Iowa Hands Iowa State Sixth-Straight Loss
The #5 Iowa Hawkeyes handed in-state rival Iowa State their sixth-straight loss in the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. The 27-17 road victory pushed the Hawkeyes into the top-5, climbing five spots from their previous ranking before the contest.
This is the first time the Hawkeyes are inside the top-5 since 2015 when Iowa climbed to as high as #3 nationally. The ranking is also the earliest Iowa has been inside the top-5 since opening the 1985 season ranked #4.
After the loss, the Iowa State Cyclones fell to #14 in the rankings.
Oregon Outlasts Ohio State in Thriller
#4 Oregon went on the road and took down #9 Ohio State in a packed house in Columbus. The Ducks exposed the Buckeyes rush defense, running for 161 yards and three touchdowns. This was the first regular-season loss for head coach Ryan Day and first for the Buckeyes since losing to Purdue in 2018.
The Buckeyes, who fell six spots in the rankings after the defeat, were 14.5-point favorites but never led in a game that didn’t seem as close as the final score showed. Freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 484 yards and three touchdowns.
What makes the victory even more impressive was Oregon was playing short-handed on defense without the services of star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and linebacker Justin Flowe.
Florida State Falls to FCS Jacksonville State
Less than a week removed from an opening week overtime loss to the Notre Dame Irish, the Seminoles lost their first game to an FCS opponent in school history on a stunning 59-yard hail mary. The loss drops Florida State to 0-2 to start the 2021 season after a 3-6 record last year.
FSU did everything it could to lose the game, including racking up over 100 yards of penalties and converting only 4-of-14 third downs. Quarterback McKenzie Milton stole the show last week against ND when he led the late-game comeback for the Seminoles but was just 18-of-31 for 133 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in Week 2.
Razorbacks Welcome Future SEC Foe with Drubbing
The Texas Longhorns are set to join the Southeastern Conference in 2025 and have a lot of work to do if they want to be a contender in arguably the nation’s top football conference. #20 Arkansas, a seven-point home underdog to Texas, handed the Longhorns a 40-21 beatdown in Fayetteville.
Arkansas churned out 333 yards on the ground, the most since 2016, and held Texas to 256 yards of total offense, their lowest since 2015. The victory pushed Arkansas into the top-25 for the first time since 2016 and booted Texas out of the top-25.
Notre Dame, Texas A&M Survive
A pair of top-10 teams struggled in Week 2 and were both on the edge of losing. #12 Notre Dame pulled out a heroic drive late in the fourth quarter to put away Toledo, 32-29. The Irish were 16.5-point favorites, and the close victory dropped the Irish out of the top-10.
The Aggies, playing without Week 1 starter Haynes King, couldn’t get the offense going against Colorado. #7 Texas A&M finally found the endzone with 2:41 remaining in the game to pull out a 10-7 victory on the road against the Buffaloes. The Aggies fell two spots out of the top-5.