We are only two weeks into the 2022 season, and the sport has already been turned over on its head. The second weekend of action saw multiple, heavily favorited Top 10 teams go down, while sleepers emerged as legit contenders for the playoff. While Week 2 was packed with tons of excitement and shock, the biggest story from Saturday was the near upset that took place in Austin.
Everyone and their grandma was expecting the top-ranked Crimson Tide to go into Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium and make the Longhorns look like a JV high school team. That was far from the case, as Alabama needed some late game magic from Bryce Young to escape with the win.
There are two perspectives you can view Saturday’s matchup from. From Alabama’s perspective, this was an unusually sloppy and inefficient game where the Tide committed 15 penalties, the most Bama has committed in the Saban-era. Its highly touted receiving core woefully underperformed, and Bill O’Brien’s offense looked suspect once again in a big game.
The Crimson Tide aren’t the flawless juggernaut we all thought they were in the preseason, however I am not selling my Alabama stock any time soon. Bama’s issues are fixable, and Nick Saban has a track record of responding to ugly wins better than anyone in the history of the game.
While the game was far from perfect for the Tide, they still picked up a road victory against a team many, including myself, view as a Top 25 squad. With Ohio State and Georgia playing cupcakes, Alabama holds true as my number one team in the nation.
As for Texas, Saturday’s heartbreaking defeat is bittersweet. On one hand, Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns were far more competitive than anyone anticipated. On the other hand, Texas fans will once again be stuck wondering how a result against Alabama would have changed if their starting quarterback didn’t go down with an injury.
Despite losing former top ranked prospect Quinn Ewers early on, Texas held its own and gave the number one team in the nation all it could handle. Longhorn fans should come out of this matchup with optimism as the Big 12 is wide open.
Hudson Card is a reliable backup option in the short term, and this young offensive line for Texas is developing quicker than expected. While it will take much more than one game for Texas to truly be “back,” Sark appears to have begun the process of righting the ship in Austin.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M and Notre Dame fans should not be optimistic after last Saturday. Two of the top six teams in the preseason have already had their playoff hopes dashed in humiliating fashion at the hands of the Sun Belt.
Texas A&M got pushed around for four quarters by Appalachian State as the Aggies’ offensive woes continue to be prevalent under Jimbo Fisher.
Even with the best recruiting class ever coming into College Station, it was more of the same for the A&M. Fisher refuses to give up play calling, and his rigid offense hasn’t adapted well to the modern game. Fisher can bring in all the elite skill players he wants, it won’t matter if the scheme doesn’t maximize their potential.
Speaking of getting pushed around by a Sun Belt school, Marshall did just that as it dominated the Fighting Irish.
I was never as high on Notre Dame as the media was, which seems to be a common recurrence, and I was validated on Saturday when the Thundering Herd straight up outclassed one of college football’s blue chip programs.
These games weren’t even decided by a blocked punt or a lucky bounce of the ball, Marshall and Appalachian State were the better teams in its respective matchups. Props to both programs and the Sun Belt as a whole.
The main talking point from Week 1 was Anthony Richardson and the Gators being a dark horse threat in the SEC East. Kentucky had something to say about that as it went into “the Swamp,” and rolled the Gators.
While I am still a major believer in Anthony Richardson, he is still a young player who needs more development, and it showed against the Wildcats.
Mark Stoops passed Bear Bryant as Kentucky’s all time wins leader in style, and he showed why he is arguably the most underrated coach in the nation. Looking at the Wildcats’ upcoming schedule, there is a real chance they only have one loss when they welcome Georgia to town on November 19th.
College Football Top 25 Rankings
1.Alabama Crimson Tide(2-0) W vs Texas 20-19, last week-1
2.Ohio State Buckeyes(2-0) W vs Arkansas State 45-12, last week-2
3.Georgia Bulldogs(2-0) W vs Samford 33-0, last week-3
4.Michigan Wolverines(2-0) W vs Hawaii 56-10, last week-4
5.Clemson Tigers(2-0) W vs Furman 35-12, last week-5
6.Arkansas Razorbacks(2-0) W vs South Carolina 44-30, last week-6
7.Michigan State Spartans(2-0) W vs Akron 52-0, last week-8
8.Utah Utes(1-1) W vs Southern Utah 73-7, last week-9
9.USC Trojans(2-0) W vs Stanford 41-28, last week-10
10.Oklahoma Sooners(2-0) W vs Kent State 33-3, last week-12
11.BYU Cougars(2-0) W vs Baylor 26-20, last week-22
12.Kentucky Wildcats(2-0) W vs Florida 26-16, last week-21
13.Tennessee Volunteers(2-0) W vs Pittsburgh 34-27, last week-20
14.NC State Wolfpack(2-0) W vs Charleston Southern 55-3, last week-13
15.Oklahoma State Cowboys(2-0) W vs Arizona State 34-17, last week-16
16.Baylor Bears(1-1) L vs BYU 26-20, last week-11
17.Miami Hurricanes(2-0) W vs Southern Miss 30-7, last week-18
18.Penn State Nittany Lions(2-0) W vs Ohio 46-10 last week-19
19.Wake Forest Demon Deacons(2-0) W vs Vanderbilt 45-25, last week-23
20.Texas Longhorns(1-1) L vs Alabama 20-19, last week-unranked
21.Florida Gators(1-1) L vs Kentucky 26-16, last week-17
22.Mississippi State Bulldogs(2-0) W vs Arizona 39-17, last week-unranked
23.Ole Miss Rebels(2-0) W vs Central Arkansas 59-3, last week-25
24.Kansas State Wildcats(2-0) W vs Missouri 40-12, last week-unranked
25.Texas A&M Aggies(1-1) L vs Appalachian State 17-14, last week-7
Dropped out of rankings- Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh