10 Takeaways: Week Two

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1. It was a beautiful day to be a college football fan

I'm pretty sure I've said it on this site before, but I'll repeat it now: I never want to be one of those people who says, "It was better back in my day," when it comes to college football. Sure, I love the history of the sport - but days like Saturday are exactly why it's still the best.

Week two gave us great games, big upsets that shifted the national landscape, and everything in between. No matter how much the overarching noise about the sport surrounds stuff like NIL, the transfer portal, and conference re-alignment, the games and the stories that come from them will always be the most important thing.

How can you not love Northern Illinois Head Coach Thomas Hammock getting choked up talking about the Huskies' upset of Notre Dame?

Does it not mean something to you watching two bluebloods like Texas and Michigan do battle in front of 100,000-plus?

Where else can you get a feeling like this?

The 2024 season is off to a hell of a start, and I can't wait to see how the next three months unfold.

2. Texas lays the smack down on Michigan

It's clear that Michigan is nowhere near the same team they were last year, but I'll be damned if I downplay Texas walking into the Big House and kicking them up and down the field for four quarters. The Longhorns controlled every facet of the game right from the start, and the 31-12 final score doesn't do justice to how bad of a beatdown it was.

What stood out the most to me was how badly Texas outclassed Michigan in the trenches. The Wolverines have pushed around nearly every team they've played since losing to Georgia in the 2021 playoff semifinals, so it was a shocking to watch them get dismantled on the interior to such a degree. On the occasions that they did get through, Texas QB Quinn Ewers calmly stepped up, moved the pocket, and diced them up. I'd also be remiss to not mention Longhorns safety Andrew Mukuba, who I thought was the best player for either team. He had four tackles, an interception, and was all over the field:

On the flipside, it's time to re-calibrate expectations for Michigan. I don't know how you look at them as anything but a more talented version of Iowa until they figure out what to do at quarterback. The only problem is that the answer isn't on their roster right now. Neither of Davis Warren or Alex Orji are legitimate Big Ten-caliber QBs, and their defense isn't dominant enough this year to mask that against equal (or better) competition. With games left against USC, Oregon and Ohio State, a fourth-straight trip to the playoff feels like a longshot.

3. Northern Illinois sticks to their guns and upsets Notre Dame

Whether it's settling for a late field goal or dropping into a soft coverage on a final drive, there's nothing I hate more than an underdog playing it safe. I've seen far too many upsets die at the hands of conservative coaching. That's why I love how Northern Illinois' defense brought the heat on the second-to-last play of their upset over No. 5 Notre Dame:

Their 16-14 win was a product of far more than just this play, but it illustrates exactly why they won. Instead of letting the Irish dictate the terms of the final sequence –something Boise State failed do with Oregon– the Huskies were the aggressor. If Notre Dame got in field goal range, it would be because they made something happen - not because NIU let them. Even in the ensuing 62-yard field goal attempt, the Huskies stayed on the attack. They blocked their second kick of the game, and picked up the biggest win in school history.

As far as what this means for Notre Dame? It's starting to feel like this is just the kind of stuff Marcus Freeman's teams do. This loss is too similar to one against Marshall in 2022 to think it's a random occurrence. The Irish didn't look prepared, and Freeman admitted exactly that in his postgame presser. It doesn't mean that he's a bad coach or should be fired, but it should end any discussion about whether Notre Dame's taken the next step to actual contender status. This is the same program it's been for the better part of the last decade-plus - very good, not great.