College football takeaways: What we learned from Week 2 performances
The story of Week 2 is obvious. Texas grabbed a win against an AP No. 1 team for the first time in years and established itself as a true contender for the national title.
Elsewhere, Duke seems to, surprisingly, be well on its way to contending for a second consecutive ACC title. And Tennessee looks like a team that might be able to make noise in the CFP.
Oregon, after an impressive Week 1 win against Boise State, dropped a shocker to Oklahoma State. Do the Ducks already have reason to be concerned?
Our college football experts break down key takeaways from Week 2 performances.
Which team made the biggest statement of the weekend and why?
I still have plenty of questions about Texas even after its 24-23 victory against No. 1 Ohio State, but the Longhorns showed a lot of grit and guts in rallying from a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter. I'll be honest: I didn't think the Longhorns had it in them. They looked listless throughout the first three quarters. Arch Manning missed open receivers, and Texas made too many mistakes while falling behind 23-3. Raleek Brown lost a fumble on the first play from scrimmage. Cam Coleman couldn't haul in a bomb that turned into an interception. Ryan Wingo dropped a touchdown. But then, just like that, Manning completed 11 of his last 15 passes and looked like a Heisman Trophy contender. While Ohio State's defense largely contained Coleman and Wingo, Emmett Mosley V stepped up and made big plays. The Longhorns ran the ball well, and their defense made stops when they needed them most. The Longhorns still have work to do, especially against an SEC schedule that includes road games against Tennessee, Missouri, LSU and Texas A&M. They'll play Oklahoma in Dallas and Florida and Ole Miss at home. -- Mark Schlabach
What was the most questionable coaching decision and why?
Find someone who believes in you the way Dan Lanning believes his team will convert fourth downs in key moments. Or maybe don't. On Saturday, against Oklahoma State, face-to-face with the potential of losing to an unranked team, Lanning went for it on fourth and 8 while the Ducks were on their own 33-yard line. Oregon was down 31-36, but there were seven minutes left in the game. Earlier, Lanning had gone for it on not one but two fourth downs, and the Ducks failed to convert both. Not only did the third attempt backfire too, but it allowed the Cowboys to tack on a field goal that would effectively seal their upset bid.
"I know there'll be a lot of questions about fourth-down situations," Lanning said postgame. "I think you have to be aggressive in those moments, especially when you're not having success."
This isn't the first time Lanning's game-management decisions have backfired on him. Though there's something to be said for staying aggressive in such moments, it's probably not a great sign that Lanning couldn't, in this moment, trust a defense that was supposed to be one of the best in the nation coming into the year. -- Paolo Uggetti
Who was the unsung hero of the weekend and why?
When Miami swooped in to nab Darian Mensah from Duke in the waning days of the transfer portal, it appeared to spell disaster for the defending ACC champs. Mensah andDuke's leading receiver,Cooper Barkate, who followed his QB to Miami, were the centerpieces of what figured to be an ACC contender in 2026. Without them, Duke was forced to settle for an injured Walker Eget and was picked 10th in the preseason poll. So, what has happened? Manny Diaz designed a game plan around star tailback Nate Sheppard (227 rushing yards in Week 1) and an improved defense, but even that wasn't going to be enough to beat Illinois on the road in Week 2. Instead, it was Eget who stepped up, looking Mensah-esque in completing 71% of his throws for 206 yards and three touchdowns without a pick. Eget isn't likely to rival Mensah's nearly 4,000 passing yards from a year ago, but he's looking like a potential bargain for Diaz and the Blue Devils, who are 2-0 against two teams they lost to a year ago. -- David Hale
What under-the-radar result do we need to pay attention to?
There was a lot of skepticism surrounding Tennessee entering the season. Going 8-5 last year didn't help. Joey Aguilar not getting an extra year of eligibility via the courts and the team not backfilling with a talented transfer quarterback didn't help, either. But freshman Faizon Brandon, a week after throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant win over Furman, went on the road to Georgia Tech and played clean football -- 148 yards and two touchdowns passing with no turnovers. But what really stood out -- and what should maybe worry the rest of the SEC -- is the Tennessee running game, which went off for 250-plus yards against the Yellow Jackets. A home date with Kennesaw State next week is a good opportunity to continue to progress. Then, Texas comes to Neyland Stadium. Win there, improve to 4-0 and suddenly we'll be talking about the Vols as one of the top teams in the SEC. -- Alex Scarborough
Which game will matter most to the CFP?
There might not be a more consequential nonconference game among Group of 6 teams all season than Boise State's 38-20 win against Memphis. Both the Pac-12 and the American are trying to position themselves as the best conference outside the Power 4, thus laying the runway for their champion to receive the coveted non-power-conference playoff berth. Regardless of who eventually wins those conferences, this game will likely serve as an important data point in comparing the two. If it comes down to Boise State vs. Memphis then, well, there won't be a debate. With most other permutations, the Pac-12 champion will still benefit from this result. That said, the impact of any single game in Week 2 will be minimal come December. -- Kyle Bonagura
What's the most eye-popping stat of the weekend?
Just how improbable was Texas' late rally past No. 1 Ohio State? Since 2004, AP top-five teams held a record of 816-1 when holding a 20-point lead at any point in the fourth quarter before the Longhorns stormed to their come-from-behind win, per ESPN Research. That includes a 197-0 record for AP No. 1s in such games prior to the Buckeyes' late unraveling Saturday night.
For Texas, the victory marks the fifth 20-point comeback in program history and the Longhorns' first since 2007. Per ESPN Research, no program has ever erased a larger fourth quarterback deficit in a defeat of a No. 1 opponent in the AP poll era (since 1936).
Ohio State, meanwhile, joins Notre Dame in the unpleasant distinction as the only programs in the AP poll era to squander multiple leads of 15 points or more as the nation's top-ranked team. The Buckeyes previously did so in a 28-24 defeat to Michigan State on Nov. 7, 1998. -- Eli Lederman
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