This past weekend, the second of the college football season, brought some unexpected outcomes. From teams climbing in the rankings, to games canceled across the state of Florida, this weekend was not one to miss.
No. 2 Oklahoma rose three spots in the AP Top 25 poll after defeating No. 8 Ohio State University by a score of 31-16, dropping them six spots in the ranking. Due to Oklahoma’s loss of three key players who were drafted into the NFL, Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon, and Dede Westbrook, the team was set back. Even with the missing players, they started this season off on the right foot. This impressive start of Oklahoma’s season can be credited to the senior quarterback Baker Mayfield, who threw for three touchdowns and 386 yards passing. After the game, Mayfield silenced the crowd by taking a victory lap with the Sooner flag around the field, and he eventually plunged it into the ground on the Ohio State logo at midfield. This was provoked from last year’s defeat at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where Ohio State sang their fight song after the game.
The Clemson Tigers, now at No. 3, took a 14-6 victory against No. 15 Auburn. Clemson looks to be off to a great start this season as the defending national champions. Auburn however shows promise for the rest of the year after with a solid defensive showing compared to Clemson’s strong attack, holding Clemson to only two touchdowns.
No. 4 USC won 42-24 against No. 19 Stanford, leaving the Trojans undefeated with two wins. Running back Ronald Jones II, wide receiver Deontay Burnett, and wide receiver Steven Mitchell Jr. all helped USC by each scoring two touchdowns in the game.
Many of the weekend’s matchups resulted in lopsided victories, with drastic score differences. No. 16 Virginia Tech took a lopsided victory over Delaware at 27-0. The University of Texas won over San Jose State by a score of 56-0. Vanderbilt won against Alabama A&M with a score of 42-0. The University of Southern Mississippi won in a blowout victory over Southern University 45-0.
Hurricane Irma disrupted all games for Florida football players. Due to anticipated bad weather, schools including Florida State University, the University of Miami, the University of South Florida, and the University of Florida all had games rescheduled, postponed, or canceled. The Florida State and Louisiana-Monroe game, originally scheduled at 7 p.m. Saturday night, was moved up to noon to allow the teams to remain safe when playing and traveling. UF and Northern Colorado canceled their game due to the hurricane and evacuation traffic.
As the season is only two weeks in, teams are showing their skills and settling in throughout the first few games. Players have begun to show new talents and rankings are already in fluctuation. Check in next week for an update on the rest of the college football season, with highly-anticipated games between No. 3 Clemson and No. 14 Louisville, and No. 23 Tennessee and No. 24 Florida.