Winners and losers from Week 2 of college football: Tennessee won't be overlooked

Week 2 of the 2024 college football season has concluded and by now, some signs are starting to show that some are contenders while others are pretenders. This second full weekend of the season saw more of the shocking upsets that will make contending for a college football playoff spot even harder.

One of the biggest upsets of the weekend featured a MAC team knocking off a top-five-ranked team. Another featured an elite team from last season that started to see the cracks of their team structure.

Looking on the positive side of week two, several teams look more than expected from the preseason. Just from two weeks of action, several SEC and Big 12 are going to be contenders for a national championship to conference championship weekend.

Here are the top winners & losers from week two.

Loser: Michigan Wolverines

It was going to be a difficult task for the defending national champions in the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines to be the same team from last year. The Wolverines lost key personnel from their championship team including head coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corum, several offensive linemen and valuable defenders. That is not counting the players who left the program via the transfer portal.

The Wolverines are attempting a championship run with a completely new team. The results haven’t been easy. After defeating the Fresno State Bulldogs in week one, the Wolverines had the tough task of hosting the No. 3 Texas Longhorns, who were legitimate contenders for a championship.

The Wolverines encountered three turnovers, they were held to under 100 rushing yards, quarterback Davis Warren had a QBR of 47.6 and the defense allowed 389 total yards. Texas would go on to win decisively 31-12 on the road in the game of the week.

The defending national champs showed just how vulnerable they were when faced a power five opponent. It won’t get easier for Michigan as it will host No. 13 USC in two weeks, play No. 7 Oregon later on and go on the road to take on No. 2 Ohio State at the end of the season. 

Winner: Tennessee Volunteers

All eyes are on No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama regarding SEC play, but that doesn’t mean they could be the only teams in the playoff. No. 14 Tennessee has looked incredibly impressive through the first two weeks of the season.

One of the biggest and most underrated games of the week was the Duke’s Mayo Classic between No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 NC State. The Volunteers dominated the Wolfpack on both sides of the ball against a ranked opponent. Tennessee was nearly perfect except for two interceptions from quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

The Volunteers outgained the Wolfpack 460-to-143 in total yards accumulated. The Volunteers’ running game looks elite as the team rushed for a total of 249 yards and three touchdowns.

The Volunteers came away with a 51-10 victory, which is one of the more impressive performances of the week. They are the team that is going to one of the biggest jumps in the polls, especially with higher-ranked teams struggling to win against non-power opponents. 

Loser: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The most shocking upset of the week was in South Bend as the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost to a team for the first time in program history. The Irish host the Northern Illinois Huskies and gave the program $1.4 million and then lost to the team 16-14.

Notre Dame had stability on defense for a good portion of the game but lacked the explosiveness to truly make an impact of more than two scoring drives. The Fighting Irish did rush for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, but quarterback Riley Leonard’s two interceptions were momentum killers. Defensively, Notre Dame only accounted for three tackles for a loss and no sacks.

Notre Dame had a statement win at No. 20 Texas A&M last week but failed to carry the momentum over into this week. It doesn’t get easier for the Fighting Irish as they have a couple of tough road games like Purdue and No. 13 USC later on in the season. This team looks like they lacked the aggressiveness for a playoff push. 

Winner: Northern Illinois Huskies

Speaking of Northern Illinois, the Huskies put themselves in a very good position. The program received over a million dollars to face the Fighting Irish and showed they have the focus and drive to win.

Several key performances helped the Huskies get the shocking win. One of them was running back Antario Brown, who made a big impact in the running and passing game. Brown rushed for 99 yards on 20 carries while catching two receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown in the middle of the first quarter.

The Huskies outgained the Fighting Irish 388-to-286 in total yards accounted for, won the turnover battle 2-to-0 and won the time of possession.

The biggest outcome of this game was not just the Fighting Irish’s damages for the playoff hunt, but how likely the Huskies will make the playoff. Northern Illinois plays in one of the weakest conferences in college football and they have one more power five opponent in NC State, who just got dominated by Tennessee.

The Huskies have shown they can defeat any ranked opponent. Even if the Huskies fall to the Wolfpack in two weeks, if the Huskies finish the regular season with a 12-1 record by dominating the MAC, then a playoff spot is incredibly likely as the No. 12 seed. 

Losers: Colorado Buffaloes

The Colorado Buffaloes are one of the most polarizing teams in college football thanks to their head coach and two star players. Outside of them, the Buffaloes have some problems.

The Buffaloes finished last season with a 4-8 overall record based on the poor play of the offensive line and the defense. This year looks to be no exception as Colorado didn’t have an answer for a rebuilding Nebraska Cornhuskers on the road.

The Cornhuskers’ defense forced Sanders into uncomfortable passing situations consistently. Sanders had a QBR of 24.4. The Cornhuskers’ defense accounted for six sacks, 10 tackles for loss and two turnovers.

After one loss, the Buffaloes are playing the blame game with Sanders criticizing the offensive line. Colorado doesn’t have the time to panic as it prepares for in-state rival Colorado State, who will be looking for revenge from last season. The Buffaloes will also face four teams currently ranked in the top 25.