Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica’s School Soccer Research Information: Week 2 Version

How about the Week 1 slate, huh?

No. 8 Alabama went down as a two-touchdown favorite against an unranked Florida State team that went 2-10 last year, No. 9 LSU got a gutsy win against a top-five Clemson team, and of course the No. 3 Buckeyes took down the top-ranked Longhorns in an epic defensive battle. 

With weekends like this one, lengthy discussions ensue between myself and the fine people at FOX Sports every week as we plan our production for Big Noon Kickoff. Every Sunday night, I reflect on what’s to come, and send out a lengthy email to producers, researchers, and my colleagues on air about things to watch out for. 

I’ve decided to peel back the curtain and share those thoughts with you all, because everyone should rejoice in the splendor that is college football. Week 2 is now here, and while this week’s slate isn’t as eye-popping, there are few sneaky ones to discuss and highlight. 

So, with that being said, let’s dive into my thoughts for this weekend.   

Illinois at Duke 

This one has all the makings of a line that stinks out loud. I can almost promise you Duke +3 will make my card this week. While the Blue Devils weren’t super impressive vs Elon, Illinois rolled and has a ton of hype. In his first career game at Duke, Darian Mensah threw for 389 yards, 3 pass TD, no INTs, and completed 79% of his passes. Illini QB Luke Altmeyer is also one of the most experienced signal callers in the country which makes this is an interesting quarterback battle. We could be in for a “pros vs Joes” type of matchup.

Kansas at Missouri

Both fan bases are fired up for this one, considering these teams don’t play regularly due to conference realignment. This is one of the more underrated rivalries in college football. The Jayhawks and Tigers met every season from 1919 to 2011 before Mizzou moved to the SEC. They lead the all-time series 56-55-9, and won the last matchup back in 2011. This should be a good one.      

Bulls at Gators

USF might be on the verge of making a jump under Alex Golesh. Byrum Brown looked dominant in their opener against Boise State, posing as a serious threat on the ground. Florida is a big step up in competition, but the Bulls have played some big boys tough the last few years. The Gators defense will surely be tested here. 

Arizona State at Mississippi State

Last year a 30-23 loss against the Sun Devils sent the Bulldogs into a 2-10 spiral. Skattebo ran for 262 yards on 7.9 yards per rush. Sam Leavitt didn’t even need to throw, completing 10 passes for just 69 yards. Mississippi State went hard into the portal and hammered Southern Miss in the opener. Jeff Lebby’s team has a chance to turn things around here, with this serving as a big test against a team that took Texas to double-overtime in the CFP last year. 

Boston College at Michigan State 

Michigan State is only a field goal favorite here. The Spartans offense wasn’t great vs. Western Michigan, only totaling 336 yards in an ugly 23-6 win. This feels like another fishy line. Could Boston College be undervalued in Year 2 under Bill O’Brien? They put a whopping 66 points up against Fordham in Week 1.  

Baylor at SMU 

Baylor lost their opener to Auburn and takes on No. 17 SMU this week. Considering the preseason expectations for this team, an 0-2 start would not be a good thing for Dave Aranda. Sawyer Robertson threw for 419 yards and they still lost by two touchdowns. The Bears have to stop the run against the Ponies, having given up 308 rushing yards against Auburn— with 137 coming from quarterback Jackson Arnold. 

Big Noon heads to Ames

This in-state rivalry has had some wild games with comebacks, weather delays, last-second field goals, and everything else you can think of. People forget how successful Matt Campbell has been, having set the school record with 11 wins last year and taken State to two conference title games in the last five seasons. But how good are they? Kansas State almost completed the come-from-behind win against them in Dublin in Week 0 and that Wildcat squad nearly lost to North Dakota last week. But yes, the Clones did beat South Dakota 55-7 in their second game of the season.                 

The Hawkeyes have won six straight games against the Cyclones when playing inside Jack Trice Stadium. Speaking of Jack Trice, there might not be a more legendary figure in Iowa State history. The school’s first Black athlete, he played football and ran track for the Cyclones before tragically dying due to injuries in a football game. 

Michigan at Oklahoma 

The Sooners had a somewhat deceiving game last week, as they went up 21-3 against Illinois State and then struggled to run the ball after. That’s somewhat concerning for a team that once prided itself on a staunch offensive line. John Mateer’s numbers were incredible, going 30-of-37 for 392 yards and 3 pass TDs, but he’s going against a really strong Michigan defense this week. 

We also saw young inexperienced QBs struggle on the road last week— Arch Manning against Ohio State, Ty Simpson against Florida State, and C.J. Carr against Miami. Will Bryce Underwood be any different in Norman? Another narrative to keep in mine around this this game is the Big Ten vs. SEC conversation. The Big Ten has won the last two national championships, and Ohio State took down No. 1 Texas last week. If Michigan can go on the road with a true freshman QB and win against a defensive-minded coach like Brent Venables—that would be massive.      

Rapid Reactions

Below I dive into some quick thoughts on the biggest games from last week.

Alabama

How concerned are we here? The Tide got manhandled in the trenches after the first drive against the Seminoles, and still have to go to Georgia and Auburn and also have LSU at home. Kalen DeBoer’s squad could possibly be staring at two losses by the end of September, which means they likely have to win out to avoid consecutive seasons without a CFP appearance in the 12-team era. Those who bought into the “It’s Bama, of course they’ll be back” narrative might be disappointed.  

Florida State

The performance against Alabama is what people expected last year from FSU. This was the classic “was it great FSU or bad Bama?” But if Thomas Castellanos can stay healthy in Gus Malzahn’s offense, the Noles are set to rebound big time. 

Clemson 

There was a lot of preseason hype for the Tigers but I kept bringing up reasons to be skeptical, and some of them surfaced in the opener. They couldn’t run worth a lick last week, and the injury to Antonio Williams was a big blow for them at wide receiver. This is obviously a team still capable of winning the ACC, but it’s worth noting they have road games at Louisville, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Boston College and have SMU at home. 

LSU 

Is LSU the best team in the SEC and even the most complete team in the country? Garrett Nussmeier is now the Heisman favorite at +800 and just took down a Clemson team that featured one of the Heisman favorite in Cade Klubnik as well as a defense that boasted multiple first round picks like T.J. Parker, Peter Woods and Avieon Terrell.

Ohio State 

The Buckeye defense was obviously incredible against the Longhorns, which might have surprised some people with how many starters they lost from last year’s title squad. Are we concerned at all about the offense, though? Texas’ defense is clearly really good but OSU had barely 200 yards. This was probably just a deal where the Ryan Day squad we see midseason is much better than the one we saw Saturday, right?

Texas

It’s going to be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes and how they are potentially judged—they shouldn’t be penalized for playing this game, but with a matchup at UGA and then others at Florida and vs A&M and Oklahoma, they could be a fascinating case study at 9-3. 

USC

Lincoln Riley engineered a game that featured complete destruction of an overmatched opponent in a 73-13 route against new FBS member Missouri State. Are the Trojans a sleeper CFP contender? 

Utah 

Arguably the most impressive win of the weekend, Utah absolutely pummeled a UCLA team that many thought be much improved from last season. Devon Dampier looked phenomenal; is he a dark horse Heisman candidate? A look at their schedule and it’s not unreasonable to think they could go 11-1. This is the Utes team I think most people thought we would get last year. Better late than never. With all the big wins this weekend (Ohio State, Florida State, LSU, Miami), I think Kyle Whittingham’s bunch are a sneaky choice as the most impressive.  

Revival in the Sunshine state

How about the schools in the sunshine state? Like I mentioned earlier, the unranked Noles took down No. 8 Alabama, No. 10 Miami beat a sixth-ranked Notre Dame team that played in the national title game last year, Florida posted a 55-point shutout against an FCS opponent, and even South Florida took down a No. 25 Boise State team that made the CFP last year. How real are the Canes, Noles and Gators this year? For what it’s worth, this is the first time since the 2006 preseason AP poll that all three schools are ranked in the top 15. 

QBs to watch

Here are some quarterbacks to watch out for who could make some runs at national awards if they continue an elevated level of play:

• Dante Moore: 18-of-23 for 213 yards, 3 pass TDs vs Montana State last week; played really well in his first career start for the Ducks.
• John Mateer: 30-of-37 for 392 yards, 3 pass TDs, 1 rush TD vs Illinois State last week; led the country in TDs responsible for last season with 44 and picked up right where he left off.
• Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele: 20-of-30 for 234 yards, 3 pass TDs vs Oregon State last week; could he be the savior for Cal football?
• Joey Aguilar: 16-of-28 for 247 yards, 3 pass TDs vs Syracuse last week; No Nico, no problem for the Vols?
• Malik Washington: 27-of-43 for 258 yards, 3 pass TDs vs FAU last week; any chance the Terps have to make a bowl rides on his shoulders.

Chris “The Bear” Fallica has lined sports activities for practically three many years. Whereas faculty soccer has been his focus, he additionally enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an “occasional” wager on such occasions. Chris not too long ago gained the inaugural Circa Soccer Invitational and completed within the Prime 10 of the Golden Nugget Soccer Contest. He is a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Keep in mind, “The much less you guess, the extra you lose once you win!” Comply with him on Twitter @chrisfallica.

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