Only three top-25 teams lost in Week 1: #5 LSU, #9 Clemson and unless you were under a rock, you know that the unranked Colorado Buffaloes led by new head coach Deion “Primetime” Sanders beat the #17 TCU Horned Frogs in a game that drew over 7 million viewers. A program that was 1-11 last season took out the 2022 National Runner-Up.
This is what college football brings us weekly, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Week 2. Follow along as we guide you through all the storylines, player profiles and game previews you need this college football season. Enjoy!
College Football Primer Week 2 (Devy Fantasy Football)
Favorite Storylines
Prime Time
Colorado was looking for a savior, and they have found one. Former Jackson State Head Coach Deion Sanders took the reigns of a team that went 1-11 last season and had essentially an entirely new roster created via recruiting and the transfer portal. In his first team meeting, he infamously said, “I’m bringing my Louis with me,” meaning star players from Jackson State, including his two sons QB Shedeur and FS Shilo Sanders, and Iron Man WR/CB Travis Hunter.
Expectations were sky-high for this Colorado team, considering the flashy new head coach and all the social media attention they received. They had to open on the road against #17 TCU, who finished #2 in the nation last season after losing the National Championship game to Georgia. Was the national television spotlight too much for Colorado? Nope. They beat TCU on the road 45-42. All that “Louis” Prime brought played as advertised. The QB, as mentioned earlier, Shedeur Sanders, had a record-setting game with an 80% completion percentage, 510 passing yards (school record), four TDs and zero INTs. His brother FS Shilo Sanders led the team with 10 total tackles (nine solo), and WR/CB Travis Hunter had a goal-line interception and 119 receiving yards, playing both sides of the ball.
Colorado jumped to #22 in the polls after the victory. They will play their home opener this Saturday against the 0-1 Nebraska Cornhuskers, who lost their opening game to Minnesota on a field goal as time expired. New head coach Matt Rhule will have the Huskers on upset alert, as I’m sure the country will again tune in to see if Colorado is legit.
Clemson Cliff Dive
Clemson came into this year ranked #9 in the preseason polls following a 2022 campaign in which they were 10-2 and won the ACC Conference. They lost to #6 Tennessee Volunteers in the Orange Bowl but still had a recruiting class ranked #11 overall. They opened on the road in Durham, N.C., at Duke and were looking to start the season 3-0 easily, with Duke, Charleston Southern and FAU leading into the ACC Showdown vs. Florida State.
Instead, Clemson looked like a team lost, which is what they did. They lost to Duke 28-7 and were never really in the game; even though they outrushed and outpassed the Blue Devils, they could not convert. Duke’s defense stopped Clemson three different times inside the 10-yard line. Duke got the early momentum and never gave it up.
Clemson has won seven of the last eight ACC titles and has been perennially ranked in the top 10 for several years. However, head coach Dabo Swinney must refocus this team and move on after an abysmal loss to a fellow ACC opponent. As of this writing, they only have three more ranked teams on their schedule: #4 Florida State, #10 Notre Dame and #17 UNC. I think they need to run the table and win convincingly to get the bad taste of this loss out of voters’ minds.
Player Spotlights
Quarterback
Michael Penix Jr. (SR – Washington) | 6-3, 213
Would it surprise you if I told you that dating back to 2022, Washington was 12-2? A team joining the Big Ten next year is off to a fast start this season behind the arm of QB Michael Penix, Jr. The Indiana Hoosier transfer is quietly one of the top QBs in the nation.
Last season, as a 13-game starter for Washington, he threw for over 4,600 yards, 31 TDs and eight INTs. This season, in a 56-19 win vs. Boise State, Penix Jr. threw for 450 yards, five TDs and no INTs. He is one of the many QB Heisman candidates this season, and that performance helped his cause. This week, the Huskies host Tulsa at home, whose defense did not have a proper test vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. I would expect another big game from Penix Jr. in a victory for the Huskies.
Running Back
Kimani Vidal (JR – Troy) | 5-8, 215
Sometimes, you have to give the small players at the small schools some love. However, Kimani Vidal doesn’t run small at all. Last week, he had 25 carries for 248 yards, good for a ridiculous 9.9 yards per carry. And this isn’t the first time he popped two bills either. Last year, the All-Sun Belt RB ran for over 200 yards in two separate games en route to a 1,132-yard season.
I don’t think the holes will be as open this week as they were last week when Troy beat Stephen F. Austin. They travel to Manhattan, Kan., to play Kansas State. K-State shut out Southeast Missouri State’s running game in Week 1, as they allowed a measly six yards of rushing. Troy always plays big in big games. With Vidal’s experience and confidence coming off last week’s game, he could maybe show that he belongs among the conversation of the top running backs in the nation.
Wide Receiver
Xavier Legette (SR – South Carolina) | 6-3, 227
Xavier Legette was a four-star receiver in the 2019 class out of Mullins, S.C. His only offer other than the Gamecocks came from Tennessee. He decided to stay home, but it hasn’t paid dividends for him until now. Last week, in the loss to #17 North Carolina, Legette had nine catches for 178 yards. He was QB Spencer Rattler‘s favorite receiver, tripling the number of catches of any other South Carolina receiver. With 178 yards, he has already eclipsed his entire receiving total from 13 games played last season (167 yards).
South Carolina gets a bye week this week as they welcome in for their home opener, Furman. Even though Furman dismantled Tennesse Tech last week, they still gave up 248 passing yards. If South Carolina’s top receiver Antwane Wells remains injured, Legette should see the bulk of targets in a blowout win. South Carolina desperately needs a win, as they play in Athens, Ga., in two weeks vs. the reigning back-to-back National Champs.
Tight End
Benjamin Yurosek (SR – Stanford) | 6-4, 242
Benjamin Yurosek currently leads all tight ends in the nation in receiving. Yeah, it’s only been one week, but he still performed in an emotional game at Hawaii with nine catches, 138 yards and a TD. He finished last season as an All-Pac-12 TE with 49 catches, 449 yards and a TD. He’s already over a quarter of the way to his best-receiving yards total at Stanford. As a senior, he was named a Preseason All-Pac-12 TE, named to the Mackey Award Watchlist (for best TE in the nation) and the Senior Bowl Watchlist.
Stanford travels to the Rose Bowl this week to play a 2-0 USC team led by the Heisman favorite, QB Caleb Williams. Thus far, in both their wins, USC has allowed 198 passing yards to San Jose State and 311 passing yards to Nevada. And with USC heavily favored by 29.5 points, it is safe to say that Stanford will likely be playing from behind. This should open up the passing game for Yurosek and the Cardinal. We will see if Yurosek gets open during this final meeting of Pac-12 opponents as both teams head to new conferences next season.
Games Of The Week
#11 Texas vs. #3 Alabama (-7)
This is easily the game of the week. I know people are hyped about the Nebraska-Colorado game, but let’s be honest: Texas vs. Alabama is the premier game this weekend. Last season, Alabama won by one point in Austin, Texas, but before QB Quinn Ewers got hurt, the Longhorns looked like they were in complete control. The problem Texas has this year is the lack of a ground game. RBs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson are both in the NFL now. Last week, against Rice, all rushers combined for just 107 yards. Will that put too much pressure on Ewers if he has to throw the ball 40+ times?
On the other hand, Alabama doesn’t have Mac Jones or Bryce Young anymore and instead has a trio of QBs: Jalen Milroe, the presumed starter, Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson. Milroe had a solid game against Rice, going 13 for 18 for 194 yards and three TDs. On paper, Alabama is a 7.0-point favorite. The Crimson Tide has a home-field advantage, but with an inexperienced QB, the lack of a powerful run game, and an opponent who smells blood, I think the Longhorns could pull out the win in Tuscaloosa, Ala. It will be a fun game to watch.
#20 Ole Miss (-7) vs. #24 Tulane
This is a tale of two teams with a completely different end to their last season. Ole Miss ended their 2022 season going 1-5 over their last six games. While Tulane, a Cinderella of sorts, ended 2022 going 5-1 with a victory over #10 USC in the Cotton Bowl. Both teams look to start strong this season with a second victory as they play at Tulane this Saturday. Tulane QB Michael Pratt was nearly perfect last week in a win vs. South Alabama, going 14 of 15 for 294 yards and four TDs. Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart, who won a very contested QB battle with Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders, also went 18 of 23 for 334 yards and four TDs in the win last week vs. Mercer.
One interesting fact about this game is that Tulane’s new stadium only holds 30,000 people. It’s a bit of a difference from when they played in the Superdome. To say this place will be rockin’ is an understatement, as this will be the first time Tulane hosts a ranked SEC team at this stadium. Tulane may not have Ole Miss’s high-profile recruits, but they have a solid core of veterans from last year’s team who should rise to the challenge. The last time these two teams played, Ole Miss destroyed Tulane in Oxford, Miss., 61-21. Even though Ole Miss is coming off a 73-7 win against Mercer, Tulane should give them a much closer game. Ole Miss is only a 7.0-point favorite, but we will see how if crowd’s energy can push Tulane to an upset.
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