Our No. 19 Washington Huskies barely scraped by Utah State with a nail-biting 16-14 win, needing every single second to survive that game. Seriously, *every second*. If that doesn’t scream early season trouble for the Big Ten, then Week 2 just dropped a massive, unmistakable reality check on the entire conference. Listen, the Big Ten has owned college football for the last three seasons, dominating like nobody’s business, but based on these early returns, that championship streak? Man, it’s in serious jeopardy already. This isn’t just a slow start, this is a full-on head-scratcher.
Big Ten Blues Are Real
And it wasn’t just our boys up in Montlake barely clinging on. No, this was a league-wide faceplant, a total disaster for more than a few teams. No. 1 Ohio State and No. 6 Oregon both lost in close ones, with Oregon’s defeat feeling way more embarrassing than their ranking should allow. Sure, Michigan pulled off a solid upset against No. 11 Oklahoma, which is cool, but then you gotta look at Minnesota’s sloppy performance against Mississippi State and Illinois ‘ absolute collapse against Duke. These aren’t just bad losses, these are the kind of games that could have some real, ugly negative implications. For a conference that’s been the top dog for three straight years, these early returns are flat-out not good. If Week 2 is any indication, the Big Ten won’t make it four straight years running college football. No way.
Sark’s Redemption and the Wild, Wild West
But while the Big Ten was busy tripping, Steve Sarkisian and No. 4 Texas were having themselves a *moment*. For real, this was huge. Since moving to the SEC in 2024, Sark’s Longhorns were literally 0-5 against the sport’s biggest standard-bearers, Ohio State and Georgia. Those Buckeyes games from the past? Painful losses. But Week 2 was completely different. Texas was down 20 points going into the fourth quarter against No. 1 Ohio State. And Arch Manning, man, he stepped up huge. The Longhorns orchestrated three incredibly clutch, 10+ play drives for touchdowns in that final period. They sealed the win on a goal-line set, exorcising some serious, long-standing demons. The Sarkisian era just got a massive shot of new life, and Texas is now looking like the prohibitive favorite for the national championship. Talk about a comeback!
And it wasn’t the only shocker rocking the college football world, either. Oklahoma State pulled off a stunning upset over Oregon, snapping a crazy 21-game FBS skid. Michigan stunned No. 11 Oklahoma. UTSA used a late touchdown from Brandon High to beat rival Texas State, and No. 10 Texas A&M outlasted Arizona State with a few defensive touchdowns. Even Jesse Legree, a wide receiver for Oregon State, was singled out as a winner, even though his team fell just short against No. 13 Texas Tech in a tough 35-24 decision. Week 2 was absolutely wild, delivering upsets across the board.
So, what’s the takeaway from all this chaos? Texas just bought themselves some much-needed breathing room with a brutal schedule still ahead, and they’ve definitively put the whole league on notice. They look legit. The Big Ten, though? Man, they’ve got to figure things out fast. With early returns looking this rough, that supposed clear pathway for Ohio State and Oregon to return to national title contention is looking a lot steeper. The conference needs to clean it up. This college football season just got a whole lot more interesting after one absolutely crazy Saturday. Can’t wait for Week 3!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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