College Football Trending Teams After Week 2
By Tyler Smith and Matt Hetzler 9/12/16
Matt's Trending Up
Arkansas - Arkansas proved they are a player in the SEC West race this season. Arkansas dominated TCU for 3 quarters before Kenny Hill got loose. After a huge swing in momentum the Razorbacks were able to recover and tie the game late. Arkansas showed a lot of grit in this game and the offense looked really good in this one. I was a doubter on Arky coming into the season but now I’m a believer.
Central Michigan - To be fair to Oklahoma State they really won the game. But, the fact that CMU hung around with a talented high potent offense and had a chance to win is the story. Cooper Rush was amazing finishing with 361 yards passing and 4 TD’s. The crazy hail mary finish will be remembered by CMU fans for a long long time.
Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh won the battle of Pennsylvania. The rushing attack for the Panthers is punishing against the PSU defense. James Connor was a beast! The Pitt D forced 4 turnovers and held on late to secure the win. Pittsburgh now heads out on the road to face Oklahoma State.
Central Michigan - To be fair to Oklahoma State they really won the game. But, the fact that CMU hung around with a talented high potent offense and had a chance to win is the story. Cooper Rush was amazing finishing with 361 yards passing and 4 TD’s. The crazy hail mary finish will be remembered by CMU fans for a long long time.
Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh won the battle of Pennsylvania. The rushing attack for the Panthers is punishing against the PSU defense. James Connor was a beast! The Pitt D forced 4 turnovers and held on late to secure the win. Pittsburgh now heads out on the road to face Oklahoma State.
Tyler's Trending Up
1. Central Michigan - Yes the play shouldn't have happened but at the end of the day, CMU came out with a win on one of the best plays of the year. Cooper Rush put up big numbers vs. the Pokes. Four touchdowns, 1 interceptions. This team will compete for the conference title.
UNLV is up next for the Chips. Another win should be in the books. Then you have at UVA and a huge game vs. WMU.
2. East Carolina - NC State didn’t want to give ECU any credit leading up to the game. Well they have to now. The Pirates, in their very tough home environment took down the Wolfpack. If the ACC was smart they would stay away from scheduling the Pirates, they aren’t a pushover. They will beat you. That is what they have done to the conference 6 straight times. Missed chances ruined NC State’s day, missed kicks and a fake FG gone bad gave the Pirates a chance to win and they did what they normally do and took the W.
Next up for the Pirates, a trip to Columbia to take on the Gamecocks. A winnable game indeed.
3. Cincinnati - The Bearcats didn’t look great in week 1. Week 2? Different story. They forced 5 interceptions, three from Mike Tyson. Hayden Moore passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two. Through 3 quarters the Bearcats held Purdue to just 7 points. All this momentum comes at a good time with Houston coming in town on Thursday. Creating turnovers will be key again this week.
UNLV is up next for the Chips. Another win should be in the books. Then you have at UVA and a huge game vs. WMU.
2. East Carolina - NC State didn’t want to give ECU any credit leading up to the game. Well they have to now. The Pirates, in their very tough home environment took down the Wolfpack. If the ACC was smart they would stay away from scheduling the Pirates, they aren’t a pushover. They will beat you. That is what they have done to the conference 6 straight times. Missed chances ruined NC State’s day, missed kicks and a fake FG gone bad gave the Pirates a chance to win and they did what they normally do and took the W.
Next up for the Pirates, a trip to Columbia to take on the Gamecocks. A winnable game indeed.
3. Cincinnati - The Bearcats didn’t look great in week 1. Week 2? Different story. They forced 5 interceptions, three from Mike Tyson. Hayden Moore passed for three touchdowns and rushed for two. Through 3 quarters the Bearcats held Purdue to just 7 points. All this momentum comes at a good time with Houston coming in town on Thursday. Creating turnovers will be key again this week.
Matt's Trending Down
Miami (OH) - Miami blew a 10 point lead with under 4 minutes to go in the 4th quarter to Eastern Illinois. Miami was a team I was really high on coming into the season. If you look at the box score it’s hard to understand why the RedHawks lost. Miami’s defense dominated most of the game but lost it late. Miami will need to rebound before MAC play.
Northwestern - This is a team I thought would do really well in B1G play this season and they are now 0-2. NW lost to Illinois State and looked absolutely terrible on Saturday. The offense was non-existent. Justin Jackson was held in check and Thorson proved why it’s hard to trust in him. NW has to find some answers if they want to make it to bowl season.
Kentucky - Mark Stoops is firmly on the hot seat after an 0-2 start in Lexington. UK was completely demolished Saturday by the Gators. Kentucky’s offense managed just 149 total yards and had 4 turnovers. It’s safe to say Wildcats fans didn’t expect this type of performance all season. Add on the 20+ point lead they blew to USM and Stoops is heading towards the unemployment line.
Northwestern - This is a team I thought would do really well in B1G play this season and they are now 0-2. NW lost to Illinois State and looked absolutely terrible on Saturday. The offense was non-existent. Justin Jackson was held in check and Thorson proved why it’s hard to trust in him. NW has to find some answers if they want to make it to bowl season.
Kentucky - Mark Stoops is firmly on the hot seat after an 0-2 start in Lexington. UK was completely demolished Saturday by the Gators. Kentucky’s offense managed just 149 total yards and had 4 turnovers. It’s safe to say Wildcats fans didn’t expect this type of performance all season. Add on the 20+ point lead they blew to USM and Stoops is heading towards the unemployment line.
Tyler's Trending Down
1. South Alabama - Big win over Miss State and then a let down vs. Georgia Southern at home. The Eagles came into the season as one of the favorites to win the conference. Having them at home after a huge win over Miss State seemed like an opportunity to make a stance in conference play. Well, the Jaguars only scored 9 points. Extending drives was an issue, 1-4 on fourth down and 4-15 on 3rd down. The defense shut down Matt Breida but couldn’t stop Upshaw and Ellison.
Next up for the Jags, Louisiana. Another opportunity to prove they are a contender in the conference.
2. New Mexico - You just can’t lose to your rival. New Mexico was a team on the rise after last season. Their season is far from over but in the road to get back to a bowl this one hurt. Two things hurt the Lobos, not being able to convert third downs and two turnovers to NMST zero. Even more questionable when you factor in the Aggies didn’t have their best player, RB, Larry Rose.
New Mexico has Rutgers next. A game they can win but will have to make some improvements.
3. Texas Tech - Texas Tech went down on the road to Arizona State. Seems like a fair loss, right? Well let’s dig a little deeper. They gave up 652 yards, gave up over 300 yards on the ground, and Arizona State scored 68 points in 4 quarters of play. If you can’t stop anyone, you won’t win games.
The Red Raiders face La Tech this week. If anything let’s hope for a better showing on defense vs. the Bulldogs.