Masuk Free Press

That’s right, college football is officially back. The football world has rejoiced at the sounds and scenes of collegiate athletes gladiating against each other on the turf, trying to win the first game of their NCAA season. After a full week over a holiday weekend, maybe you’ve missed the action. In that case, this is a full recap of what happened, and what to look forward to. 

Sometimes, college football is like a soap opera. In many instances we never know what is to come, and week one was no different. There were many freshmen taking the field for the first time, and established super stars dominating on the biggest stage. Of course, there were upsets and blowouts with no mercy or regard. This will be an overview of the most exciting moments from games played in weeks one and two. 

First, Iowa State beat out Big 12 rival Kansas State 24-21. This game featured two AP Top 25 programs and was the first game of the college football season. Both Rocco Becht of Iowa State and Avery Johnson of Kansas State threw for two touchdowns in this opening season thriller that was actually played in Ireland. The next prime time game featured Texas travelling all the way to Columbus to play Ohio State, the defending national champions. Texas’ Arch Manning (nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning) had gotten the starting role for the Longhorns at quarterback. However, Ohio State’s new freshman gunslinger Julian Sayin outperformed Manning and the Longhorns in a tough, defensive game which saw Ohio State pull away, 14-7. 

“I thought [it] was really quite a war. I thought that was a very impressive game,” said Masuk history teacher and passionate college football fan Mr. Manelli, “I was surprised there was as little scoring as there was, but I think it spoke to how and what happens when you have two great, well coached, well disciplined teams who execute well.” 

The two accomplished coaches that Manelli referred to were Ryan Day of Ohio State and Steve Sarkisian of Texas. Following that game, Texas became the first AP number one ranked team to lose its season opener since 1990. Alabama versus Florida State followed, as Alabama was upset with no mercy from FSU. Florida State overwhelmed Alabama, and won comfortably 31-17 thanks to the works of quarterback Tommy Castellanos.

“I was surprised how well they stunk in that game for being a [ranked] team,” Masuk physics teacher Mr. Overcash said, “Florida State played very well.”

Castellanos, a transfer from Boston College, used both his arm and legs to lead his new team down south to a victory. On Saturday night, LSU versus Clemson was the most anticipated game yet. In the battle of the Tigers, LSU would jump ahead to win 17-10. This is the first time since 2019 that LSU won their season opener. This win keeps LSU head coach Brian Kelly off of the hot seat. Finally, on Sunday night, the deeply rooted rivalry of the 1980s between the University of Miami and Notre Dame was revived. Dubbed, “Catholics vs. Convicts”, the convicts of Miami stole victory from Notre Dame, indebted to a spectacular one handed catch from Miami’s CJ Daniels for a touchdown, and multiple defensive plays to keep Notre Dame at bay, allowing Miami to claim victory, 27-24. As for the rest of the games, here is a complete list of the Week 1 scores:

• Illinois def. Western IL 52-3
• Tennessee def. Syracuse 45-26
• Georgia def. Marshall 45-7
• Iowa State def. South Dakota 55-7
• Oregon def. Montana State 59-13
• Texas A&M def. UTSA 42-24
• Texas Teach def. AR-Pine Bluff 67-7
• Michigan def. New Mexico 34-17
• SMU def. East T&AM 42-13
• Utah def. UCLA 43-10
• Indiana def. Old Dominion 27-14
• Penn State def. Nevada 46-11
• Oklahoma def. Illinois State 35-3
• Florida def. LIU 55-0
• Ole Miss def. Georgia State 63-7
• Arizona State def. Northern AZ 38-19
• South Carolina def. Virginia Tech 24-11

Now, let’s discuss Week 2, and the AP Poll Top 25 Rankings. Coming into this past week, the main storylines included the University of South Florida upsetting preseason number 25 ranked Boise State in a 34-6 blowout. In week two, they traversed toward their next opponent, the Florida Gators. In this interstate matchup where Florida was ranked number 15 in the country, USF pulled off yet another upset, winning 18-16.

“I’m surprised [Florida] lost as well…that was an interesting one,” Overcash added. 

 In yet another interstate clash, Iowa State bested Iowa in a close 16-13 bout. Additionally, an SEC matchup between Ole Miss and Kentucky saw Ole Miss pull off an impressive conference win, 30-23. Finally, an exciting competition between Michigan and Oklahoma capped off the weekend. Bryce Underwood, the number one high school recruit at quarterback, was ready for his second career start. Unfortunately for Underwood, the second was unlike the first. Oklahoma would prove too tough for the freshman, and Oklahoma would pick up a huge win against a ranked opponent in Michigan.

“I think [Underwood] played close to where I thought he would play…he’s young, he’s going to make some mistakes,” Manelli added, “He’s pretty much all-world in terms of football being a quarterback, but I think he’s going to really impress a lot of people, [and] Michigan’s very fortunate to have that.”

Here is another complete list of the happenings throughout week two of the college football season:

• Indiana def. Kennesaw St. 56-9
• Texas Tech def. Kent State 62-14
• Florida State def. East Texas A&M 77-3
• Georgia def. Austin Peay 28-3
• Tennessee def. East TN St 72-17
• Oregon def. Oklahoma St. 69-3
• Clemson def. Troy 27-16
• Utah def. Cal Poly 63-9
• Miami (FL) def. B-CU 45-3
• LSU def. LA Tech 23-7
• Alabama def. LA-Monroe 73-0
• Texas def. SJSU 38-7
• Illinois def. Duke 45-19
• Penn State def. FIU 34-0
• Texas A&M def. Utah State 44-22
• Ohio State def. Grambling St 70-0
• Missouri def. Kansas 42-31
• South Carolina def. SC State 38-10
• Auburn def. Ball State 42-3

College football games are so very important to a team’s success. There is no margin for error, and to fans of Big 10 or SEC powerhouses or programs on the rise, there’s no better feeling than watching your team play on the biggest stages. The main storylines heading into week three include how Arch Manning of Texas will continue to perform. Manning played well against SJSU, but Manning makes it apparent that he wants to play even better. In his post game interview after the win versus SJSU, he called his performance “sloppy”. Next week, Manning will attempt to lead his Texas Longhorns to victory over an unranked UTEP team. Additionally, USF has two ranked wins heading into yet another ranked opponent in Miami.

“[It’s] not a program day I follow very closely, but you know, [it] shocks me a little bit, but it also puts [USF] on the radar…,” said Manelli.  

Miami is coming off of two very strong wins, and their victory depends on quarterback Carson Beck continuing his accurate throwing displays. Not too far from Miami, competitive SEC play continues with a huge ranked matchup between Georgia and Tennessee, Ole Miss and Arkansas, Vanderbilt and South Carolina, and Florida and LSU.

Finally, smash mouth football in the Big 10 ramps up with Oregon vs. Northwestern. Finally, for good measure, Manelli gave his prediction for who he thinks will win the Big 10, the conference that he grew up watching: 

“My heart tells me…when Michigan plays Ohio State, if [Michigan] wins that game, they’re going to win the Big Ten. My head tells me that Ohio State will win probably with a fair amount of space to spare.” 

All in all, college football is a wonderful time of year where comradery among students and fans are at exponential levels. In the name of the title, if you missed out on the legendary moments of weeks one and two, hopefully this article gets you back up to speed and ready for week three.