Previewing CFB's Week 2
The college football season is well underway and we've got another weekly slate of action to preview.
As always, expect a focus on what it all means for Kentucky (since that's why you're here) but also an eye on the conference and national landscapes.
Texas in Tuscaloosa against the Tide ... This was one of the more interesting games of last year's season when Alabama barely survived a trip to Austin. With the Longhorns right on the cusp of a move to the Southeastern Conference this one has a lot of appeal. It's a game we'll continue to see into the future, perhaps not every year, but it will tell us something about the readiness of Texas' roster for the move to the nation's premier league. Jalen Milroe looked very good in Alabama's season-opener both on the ground and with his arm. If he wins this game, he probably has a stranglehold on the starting position for the foreseeable future and that would certainly impact UK later in the season with Bama traveling to Lexington. How well will Bama be able to run the ball?
Trap game for Oregon ... Bo Nix kicked off his Heisman campaign in style last week with the Ducks dropping 81 points on an overmatched FCS opponent. Oregon has to travel to Texas Tech this weekend and that's a dangerous game. The Red Raiders dropped a heartbreaker to Wyoming on the road last week but some have regarded them as an upper echelon Big XII team this year. If Oregon has any hopes of reaching the playoffs this is absolutely a must win given how competitive the top of the Pac-12 should be with USC, Utah, Washington, Oregon State, and others. If Texas Tech starts 0-2 even losing a close game it will be interesting to see how that impacts their momentum for the rest of the season.
Big test for Wisconsin ... The Badgers travel all the way to Pullman, Wash., for a road game against Washington State and Luke Fickell's team is a 6-point favorite. If they make a statement, it will solidify Wisconsin as one of my surprise teams nationally for this season. After only winning seven games a season ago, Wisconsin had two backs combine for around 300 yards against Buffalo in Week 1.
Why is Mississippi State only a 9-point favorite against Arizona? ... It's been a long time since Arizona was good at football and Mississippi State hosts the Pac-12 team in Starkville. The Bulldogs handled business in their season opener and have a solid talent advantage in the game.
Two more intriguing OOC games for the Pac-12 ... A big theme this week: Pac-12 teams facing big tests. Mississippi State, Oregon, Wisconsin ... And on top of that, there's more.
Oklahoma State travels to Arizona State, and Auburn travels to Cal. The Cowboys and Tigers are actually road favorites in both of those games, by 3 and 6.5 points respectively, but it's an opportunity for the league to continue making a statement after a very strong start to the season. Auburn looked like something close to a finished product against an overmatched UMass foe in Week 1. If the Tigers dominate Cal on the road it could mean they're better positioned in the West in Hugh Freeze's first year than we thought.
NC State hosts Notre Dame ... The Wolfpack are 7.5-point underdogs against the Fighting Irish in Raleigh. This game might have a lot more national appeal if the Wolfpack hadn't looked rough around the edges in a tougher than expected win against UCONN to start the season. Notre Dame has been dominating to start the season and if they win convincingly here it will serve notice that the Irish are in fact a strong playoff contender in Marcus Freeman's second year.
Ole Miss takes on an interesting challenge ... SEC programs are sometimes mocked by fans of programs across the country for their non-conference schedules but you have to tip your cap to Lane Kiffin and company. The No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels are playing a road game against No. 24 Tulane. It's the kind of game that will really bother fans if they lose, and some will say, "What do they have to gain?" Tulane's Michael Pratt hit on lots of big plays in Week 1 and was 14/15 for almost 300 yards. There could be some scoring in this one. Ole Miss is a touchdown favorite.
Texas A&M-Miami 2.0 ... Last year Texas A&M and Miami were similar teams. Fans had high hopes that were dashed repeatedly throughout their respective seasons. Everything went wrong for A&M in their 5-7 season but both programs are hoping for a lot more this year. Whoever loses will have one angry fan base, especially after last year. Conner Weigman tossed five touchdowns in Bobby Petrino's debut as the Aggies' offensive coordinator but the Hurricane defense is a different test altogether. A&M won this game 17-9 last year in spite of being outgained by 130 yards and having the ball for 10 fewer minutes than Miami.
It's time for Iowa-Iowa State ... So you can expect a close, low scoring game. This one is always ugly, hard fought, and passionate. It's one of my favorite non-conference rivalry games each season and it helps to kick off the season in a fun way because it's a tone setter for teams in different leagues. Iowa State snapped Iowa's 7-year winning streak in this game last year in another low scoring game (10-7). Based on what happened in Week 1 for each of these teams it would be a big surprise if there are many touchdowns scored here.
Cincinnati travels to Pitt ... Scott Satterfield's team is 1-0 after Emory Jones passed for a ton of yards and touchdowns against EKU, the team Kentucky will face this weekend. But they're 7-point underdogs on the road against a Pitt team that won 20 games over the previous two seasons.
Big game for Jon Sumrall ... Kimani Vidal rushed for almost 250 yards in Troy's opener but the Trojans defense showed some need for improvement in a 48-30 win against Stephen F. Austin. This week, they travel to No. 15 Kansas State for a very difficult game against one of the teams expected to compete for the Big 12 championship.
What's Coach Prime got for an encore? ... All eyes are on Colorado this week, because everyone wants to know how good Colorado really is. We don't know, because we don't know how good TCU really is, but what an impressive win for the Buffaloes in Week 1. Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter & Co. will host a very hungry Nebraska team that's eager to get the bitter taste of a disappointing collapse against Minnesota out of their mouths. Sanders had 500 yards passing last week and freshman Dylan Edwards, who had been recruited by Kentucky, had more than 130 receiving yards.
Illinois hosts Kansas ... Okay, so it's not the sexiest matchup, but it's a chance to talk about how far each program has come in recent years. Illinois did not impress me in Week 1, squeaking by Toledo, like it did early last season but I wouldn't be surprised if they improve over the course of the year. Kansas is a three-point favorite and with both programs in a similar place in their respective conference pecking orders the outcome could tell us something about their chances in games later this year. It's a good, equal matchup.
And a quietly interesting ACC/SEC matchup ... Take what I wrote about the aforementioned Illinois-Kansas game and apply it to Vanderbilt's trip to Wake Forest this weekend. Last year it wasn't a fair fight. Vandy would improve over the course of the season but the Demon Deacons had Sam Hartman and were too explosive. This game will tell us something about how much Vanderbilt has improved in Year 3, or if it has improved at all. Wake Forest is still a 10-point favorite in spite of having a lot less hype coming into this year. That would seem to suggest the Commodores still have an uphill climb in the SEC this year - well, when haven't they? - but we'll let the game determine that. Wake's defense has not been tested against Elon and VMI. AJ Swann should actually present a real challenge for them on that side of the ball.
Purdue-Virginia Tech could be interesting ... Only if Virginia Tech wins at home, as they very well could. That would mean Virginia Tech is 2-0 and Purdue is 0-2. That could signal VT might not be as bad as many (including myself) expected and Purdue is set up for a very rough year, especially considering their loss to a Group of Five team last week.
How bad is Virginia? ... We still have a lot to learn about Tennessee, because the team the Vols beat in Week 1 - Virginia - is a 6.5-point home underdog to in-state program James Madison. You don't see that very often. But Northwestern is in a similar position as a 2-point home underdog to UTEP, which lost to Jacksonville State in its first game. James Madison is better than UTEP, but both of these Power Five teams could be on the level of some of the Kansas teams before their present revival.
Not an upset watch, but ... I'll be interested in keeping at least one eye on the North Carolina-Appalachian State game. UNC could be the second or third best team in the ACC but could they be due for a letdown one week after an emotional win against South Carolina? App State has been a giant killer before (Michigan, Texas A&M both on the road) and UNC had to survive a shootout that went into the 60's against them in Boone last year.
Meanwhile, Duke has a very timely game against Lafayette to get their heads back on straight after a huge win against Clemson. The Blue Devils cracked into the top-25 at No. 21 and looked every bit as fast as the Tigers.