The possibility of Ohio State No. 3 not playing a leading role in determining this year’s College Football Playoff game suddenly after the dominant running game No. 11 in Oregon and a late interception. Take a win 35-28 way.
However, there is precedent for OSU’s rebound after a loss early in the season, in 2014, the Buckeyes lost in September at Virginia Tech and then won the National Championship in their first year of the playoff format.
But now the Buckeyes find themselves playing from behind as Oregon climbs to the forefront of the post-season race. for the first time in six years, Pac-12 can realistically envision placing the conference champion in the top four.
This makes the ducks the biggest winner of the week. Here are the rest of those teams that deserve praise or criticism from the second week of the 2021 season:
The winners
Oregon
The apparent growth of the Ducks team under coach Mario Cristobal has been forgotten amid last year’s struggles against the backdrop of the pandemic. Since taking office, Cristobal has built a roster capable of standing up against any team in the country, with the kind of physical mentality borrowed from his time in Alabama that contrasts with the larger base of the Pac-12. Case in point: Oregon went for 269 yards and three touchdowns in Ohio State’s worst performance against a race since 2018. If the Ducks can do it against the Buckeyes, they can push every remaining team into their schedule.
Buck 12
Ducks are the big winners. So is the Pac-12. Pretty much a non-factor in the playoff chase since 2017, the conference can now boast hugely: Our best team, Oregon, is better than the best of the Big Ten. These arguments carry enormous weight among the members of the playoff selection committee. And while it’s currently reserved for the Ducks, Saturday’s win advantage will extend to any undefeated or losing one team standing atop the conference in early December, whether it’s the Ducks, UCLA, Southern California, or another.
Yeah
The 12th Iowa team should be the highest-ranked Big Ten in the upcoming USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll after 27-17 win over No. 10 IowaThe Hawkeyes won their sixth straight win in the series. How did they uproot it? It’s simple: Iowa Plus Four was in the margins of sales and scored 20 points from those junk food. This helped overcome the poor display of attack, as the Hawkeyes finished only 173 yards in 60 plays. After stifling the Hurricanes, it’s time to start taking Iowa seriously as a major contender for the New Year’s Six and a legitimate contender for the Big Ten title and top four.
Kentucky
The Wildcats didn’t get another monster game from quarterback Will Leavis but they managed to beat the Missouri 35-28 in the SEC opener for both teams. Levis, a transfer from Penn State who threw for 367 yards in the opener, finished with 204 yards total foul and two combined scores. With two weeks in the books, the Wildcats are an easy pick for the third best team in the SEC East and the only team other than Florida that has any chance of dislodging Georgia from the top of the division.
Matt Coral
Coral threw 281 yards and five touchdowns without interception although he played under three quarters as Mississippi beat Austin Peay 54-17. Heisman Trophy’s credentials are growing for the former five-star recruit, who has yet to turn the ball around in two games after a 2020 season marked by periods of unbridled inconsistency. Corral has now made 3 complete matches and 109 attempts without a pick.
Wisconsin
After a disappointing loss to Penn State to open the season, the Badgers bounced back with a dominant performance against Eastern Michigan, a team expected to go down in the top half of MAC. Wisconsin ran for 352 yards, dominated the clock and held the EMU in just three first touchdowns and 92 yards off the attack.
South Carolina
If you’re not up against elite competition, South Carolina’s 2-0 after 20-17 win over East Carolina is commendable given two play factors. First, this team is clearly in the early stages of rebuilding under head coach of the year Shane Beamer. And secondly, Gamecocks won both games With coach-turned-quarterback Zeb Noland Injured Luke Dottie, the team’s expected player in August.
Watch: Ohio State’s drum squad leaked before the game
losers
Ohio State
Ohio playoff hopes take effect But the loss could be spared if the Buckeyes took care of the 13th Penn State, Michigan and crossover opponent in the Conference Championship game. Although OSU has been dominant in the Big Ten for the past decade, is clean running through team play realistic given the state of the Buckeyes’ defense? This group has now given up 472 yards and six touchdowns through two games. Last year’s unit allowed 781 yards and 10 points in eight games.
Washington
It’s almost impossible to reconcile the crumbling pre-season hype in Washington with the way this team has looked in two weeks. After losing their opening game 13-7 to Montana, the UW was pushed to lose 31-10 in prime time in Michigan. Who are the burly? This is clearly not a team capable of outsmarting anyone on either side of the ball, which contrasts with the kind of program that was set up under former coach Chris Petersen. This is also a group incompetent enough to manage only two touchdowns in eight quarters of play, four of which are coming against an opponent from the soccer championship subdivision. UW has gone from contender to the country’s biggest disappointment.
North Carolina
After their 45-0 win over South Florida which suggested that pre-season would take North Carolina State – meaning that this team could be one of the four or five best teams in the ACC – was in fact established, Wolfpack put together the performance in a 24-10 loss in Mississippi. They didn’t run the ball well, didn’t protect the football, tease MSU quarterback Will Rodgers, get anything through the air or get the job done in third. Otherwise, great performance from group coach Dave Doeren.
Texas
After an auspicious week 1 under new coach Steve Sarkissian, the Texans fell back toward the middle with a 40-21 loss in Arkansas. The Razorbacks, now 2-0, made huge strides under second-year head coach Sam Pittman, who inherited a smoldering garbage fire but made the program very competitive in the SEC. After beating Louisiana Lafayette to start things off, the Longhorns are set to drop out of the national classification after conceding 333 rushing yards and averaging 3.8 yards per game.
Notre Dame and Texas A&M
The No. 7 Irish Fighters and No. 5 Aggies are the hard-nosed favorites – Irish 32-29 vs Toledo And A&M 10-7 vs Colorado – Even raising eyebrows all the way. For Notre Dame, the win came despite a disappointing performance from quarterback Jack Cowan, who brilliantly threw in six to give Toledo a 16-14 lead in the first half but threw a match-winning touchdown pass just over a minute to the left. The Aggies lost an early quarterback Haynes King start against the Buffaloes and didn’t score the green light until 2:41 left in the fourth quarter. King’s replacement, Zach Calzada, completed 18 of 38 attempts for 183 yards.
Iowa
Developing the program into one of the top programs in the Big 12 is a remarkable feat, so it’s easy to see why coach Matt Campbell’s name is associated with every major job vacancy in the FBS and NFL. But his period wasn’t perfect: Campbell’s teams started slow and Failed to beat Iowa. In a year filled with real hopes for qualifying, having those flaws reappear is very disappointing. Even worse, quarterback Brock Purdy’s Three Objections to Iowa The door opened for Hunter Dekkers back up, so there could be a quarterback controversy heading into Week 3.
Tennessee
Injuries, missed opportunities and major errors resulted in Tennessee losing 41-34 at home to Pittsburgh, the first setback for the program under new coach Josh Hubble. By 10-0 after the first quarter and 13-7 early in the second, the tide turned after the Volunteers lost starting quarterback Joe Melton to an apparent lower leg injury. The offense struggled to gain traction behind his substitute, Hendon Hooker, who started slow before finishing with 189 yards and two paces with an interception. The loss could be suspended on three turnovers in Tennessee and the defense’s inability to obtain major stopping points against quarterback Kenny Pickett and a Pittsburgh offense.
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