Week 2 in college football is loaded at the top, and the headliner is exactly the kind of matchup that gets everybody talking early: No. 1 Ohio State against No.
5 Texas. It’s a rematch of last year’s opener, when Ohio State won 14-7 at home, but this one comes with a different feel.
The game is in Austin, Arch Manning has a full year of starting experience behind him, and both teams looked sharp in Week 1.
Ohio State’s offense, in particular, arrived already looking like it’s in midseason form. Julian Sayin went 21-of-25 for 320 passing yards and four total touchdowns, while Jeremiah Smith piled up eight catches for 151 yards and two scores.
Texas was businesslike as well, which is why this one feels like a real early-season measuring stick. The winner can make a strong claim as the best team in the country.
The loser won’t be done, but the road gets tighter fast.
And there’s no soft landing ahead for either side. Ohio State still has road games at No.
22 Iowa on Oct. 3, No.
6 Indiana on Oct. 17 and No. 14 USC on Oct. 31, plus home dates with No.
2 Oregon on Nov. 7 and No. 16 Michigan on Nov.
- Texas has six AP top 25 teams left on the schedule: No.
20 Tennessee on Sep. 26, No.
10 Oklahoma on Oct. 10, No.
9 Ole Miss on Oct. 24, No.
25 Missouri on Nov. 7, No.
11 LSU on Nov. 14 and No. 8 Texas A&M on Nov.
- Only Ole Miss is at home.
Elsewhere, Michigan’s latest win over Western Michigan has shoved the Wolverines back into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Lane Kiffin and LSU briefly escaped the public enemy No. 1 label, only for Michigan to reclaim it after the controversial added-second finish.
The Big Ten spent two hours trying to explain it away, saying the clock shown on television wasn’t real, but that didn’t do much to calm the noise. The Wolverines were already carrying the baggage of the sign-stealing controversy that shadowed their 2023 national championship, and now they’re back in villain territory.
That matters because the game against Oklahoma brings SEC referees into the mix, which means Michigan’s usual favoritism should be minimal. It also matters because the quarterback situation is getting shaky.
Sophomore Bryce Underwood struggled badly against Western Michigan before the extra down bailed Michigan out, and first-year Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham made it clear Monday that patience is running thin, calling him "our QB right now... At some point, we've got to turn a corner." (h/t ESPN) Oklahoma, which ranked seventh in FBS in points allowed last season at 15.5 per game and shut out its opener, may not be the ideal opponent for Underwood to find his footing.
The Border War is back on the calendar too, with Missouri and Kansas meeting Friday in the 123rd edition of the rivalry. Missouri has won the last four, and the series, which resumed in 2025 after a long pause from 2012-24 following Missouri’s SEC move, is about to go quiet again. After this weekend, the rivalry takes another four-year break before returning in 2031, so the winner gets bragging rights for a long time.
North Carolina, meanwhile, is dealing with another messy chapter. Last Thursday, former general manager Michael Lombardi resigned while under investigation, a situation his representative Tom Mars had dismissed as a "witch hunt." Later that day, WRAL News reported troubling allegations around the program, including questions about potential drug use by defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who has been away from the team since early August.
"Unrelated to Steve Belichick," WRAL wrote, a lawyer who is part of the probe "asked about reports of a purported sexual relationship between a female recruiting staff member and at least one UNC player."
Bill Belichick addressed the situation Monday after North Carolina’s Week 1 bye, saying, "We want to run the program in the very best way. And if there's things we need to do to correct it, then we'll obviously do them.
"Everybody's responsible, including me, for doing things properly," Belichick added. The investigation is still unfolding, and depending on what comes out of it, this may not stay his problem for long.
In Other News...
Clemson Loss Put Fans In The Middle Of An Ugly Postgame Debate
The aftermath of LSUs win over Clemson did not stay on the field for long. Once the game ended, a video of Lane Kiffin shoving a college student began making the rounds online, adding a jarring postgame footnote to a night that was supposed to be remembered for the Tigers result and the energy around it.
It also landed in the middle of a broader conversation about what happens when crowds spill into the field and emotions boil over. A separate scene from the Border War between Wyoming and Colorado State showed a Wyoming player shoving a Colorado State fan as the field was rushed, and both clips have kept the debate going well beyond the final whistle about where celebration ends and conduct becomes a problem. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Got Caught In College Footballs Eligibility Chaos
A Baton Rouge judge was weighing whether two former NFL players should be cleared to play for LSU this fall, a reminder of just how tangled college footballs eligibility rules have become. For a program like LSU, where every roster move is scrutinized and every available player matters, the case lands in the middle of a broader fight over who gets to decide when an athlete is eligible, how transfers are handled and what standards still apply in a sport that keeps changing underneath itself.
That backdrop is what has helped push the issue to Capitol Hill, where Sen. Ted Cruz has been promoting the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act. The proposal is designed to set federal standards for eligibility, name, image and likeness rules and transfers, while giving the NCAA limited antitrust protection so it can enforce those rules with more authority. A Senate vote is expected between Sept. 15 and 23, and for LSU and everyone else trying to navigate the uncertainty, the question is whether lawmakers can bring some order to a system that keeps ending up in court. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Clemson Statement Just Sparked A Bigger Early Season Question
LSUs season-opening win over Clemson did more than announce the Tigers as an early national force. It also turned into a showcase for the kind of balance Brian Kelly wants from this team, with the SEC handing out a cluster of weekly honors after the 51-10 rout. Quarterback Sam Leavitt was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton picked up SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week and defensive end Jordan Ross earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.
For LSU, the recognition is a useful snapshot of where the program stands after one weekend, even if it also raises the next question the Tigers will have to answer: whether that performance was a one-night burst or the start of something more sustainable. Clemson was a statement opponent, and LSUs response was emphatic on both sides of the ball. The challenge now is carrying that standard into the grind that follows, because early awards are nice, but they only matter if they reflect what this team can keep doing. [Read more 🡒]