CFB Wrap-Up: Takeaways from Week 2's biggest games

College Football Wrap-Up recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Marcus Freeman's got an upset problem

Sometimes the roller coaster gives you the thrill of a lifetime and sometimes it sends you to the closest trash bin to vomit the day's lunch. Notre Dame fans have experienced both with Marcus Freeman so far this season. After going on the road and delivering a statement win at Texas A&M last week, the Fighting Irish laid an absolute egg at home Saturday, losing to 28.5-point underdog Northern Illinois.

To make matters worse, the Huskies were paid $1.4 million for the pleasure of coming and posting a historic win for their program. The loss was shocking - but it's also the latest data point in a trend that's developed at Notre Dame since Freeman took the head coaching job in 2022.

Sep. 10, 2022: Lost to 20.5-point underdog Marshall, paid $1.25 million for the game
Oct. 15, 2022: Lost at home to 16-point underdog Stanford, the Cardinal's first FBS win in a year

Including Saturday's setback, Freeman's Irish now account for three of the 28 losses by a home favorite of 16 points or more since 2022. Postgame, he acknowledged this wasn't uncharted territory.

Notre Dame's performance can be picked apart in a number of areas, but the most glaring problem was the lack of offensive production. The Irish couldn't crack the 300-yard mark and were outgained by more than 100 yards on offense. Riley Leonard and the passing attack simply weren't good enough, and his second interception of the day led to the game-winning points by Northern Illinois.

Last week, most of the media - this outlet included - gushed about Notre Dame as a virtual lock for the 12-team playoff given its win over the Aggies and a very favorable schedule the rest of the way. Saturday provided a harsh reminder of why predicting wins is a fool's errand when it comes to most college programs - but especially Notre Dame.

Thomas Hammock is college football

No, Northern Illinois won't make a deep playoff run, and there likely isn't a pro prospect on the roster. That didn't matter Saturday. The MAC program's upset is one for the ages, and Huskies fans will never forget it. Afterward, head coach Thomas Hammock provided the latest example of why we love college football.

Texas makes case for No. 1

Texas and Michigan both qualified for last year's four-team College Football Playoff. The Longhorns fell to Washington while the Wolverines won the title, but it's fair to say there wasn't much of a gap between the two. Just eight months later, that gap is about as wide as the distance from Austin to Ann Arbor.

Saturday at Michigan, the visitors were ready to play from the jump and the hosts were woefully unprepared. Texas absolutely dominated in the opening 30 minutes as Steve Sarkisian's elite play-calling diced up Michigan's defense. The Longhorns had the ball five times in the opening half; they scored three touchdowns, kicked a field goal, and missed another field-goal attempt. Quinn Ewers repeatedly showed why he's a future first-round pick with high-level tosses all over the field.

The Texas defense, which lost a number of key contributors from last year, forced back-to-back turnovers in the half and stifled any form of Michigan offense. That resulted in an outrageous 39-of-46 plays happening inside the host's territory. Michigan managed to score a touchdown in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter - otherwise, the Longhorns would have snapped the program's 10-year streak of scoring a touchdown in every game.

There's still plenty of football left, but barring injury, Texas looks poised to be one of the last teams competing for the championship again.

Michigan's offense is lost

First, let's honor the fact that Michigan piled up 23 straight home wins at the Big House heading into Saturday's game. That achievement needs to be recognized ... because it might be a very long time before the Wolverines faithful see anything like that again.

Yes, Michigan lost half its coaching roster (including a particularly ambitious low-level staffer) and a number of top players to the NFL after its dream title run. However, the Texas sideline also features plenty of new faces who weren't key contributors last year.

Michigan entered the offseason knowing it needed to replace first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy and top-two receivers Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson. The program's plan appears to be sitting tight with what it has - which failed miserably versus Texas and wasn't particularly successful in Week 1 against Fresno State. The Wolverines' inaction is especially damning compared to how fellow Big Ten powerhouses Ohio State and Oregon attacked those positions in the offseason.

The Buckeyes added Will Howard as their starting quarterback and nabbed the nation's top-ranked receiver, Jeremiah Smith, in recruiting. The Ducks hit the portal to replace Bo Nix by taking Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma. Oregon also beefed up a receiver group that lost Troy Franklin by bringing in Evan Stewart from Texas A&M.

Michigan looked at a quarterback battle between former walk-on Davis Warren and Alex Orji and decided that was good enough. Warren eventually won and is averaging 161 yards passing through two games with more interceptions than touchdowns. The receivers routinely fail to get separation downfield, often hanging Warren out to dry. Take away the Wolverines' final two drives, when the game was already out of reach, and they put up under 160 yards of total offense.

Their defense remains a star-laden outfit that's among the best in the country, but the offense's inability to move the ball left that unit exposed for far too long Saturday. That needs to change if Michigan has any hope of making the 12-team playoff in Sherrone Moore's first season as head coach.

Alabama's 'ugly' 26-point win

Alabama honored Nick Saban on Saturday by emblazoning the legendary coach's name on the playing surface at Bryant-Denny Stadium. But those who thought it would be a joyous event for Saban don't know him very well.

It's probably a safe bet new coach Kalen DeBoer felt the same way for a large part of the contest against South Florida. For the second year in a row, Alabama struggled mightily against the Bulls for most of the outing. While the 42-16 final score suggests domination, it was a 14-13 game with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Despite the 42 points, the biggest takeaway from the win is that the offense seriously needs to work on its consistency.

The Tide had 14 drives in the contest, and seven ended in punts after five plays or less. Taking away the touchdowns and one end-of-half kneeldown, the other nine drives gained just 37 yards on a total of 35 plays. It didn't hurt Alabama on Saturday, but that lack of production leaves a weary defense on the field for far too long. That'll have to change by the time the Tide get into the SEC portion of their schedule.

Colorado is a dud

This year, the calendar didn't even flip to October before we could write off Colorado as a serious program. Nebraska bulldozed the Buffaloes on Saturday, demonstrating the huge difference in these programs' trajectories. They faced off last year in Boulder with both Deion Sanders and Matt Rhule in their first seasons as head coach. Colorado emerged from that sloppy contest with a victory to keep the hype train rolling. While the train derailed not long after, Sanders could at least point to that success as a highlight from Year 1.

It was immediately apparent that this year's game wouldn't be a highlight for Colorado. Sanders had pledged to improve the offensive line to keep Shedeur Sanders healthy after last season, and the early returns are discouraging: The Cornhuskers had four sacks and five hurries in the first half alone. Nebraska outgained the Buffaloes 213-112 in the half to build a 28-0 advantage and essentially end the game before the break.

Colorado should have a good chance to beat Colorado State next week, but Saturday's dismal showing makes it borderline impossible to imagine the Buffaloes finding any form of success in Big 12 play. They've shown virtually no progression from last year's team - the direct opposite of a much-improved Nebraska that's starting true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola in Rhule's second year with the program.

The Buffaloes have two of the sport's elite talents in quarterback Shedeur and Travis Hunter. However, not even the world's best driver can save a vehicle with a malfunctioning engine and a crew chief who doesn't know how to fix it.

Tennessee's got more than just electric offense

Any team with Josh Heupel as head coach is going to get plenty of attention. The Tennessee boss is one of the most prolific offensive minds in the county - which is on full display virtually any time the Volunteers take the field. It was no different on Saturday when the SEC outfit exploded for 51 points against NC State. But, while that was certainly impressive, the defense is the area to focus on.

The Volunteers held the Wolfpack to an absurd 143 offensive yards on the night at a paltry 2.9 yards per play. That effort included an 85-yard pick-6 in the opening half and an eye-popping 13 tackles for loss. The only touchdown the Wolfpack scored on the night was a late pick-6 off a deflected pass.

While its opening game was against FCS Chattanooga, it's still worth highlighting Tennessee's outrageous 120-13 point differential on the season. The only touchdown wasn't on the defense, so that unit has now played 120 minutes without allowing a major score. Combine that with the prolific offense and the rest of the SEC should be very worried about a date with the Volunteers.

McCord shines for Syracuse

If Kyle McCord keeps lighting up the opposition, it could be a very boozy season for Ryan Day.

After the quarterback shone in Syracuse's Week 1 victory, Orange coach Fran Brown joked that he "should send Ryan Day a bottle of champagne for allowing us to get him," according to CNY Central's Ashley Wenskoski. The Ohio State head coach should make sure to hold out for something premium this week after McCord torched Georgia Tech at home in an upset win.

Despite a fairly strong opening season as starter, Day and Ohio State didn't guarantee the Buckeyes' starting quarterback job to McCord for 2024. That spurred McCord to enter the portal and ultimately join Brown in his first season as Orange head coach.

That move looks like an absolute steal. McCord threw for a whopping 381 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday's 31-28 victory over the Yellow Jackets. That came on the heels of his 354-yard, four-touchdown showing in the season opener against Ohio. Considering the Orange ranked 123rd in the country with 152 passing yards per game last year, it's tough to argue that any 2024 college football transfer has made a bigger impact so far this season.

A very on-brand Cy-Hawk hero

Of course a kicker was the star of the Cy-Hawk rivalry game Saturday. The annual contest between Iowa and Iowa State is steeped in a rich tradition of standout defense, smashmouth football, and excellence on special teams. That was once again the case as the Cyclones rode the brilliance of kicker Kyle Konrardy to a comeback victory.

Konrardy drilled a 46-yard field goal to bring Iowa State within two points in the fourth and then hammered home a game-winning 54-yard boot in the dying seconds for Matt Campbell's program. A college kicker comfortably making a 54-yard kick to win a game is rare enough, but Konrardy had zero career field goals to his name entering play, making his performance even more impressive.

The victory is also another sign that the balance of power is shifting in the state. Campbell lost his first five meetings to Kirk Ferentz as Cyclones head coach but has now claimed two of the last three - both on the road - in the series.