Week 2 overreactions: Ohio State in trouble, Oregon, Oklahoma out of CFP, Ole Miss will beat Lane!

When No. 1 Ohio State led No. 4 Texas 23-3 heading into the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, the overreactions were already pre-written.

Steve Sarkisian can't win the big game. Arch Manning is a flop. Jeremiah Smith for Heisman.

Week 2 gave us what Week 1 could not provide – some dramatic over-reactions that flipped the script on the College Football Playoff race. Who had Michigan and Texas winning instead of No. 11 Oklahoma and Ohio State entering the day?

Sarkisian won a huge game. He's now 4-7 against top-five teams with Texas, but this was the heavyweight victory against a top-ranked team that should propel the Longhorns into the SEC portion of the schedule possibly with a No. 1 ranking. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, lost in shocking fashion by blowing a three-score lead. Manning – who finished 23 of 37 for 196 yards, a TD and an interception – overshadowed Smith – who had eight catches for 164 yards and a TD.

Texas is back. Yes. We can finally say that with a full chest. What were the other over-reactions from Week 2?

No. This loss will sting in Columbus knowing the degree of difficulty left on the schedule for the Buckeyes in the Big Ten. Ohio State coach Ryan Day is now 1-5 as an underdog, and the Longhorns scored on three drives that covered 93, 73 and 73 yards, respectively, as part of the Manning-inspired comeback.

Remember, Ohio State lost 32-31 at No. 1 Oregon on Oct. 12, 2024 before losing 13-10 to Michigan. The Buckeyes still won the national title.

The loss to the Longhorns still is shocking, to say the least. Smith was phenomenal, but quarterback Julian Sayin had an uneven performance. He finished 17 of 32 for 278 yards, a TD and an interception. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's defense finally got dinged in the fourth quarter, and the Buckeyes still have a brutal Big Ten schedule that includes trips to No. 21 Iowa No. 5 Indiana and No. 14 USC before November dates with No. 6 Oregon and Michigan. We still think Ohio State can go 4-1 in that stretch, but would a 9-3 team be left out of the CFP?

Day might not want to ask Sarkisian how that scenario can go.

Ole Miss will ruin Lane Kiffin's return with LSU!

No. So, we're going to do Week 3 with No. 8 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss next week. The Lane Kiffin-Pete Golding coaching matchup will be the constant topic of conversation ahead. Who has the advantage? LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt had three first-half interceptions and the Tigers led Louisiana Tech 10-7 at halftime. It wasn't that close, however. The Bulldogs had just 140 total yards, and LSU still rolled up 528 total yards. Leavitt finished 25 of 38 for 344 yards and a TD and added 22 rushing yards and three more TDs.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss finished 23 of 26 for 225 yards and two TDs in a 41-9 victory against Charlotte. There will be drama – and the scene will top what we witnessed in Austin on Saturday. Yet it's tough to pick against LSU in this spot in what could be the most-watched game this September. We're going to stick with Kiffin and the Tigers here.

Oregon will miss the College Football Playoff!

Yes. We'll volunteer this for Freezing Cold Takes if wrong – but the Ducks are having trouble adjusting to losing coordinators Will Stein to Kentucky and Tosh Lupoi to Cal.

Start with the defense, which returned seniors A'Mauri Washington and Matayo Uiagalelei and added Minnesota safety Koi Perich. The all-in factor was there. Oregon had one tackle for loss and allowed 554 total yards to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys gained 368 against Tulsa.

What about the offense? Dante Moore – who finished 14 of 29 yards, with 191 yards and two TDs – was seen trying to fire up teammates on the sideline. Oregon went 0 for 3 on fourth down – and now is 0 for 5 on the season. It's back-to-back lackluster performances, and they still have to play at No. 14 USC (Sept. 26) and No. 1 Ohio State (Nov. 7). Will Oregon split those games based on what we've seen? There is no margin for error.

Oklahoma is out of the College Football Playoff!

Yes. We'll go there, too. Consider the equations in the Sooner State right now.

Oklahoma State lost to Tulsa, then beat No. 6 Oregon. Oklahoma lost to Michigan, who should have lost to Western Michigan. So, do we need to see the Broncos face the Golden Hurricane next?

The Sooners looked bad against the Wolverines in a 17-10 loss. John Mateer, who finished 17 of 33 for 189 yards, a TD and a costly interception to Jyaire Hill in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma is now 5-4 on the road since joining the SEC, and the next matchup on a brutal road schedule is at No. 2 Georgia on Sept. 26. What if the Sooners are a three-loss team after the Red River Rivalry against No. 3 Texas?

We do like the Oklahoma defense – which allowed just 263 total yards — but the victory against Michigan is what pushed Oklahoma into the CFP last season. Defensive back Reggie Powers III leads that nasty defense, but that will only take you so far.

Look out for Virginia Tech, UNC in the ACC!

No. But we're monitoring Virginia Tech closely.

The Hokies lost to Old Dominion 45-26 last season. On Saturday, Virginia Tech won 44-21 to improve to 2-0 under James Franklin. Ethan Grunkemeyer finished 31 of 42 for 327 yards and two TDs in a high-volume passing attack, but the Hokies managed just 2.1 yards per carry. Virginia Tech plays at Maryland and Boston College the next two weeks – so a 4-0 start and a top-25 ranking heading into the Oct. 2 matchup with Pittsburgh is in the cards.

North Carolina beat East Tennessee State 35-3, which means Bill Belichick has the Tar Heels at 2-0 heading into the matchup at Clemson in Week 3. The Tigers beat North Carolina 38-10 last season – so we'll see how far that progress goes. We like the defense so far. Defensive tackle Xavier Watts has four sacks in two games, and quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. hit 15 of 20 passes for 244 yards and two TDs.

No. 19 Washington beat Utah State 16-14 in a squeaker. The Huskies average just 3.8 yards per carry the last two weeks, which needs to improve in Week 3 against Eastern Washington.

Florida is 2-0 for the first time since 2021 after a 52-3 win against Campbell. The Gators might be ranked under first-year coach Jon Sumrall. Running back Jadan Baugh has 296 rushing yards on 11.9 yards per carry and five TDs.

Marty Whims II was the guest offensive coordinator for Akron for one drive against Robert Morris. The four-play drive went for 23 yards but was derailed by a false start and a fumble . Hey, Nick Saban told Whims to stay ahead of the sticks and run the ball. Does Whims want that first-down pass play back?