After an enthralling week one posed many questions, the college football world turns it gaze to week two. With another big slate of games and lots of questions that need answering, here is what to watch for in the second week of college football.
Was Adrian Martinez’s Bad Performance a Blip?
Nebraska’s offense toiled in the season opener against a much weaker side in South Alabama. Their struggles were none more prevalent that with their quarterback Adrian Martinez. Martinez was one of the most hyped quarterbacks coming in to the season after a stellar freshman year, he will need a big performance to live up to that hype.
Martinez’s biggest issue may be the opponent. Colorado are a much better quality of opponent than South Alabama and will provide a stern test for the Cornhuskers. This is a rivalry game, the pressure will be on. Only a win and a good performance will suffice for Nebraska.
How Will Justin Fields Fare Against A Better Defense?
28 first quarter points from the Ohio State offense blew away FAU last week. Spearheaded by the dual threat brilliance of Justin Fields, FAU had no answer. This weekend Ohio State faces a tough in-state team in Cincinnati, the defense of the Bearcats will be a much tougher unit for Fields to dice up than last week. The second year quarterback will be starting only his second college game, mistakes will happen, but Ohio State will have enough to win regardless.
Can the Vols bounce back?
As the clock ticked down on last weekends match between Georgia State and Tennessee, Vols fans would be forgiven if they thought their team had hit rock bottom. For a team with a history that rich, losing to a bottom of the group of five team is utterly shambolic.
This week, the Vols face a BYU side that hung around against a supremely talented Utah team last week. Tennessee’s players will have to step up after a sorry showing last week. This game is a must win for the regime at Tennessee, lose and the season is most definitely over.
Win Or Go Home!
When LSU come to Austin to face off against Texas on Saturday night one thing is clear for two teams looking to make the leap from playoff contenders to semi-finalists. This game is must win. If either of these sides wants to get in to the playoff, it’ll probably be in the fourth spot. To do so they will need to have high calibre wins on their record. Whoever is successful will gain lots of credibility with the playoff committee.
The game is headlined by the battle between Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger and LSU’s vaunted secondary. If Ehlinger is to carve them up, it’ll be sure to feature on his Heisman highlights package come the end of the season. On the other side of the ball LSU safety Grant Delpit could confirm himself as a top ten pick with a big performance this weekend.
Can The Aggies Upset The Tigers?
After both sides blew away lower calibre opposition in week one, two teams with playoff aspirations face off in week two. The game is in Death Valley and Clemson are the reigning national champions. All signs point towards a Clemson victory. However this Texas A&M team have talent and a chip on their shoulders.
A&M quarterback Kellen Mood will know he isn’t as highly rated as his opposition counterpart Trevor Lawrence. If Mond can play with a chip on his shoulder and if the A&M offense can stay mistake free, they will push Clemson all the way. However, I cannot see past Clemson in this one.
Image – LSU Athletics