363 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. What’s different about the Wildcats is that they’re controlling the time of possession. Through two games, they lead the nation in T.O.P. with over 42 minutes per game. Mississippi State is keeping an eye on quarterback Tommy Stevens after sustaining a shoulder injury against Southern Miss. Before his injury, the offense played solid and he was completing 72 percent of his throws, 341 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Mississippi State has a solid offense, but their defense is a different story. They’re still searching for pass rushing consistency after losing there front four, which could be important to containing Kansas State’s offense. If Kansas State’s offense looks for real and Mississippi State’s defense doesn’t get enough pressure, it will be a long game in Starkville.

 

1) ARIZONA STATE (2-0) AT #18 MICHIGAN STATE (2-0) – 1PM PT/ 4PM ET [FOX]

Michigan State gets the benefit of being on my third straight week of Top 5 Games to Watch and should be on upset alert this time while Arizona State has one of their biggest competitions this season. Both defenses allowed just three passing touchdowns or less and have yet to allow a rushing touchdown. Arizona State’s defense forced seven fumbles while Michigan State’s defense has three interceptions and a safety.

Now on the offensive side. Quarterback Jaylen Daniels was impressive in his first two games, but he must diagnose Michigan State’s defense with help from running back Eno Benjamin, who will also be challenged by Michigan State’s top rushing defense in the nation. At the same time, let’s see if Michigan State’s offense fixed their offense and improved from their win over Western Michigan. They looked better, but lets not forget that Western Michigan’s defense were ranked low in scoring defense. This matchup is all about defense and it could play through the fourth quarter. Michigan State has homefield advantage and that’s where Jaylen Daniels will have to play his A+ game and hope Arizona State will be the first team against Michigan State to succeed in the run game.

*red indicates my underrated teams

 

MY UNDERRATED TEAM RESULTS: WEEK 2

I’ll post this on here once, and then show these results with more information in a separate post each week after each AP Top 25 announcements. Stay tuned!

AAC: 1-1, OVERALL – 1-3

USF – LOST 14-10 and TULSA – WON 34-16

ACC: 2-0, OVERALL – 4-0

VIRGINIA – WON 52-17 and WAKE FOREST – WON 41-21

BIG TEN: 2-0, OVERALL – 4-0

MICHIGAN – WON 24-21 OT and MINNESOTA – WON 38-35

BIG 12: 1-0, OVERALL – 3-0

KANSAS STATE – WON 52-0 and IOWA STATE – BYE WEEK

C-USA: 0-2, OVERALL – 1-3

FIU – LOST 20-14 and NORTH TEXAS – LOST 49-27

INDEPENDENT: 0-1, OVERALL – 1-1

ARMY – LOST 24-21 OT

MAC: 1-1, OVERALL – 2-2

MIAMI (OH) – WON 48-17 and WESTERN MICHIGAN – LOST 51-17

MWC: 0-1, OVERALL – 2-1

NEVADA – LOST 77-6 and AIR FORCE – BYE WEEK

PAC-12: 2-0, OVERALL – 3-1

ARIZONA STATE – WON 19-7 and OREGON – WON 77-6

SEC: 2-0, OVERALL – 3-1

MISSOURI – WON 38-7 and AUBURN – WON 24-6

SUN BELT: 2-0, OVERALL – 3-1

ARKANSAS STATE – WON 43-17 and APPALACHIAN STATE – WON 56-41