Winners and losers for Week 2 of the college football season
Texas and Washington State made huge statements while Jimbo Fisher and Jeff Sims might need to plot exit strategies. Here are the biggest winners and losers of college football's Week 2.
WINNER
Quinn Ewers: Texas is ... back? The Longhorns went to No. 3 Alabama and pulled off the 34-24 upset, with Ewers leading the charge on offense. He was 24-of-38 for 349 yards and three touchdowns in a performance that in some ways recalled former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow's coming out party in a 45-38 win at Texas in 2019.
Like Burrow, Ewers remained calm in a hostile environment, never blinking as Alabama breathed down his neck. He responded with a three-play, 75-yard touchdown drive after Bama took a 16-13 lead, then pushed the lead to 10 on a 39-yard touchdown to Adonai Mitchell once the Tide pulled within three.
It was a stoic performance from Ewers, one that could linger in Heisman voters minds if the No. 11 Longhorns reach the heights they proved on Saturday they can reach.
LOSER
Jimbo Fisher: While Fisher spent the offseason fixing No. 23 Texas A&M's offense, Saturday's 48-33 loss at Miami shows he probably should have reserved some ensuring he still had a defense.
Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke became the first Hurricanes quarterback to throw for five touchdowns against an AP Top 25 team as the Aggies allowed 451 total yards, including 12.5 yards per pass attempt.
Fisher, with his monstrous buyout, will probably endure more ugly losses before he cashes out. As Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger noted, the loss marked Texas A&M's ninth in their last 12 games against Power 5 opponents.
WINNER
Washington State: Left outside of the Power Five after the Pac-12 disbanded, the Cougars made a huge statement with their 31-22 win over No. 19 Wisconsin. Afterward, head coach Jake Dickert said the quiet part out loud.
On Friday, Washington State, along with Oregon State, sued the Pac-12 for ownership of the conference. For those who thought the Cougars' place in the Power 5 was in peril, think again.
LOSER
Jeff Sims: Nebraska's 36-14 loss at No. 22 Colorado highlighted the different paths first-year head coaches Matt Rhule and Deion Sanders are taking, with the biggest discrepancy being Sanders relying on a Heisman-level talent at quarterback (Shedeur Sanders) and Rhule working with a turnover machine.
Through two games, Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims is 20-of-34 for 220 yards, one touchdown, four interceptions and two lost fumbles. Sanders, meanwhile, is 69-of-89 for 903 yards and six touchdowns.
WINNER
North Carolina's great in-state rivalry: Move over, Auburn-Alabama and Ohio State-Michigan. The best rivalry in college football is Appalachian State-North Carolina. In 2019, App State stunned the Tar Heels, 34-31, on a blocked field goal. Last year, North Carolina beat the Mountaineers, 63-61, after a missed two-point conversion.
This year's edition was just as wild, a 40-34 double-overtime win for No. 17 North Carolina after the teams combined for 1,021 yards. Give this to us every year, even if Mack Brown protests.
LOSER
YouTube TV Quad-view: It rained hard on the East Coast during the Saturday morning games, forcing an hour and 45-minute delay in No. 10 Notre Dame's 45-24 win at NC State and a five-hour, 27-minute delay at Virginia Tech, which lost 24-17 to Purdue.
The weather made a mess of things on the field, but it also tested the limits of YouTube TV's multi-view option.
Here's an easy fix for YouTube: let people pick what they want to watch. Rest assured no one wanted Holy Cross-Boston College.
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