This Week in College Football: Week 2 – The Vanderbilt Hustler

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Week 1 made some teams look like national title contenders but exposed deep cracks in others. Clemson showed up to Baton Rouge with a performance that might have been the last straw for Dabo Swinney’s tenure as head coach of the Tigers, Michigan needed a “secret” Big 10 clock to get past the MAC’s Western Michigan Broncos and it took all four quarters for Oregon to take down Boise State at home.  
Week 2 has much more to offer in terms of marquee games, with matchups of legendary blue bloods, giving teams like Ohio State, Texas, Michigan and Oklahoma chances to show who they really are on a primetime stage. With a lot of questions stirring from an interesting Week 1, The Hustler is here to highlight everything ahead of a jam-packed Week 2 slate.  
College football fans have had this Saturday circled on their calendars since the schedules dropped. While Ohio State and Texas are not technically rivals, their quarterbacks’ personal rivalry makes Saturday feel like one. The Buckeyes’ quarterback Julian Sayin will face off against the Longhorns’ own Arch Manning in a matchup that has been brewing since their high school recruiting days.
Manning, the No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2023, naturally entered the spotlight carrying the legendary Manning name, while Sayin, the No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2024, built his reputation as one of the country’s most polished passers. Sayin also took home MVP honors at the 2023 Elite 11 finals, adding another layer of competition between the two. Today, with both quarterbacks reigning as top Heisman contenders and projected NFL prospects for next year, Saturday’s matchup could be far from their last. 
Sayin holds a 1-0 record against Manning, earning a 14-7 win in the teams’ showdown last year. The numbers prove that both quarterbacks have plenty of firepower around them. Sayin connected with Jeremiah Smith early and often in Ohio State’s 56-3 win over Ball State, completing 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Smith made the most of those opportunities, finishing with eight catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns, all before halftime.  
Texas had a similar formula in its 59-7 season-opening win over Texas State, with Manning throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns while Ryan Wingo added 121 receiving yards and a touchdown. If Week 1isany indication of the rest for the season, neither quarterback will have to look far to find a playmaker.  
With the College Football Playoff layout heavily weighing strength of schedule and top-tier nonconference matchups, early-season games like Ohio State versus Texas set the baseline data for future rankings. A strong performance against another top contender could strengthen either team’s playoff resume. It could also provide a benchmark for teams like Vanderbilt, which will need its own resume boost to stand out after being left in the cold last year.  
Ohio State and Texas will meet Saturday in Austin, Texas, at 6:30 p.m. CDT, with Sayin and Manning set to add another chapter to an already-storied rivalry. 
Oklahoma will take its first ever visit to the Big House, looking to get an early season marquee win against the controversy-struck Wolverines. Yet again, Michigan takes the main stage of the national media after their last-second Hail Mary touchdown to take down the Western Michigan Broncos, which overshadowed one of its worst performances in recent history.  
The Kyle Whittingham era got off to a very slow start against Western Michigan, recording only 276 yards of total offense.  The Wolverines allowed the Broncos to use up more than 40 minutes of possession time. With favor from the replay review, Michigan was able to finish the week positive in the win column, but if the Wolverines play anything like they did last week, they will have a hard time moving the ball on the Sooners’ top-10 defense. To win this game, Michigan will need its $12 million quarterback Bryce Underwood to play his best game in the Maize & Blue.  
Down south, Oklahoma started very strong with a 51-0 win over the UTEP Miners. John Mateer looked like his pre-thumb-injury self, completing 11 out of 17 passes for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns. Additionally, the Sooners’ run game looked much improved from last season with additions at running back and offensive line, amassing 188 yards on the day, the majority of which came from Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant.  
The Sooner defense picked up right where they left off last year, giving up less than 200 yards, recovering two fumbles and sacking the quarterback four times. Look for the returning defensive talent, includingstandout veteran linebacker Kip Lewis and star safety Eli Bowen, to make a major impact against Michigan.  
The Sooners should be very optimistic on their way to Ann Arbor after seeing the product Michigan put on the field last week, but this Michigan team is too talented to write off, especially when playing in the iconic Big House.  
The Wolverines and Sooners will face off in a Saturday morning matchup kicking off at 11 a.m. CDT in Ann Arbor, Michigan.   
Heading into the season, many have had their eyes on this matchup. High hoped Kentucky, with its revamped roster full of transfers headlined by new head coach Will Stein, will face their first test in Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide. Stein spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator for Oregon, leading a top  20 offense each of his three years at the helm.  
Before the season kicked off, Stein brought a lot of hype upon himself, drawing Curt Cignetti-like comparisons after his comment at SEC media day:  
When asked about how Kentucky can succeed this year, Stein said, “Because of me, to be honest.”  
Stein backed up his confident statement by bringing in a top-10 transfer portal class, outperforming many of his SEC peers. Although he did not get his top QB choice in Sam Levitt, Stein was able to bring in the No. 12 quarterback in the portal in Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey. The biggest improvement for the Wildcats was in the run game, as Stein brought in five new offensive linemen and two great running backs in Javonte Barnes and CJ Baxter.   
There is a lot of uncertainty with this Kentucky roster, but the team performed very well as a unit last Saturday, beating the Youngstown State Penguins 45-13 with a grand 506-yard offensive performance. The question is whether that offense can keep up against a talented Alabama defense.  
Alabama flew through East Carolina last Saturday 48-10, with sophomore Kaelon Russell leading the way with 256 yards and a rushing touchdown. Ryan Coleman-Williams had an interesting game, catching 5 receptions for 130 yards but also dropping a few passes. Drops were a major trouble for the Alabama pass catcher last year, and it looks like his jitters might be back.  
All in all, Alabama fans should be excited for the year after watching the Crimson Tide’s performance on Saturday as they regained their run game and looked much more explosive than last year.  
Alabama is the favorite, but going into Lexington with the Wildcat fans hyped up for this revamped Kentucky team is no joke. Don’t be surprised if Kentucky keeps this close, or even eeks out a statement win at home. 
The Crimson Tide will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to face the Wildcats Saturday, Sept. 12, at 2:30 p.m. CDT.  
One of the most anticipated non-conference matchups returns this week, as the Cy-Hawk rivalry played between Iowa State and the No. 22 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes kicks off in Iowa City, Iowa at 6:30 p.m. CDT. Iowa State is looking to win its fourth– straight game over its in-state rivals.  
The Cyclones enter the game as a heavy underdog, still reeling from the departure of their head coach Matt Campbell to Penn State. Fifty-five players entered the transfer portal, 24 of whom followed Campbell to Happy Valley. 
 Both teams are coming off large victories, as Iowa State defeated Southeast Missouri State 38-10 as Arkansas State transfer quarterback Jaylen Raynor threw for 184 yards on just eight completions. Iowa shutout Northern Illinois 40-0, led by star senior running back Kamari Moulton paving the way, rushing for 183 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. 
 Moulton is the player to look out for heading into this game, as Iowa under head coach Kirk Ferentz has always prioritized a strong running game, a theme common for teams in the recently dissolved Big Ten West division. Vanderbilt fans should be extremely familiar with Moulton, who rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown in the ReliaQuest Bowl last December.  
 Moulton missed the Iowa State game last year after suffering a shoulder injury in Iowa’s opener and will look to dominate in his first start against his rival. 
 On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Iowa State defensive end Isaac Terrell is coming off a three-sack performance, one which saw him named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. Terrell is familiar with this defensive system, as he followed in the footsteps of head coach Jimmy Rogers, who joined the Cyclones after leaving Washington State. He is a difference maker on defense and can single– handedly change the outcome of this game. 
 Although Rogers’ teams traditionally have a strong defense, Washington State had the No. 106 ranked total offense last year. They will have a difficult time playing away at Kinnick Stadium, one of the most energized stadiums in the country. Expect Iowa fans to be rowdy, and the Hawkeyes to back up the confidence expressed by the bookmakers. 
 Thus concludes this week’s college football preview. Sit back and enjoy what should come to be an amazing weekend of football.
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