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Crash Course: CFB conference breakdown, Week 2
Houston Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and head coach Tom Herman celebrate beating the Oklahoma Sooners. USA TODAY Sports

Crash Course: CFB conference breakdown, Week 2

So how was that for an opening weekend? There were some great games between some really good teams, and we saw two top five teams fall. How often do we see that on the opening weekend? It was great!

Week 2 certainly isn't packed full of a great slate of games, and there is no games featuring ranked teams playing each other. So what is there to watch for this weekend? Let's find out.

Again we break down each of the Power 5 conferences as well as the "Group of Five" in order to find who has the best shot at the playoff of those six leagues, ranking the leagues accordingly. Meaning, if you aren't in the top four, you aren't in playoff position. Also, we will look at the biggest game in each league for the week along with a game that may get lost in your weekend shuffle.

1-SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: ALABAMA
Was anyone more impressive than Alabama? The Crimson Tide unloaded on USC, 52-6, and showed everyone why the defending champs are the No. 1 team in the country. The Tide won't look that good every week, but right now it looks like the defensive genius of Nick Saban mixed with the offensive mind of Lane Kiffin has made Bama nearly unstoppable.

GAME OF THE WEEK: VIRGINIA TECH VS. TENNESSEE
OK, Tennessee may have come out flat in its overtime win vs. Appalachian State. A team that so many had promise for nearly was beaten at home by a much smaller football program, and the usual worries about the Vols are still lingering.

Sure, Virginia Tech isn't the mighty team it usually is and is in its first season in the post-Frank Beamer era, but this won't be your ordinary game. This game will be held in Bristol, Tenn., at the Bristol Motor Speedway. They are expecting 150,000 fans to pack the speedway where a temporary football field will be laid out for this unusual and potentially record-breaking event. Stick around afterward, and you can see the East Tennessee State-Western Carolina game on the field as well.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: ARKANSAS AT TCU
They play in just a plain ol' regular college football stadium, but this one should be really good. With Oklahoma's shocking loss to Houston, the Big 12's eyes pivot to TCU (more on that later). This is another SEC-mandated game against another power conference team, and it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

The SEC had an uneven start to the season, going 7-7. On a week where the SEC has some cupcakes on the slate and a couple of league games on tap, it will be interesting to see how the SEC's middle-of-the-road team fares against a strong squad. So far it hasn't worked out very well for the conference.

HEISMAN WATCH: NICK CHUBB, GEORGIA
Look, Leonard Fournette is still one of the Heisman front-runners and had a decent game in the loss to Wisconsin. However, we need to place Nick Chubb up on a pedestal and make sure he's acknowledged as a Heisman contender.

Chubb rushed for 222 yards in the Bulldogs' 33-24 victory over North Carolina, including a 55-yard burst late to seal the deal. He did this despite suffering a season-ending knee injury last October and getting, oh, 32 carries in his first game back. Chubb rocks!

STORYLINE
Going into this season, there was actually some excitement away from the SEC West division. The SEC East looked like a fun race filled with teams that may actually make a title run this year. Tennessee was a top 10 team, Georgia has loads of talent, and Florida is coming off a solid season and a division title.

Outside of Georgia's win over North Carolina, however, the East had a tough week. The South Carolina-Vanderbilt game wasn't a scorcher, Florida didn't pummel UMass, Tennessee barely escaped losing at home to Appalachian State, while Missouri and Kentucky lost their games (Kentucky lost at home to Southern Miss).

2-ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: CLEMSON
Winning at Auburn is tough no matter what so don't read too much into the Tigers' underwhelming 19-13 victory. The offense will be fine, and there is still so much talent defensively. Clemson is fine.

Still, Florida State's impressive comeback win over Ole Miss gives the Noles a nudge in a lot of people's eyes, but I still have Clemson here. Good thing they'll actually face off down the road.

GAME OF THE WEEK: VIRGINIA TECH VS. TENNESSEE
As I said earlier, this game will be held at a race track and most likely be the game with the most eyes on it this weekend (literally at the "stadium" and from onlookers like me). For Virginia Tech, this is a huge opportunity to plant its flag and show that the Justin Fuente era in Blacksburg will continue the success of Beamer Ball.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: NORTH CAROLINA STATE AT EAST CAROLINA
This may not be on many fans' radars at all this weekend, but this is a fun game. Both NC State and East Carolina are smack talkers in the state, and both have that little brother complex.

East Carolina tends to bring its best when playing in-state schools, and while the Wolfpack isn't that good, the Pirates love to get under their rival's skin. In a week of bad matchups, take a chance and watch a game that could be really fun.

HEISMAN WATCH: DESHAUN WATSON, CLEMSON
Watson wasn't dominant in Clemson's 19-13 victory over Auburn, but his importance went beyond the stats. Despite tossing only one touchdown, it was his composure in a very hostile environment that kept the Tigers afloat and lifted them to the win.

There will be plenty of time for Watson to stretch his game out and show us those ridiculous numbers of last season, but showing us his leadership can be just as good.

STORYLINE
Pittsburgh running back James Conner scored two TDs in the Panthers' 28-7 win over Villanova. In the realm of everything happening last week, that doesn't seem to be a big deal. However, Conner missed most of last season with an MCL tear and then found out last December that he had Hodgkin's lymphoma. That's quite a one-two punch for the former ACC Player of the Year.

Conner, however, announced a few months ago that he was "clean of cancer" and would be back on the field. He was, with a rushing and receiving touchdown that had everyone rooting for the young man.

3-BIG TEN CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: MICHIGAN
Ohio State and Michigan looked really good last week, but I'm sticking with Michigan for now. Again, the schedule is a relative cakewalk until late in the year when it will be brutal with roadies to Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State.

GAME OF THE WEEK:  NORTH CAROLINA AT ILLINOIS
Last week, UNC continued to prove it cannot win the big ones. While Illinois isn't a "big one," it is still a road game against a fellow Power 5 team.

Illinois is trying to build something in year one of the Lovie Smith era. Last week the Illini pummeled Murray State; now they get the Tar Heels. It will be interesting to see how Illinois deals with the high-octane Heels attack. In a way, this is a must-win. Illinois has Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan State on the schedule. Add in road trips to Nebraska and Northwestern. Those all could very well be losses so a win here could be the difference between a bowl game or a quick trip home after the season for the Illini.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: PENN STATE AT PITTSBURGH
I'm a sucker for geographic non-conference rivalries, and this one should be pretty good. This will be the 97th meeting between the two programs but the first since 2000.

Unlike much of what you see in college football today, this game will feature two stellar running games. We discussed Pitt's James Conner earlier, but Penn State will counter with Saquon Barkley, who ran for over 1,000 yards last season. With the gap between the last time these two met, the crowd should be electric. Heinz Field does a pretty good job getting excited for the Panthers.

HEISMAN WATCH: J.T. BARRETT, OHIO STATE
Ho-hum. Barrett threw for 349 yards and six touchdowns.

STORYLINE
One of the most poignant moments last weekend was Nebraska lining up only 10 guys for a punt attempt, with only the punter's spot empty. That's because just a little over a month ago, punter Sam Foltz was killed in a car accident. The team honored him by lining up with no kicker and taking a delay of game penalty, tweeting that it "had to take a delay of game, weren't able to get all 11 guys out to punt in time. Missing one of them."

Can you name every Heisman Trophy winner to win a National Championship in the same season?
SCORE:
0/15
TIME:
5:00
1938 - TCU
Davey O'Brien
1940 - Minnesota
Bruce Smith
1943 - Notre Dame
Angelo Bertelli
1945 - Army
Felix 'Doc' Blanchard
1947 - Notre Dame
John Lujack
1949 - Notre Dame
Leon Hart
1976 - Pittsburgh
Tony Dorsett
1993 - Florida St.
Charlie Ward
1996 - Florida
Danny Wuerffel
1997 - Michigan
Charles Woodson
2004 - USC
Matt Leinart
2009 - Alabama
Mark Ingram
2010 - Auburn
Cam Newton
2013 - Florida St.
Jameis Winston
2015 - Alabama
Derrick Henry

Fresno State, in classy fashion, declined the penalty. With all the stuff that goes on in sports and college athletics in general, we tend to forget just how life intersects with the games.




4-GROUP OF FIVE

FAVORITE: HOUSTON
The Cougars are flying a bit high right now. They had a solid season last year that ended by beating Florida State in the Peach Bowl, and they are working on being one of the expansion teams the Big 12 chooses. Beating Oklahoma would go a long way to accomplishing big things this fall. Houston has the talent and the schedule to become the first "Group of Five" school to reach the playoff.

GAME OF THE WEEK: CINCINNATI AT PURDUE
The Bearcats fancy themselves a Big 12 team. Going into a Big Ten school's home as a favorite and beating it would show the Big 12 that you a legit program that can win games like that and not just a smaller conference team that hopes for these kinds of wins.

See what Houston did last week? Well, this isn't the same thing, but showing everyone a glimpse of what you could be is a great start.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: LAMAR AT HOUSTON
Now that you know the Cougars are for real, you probably are interested in catching them in action. Here 'ya go.

HEISMAN WATCH: GREG WARD JR., HOUSTON
Ward's last two games? Beating Florida State and Oklahoma. Impressive.

STORYLINE
A non-Houston story here: How about Hawaii? Yes, the Rainbow Warriors are 0-2, but has anyone had a tougher start to the season? Not only did they travel 5,000 miles to lose to California in Australia, but the very next week they traveled to Michigan to get spanked 63-3.

Hawaii is used to the worst travel situation in college sports, but this is ridiculous. The team gets Tennessee-Martin on the islands this coming week, but do the players have anything in the tank? After traveling to Arizona next week, the Warriors will get a much-needed week off. Too bad they couldn't have gotten it after their trip down under.

5-PACIFIC 12 CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: STANFORD
Stanford beat a game Kansas State squad, 26-13, and still holds the tag of favorite in the Pac-12. Other contenders weren't so lucky: USC was crushed by Alabama, UCLA lost to Texas A&M, Arizona lost to BYU and Washington State was stunned at home by Eastern Washington. Still, they have a heck of a schedule coming up.

GAME OF THE WEEK: BYU AT UTAH
BYU and Utah renew the Holy War this week. The rivalry has been going strong despite the two parting ways in 2011 (Utah to the Pac-12; BYU to independent status). They are an hour away from each other on I-15 and feature the largest state school against the biggest college name in the state.

The odd thing about this rivalry is how one-sided it can be. Utah won 41 of the first 53 meetings. BYU then won 19 of 21 meetings from 1972 to 1992. Now Utah has won 10 of the last 13 battles. Either way, fans go wild, and this one gets pretty chippy.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: CALIFORNIA AT SAN DIEGO STATE
Cal beat Hawaii all the way in Sydney, Australia, so the Bears had quite a road trip to start the season. While San Diego isn't a huge trip from Berkeley, the jet lag does add up.

San Diego State trounced New Hampshire as expected and boasts one of the best players you may have not heard of, running back Donnel Pumphrey. Pumphrey is the current active career leader in rushing yards and is on pace to crush Marshall Faulk's career rushing yard record.

HEISMAN WATCH: CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, STANFORD
McCaffrey had a solid game against K-State with 126 yards and two TDs. What we all are waiting for is the run he has starting next week — USC, at UCLA, at Washington, Washington State and at Notre Dame.

STORYLINE
It looks like the Pac-12 North will dominate again. You have Washington and Oregon looking darn good last week in blowout wins, and Stanford looked OK in beating K-State.

Sure Oregon State and especially Washington State had bad losses, but that's not really a concern since the South's USC, UCLA and Arizona had bad losses. The Huskies, Ducks and Cardinal are the best in the conference and should continue their run as top dogs.

6-BIG 12 CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: TCU
It isn't that I've lost faith in Oklahoma after it lost to Houston. Houston is a really good team playing at home, and the Sooners made some mistakes. They will still be very, very good.

However, looking at the schedule, now things get a bit tight for Oklahoma really quick. Next week, Ohio State comes calling. Two weeks after that is the huge battle at TCU. The following week is the Red River Showdown with Texas in Dallas. Things could get dicey real quick if the Sooners continue to stumble a bit.

TCU, on the other hand, gets Arkansas this week but really only has that game with the Sooners as a test this coming month. Just by playing the odds, TCU is ahead.

GAME OF THE WEEK: ARKANSAS AT TCU
Two old Southwestern Conference rivals face off in Ft. Worth with both coming off closer-than-expected games. TCU beat South Dakota State on the arm and legs of Kenny Hill, who threw for 439 yards and two TDs while rushing for another three scores. While not elite right now, the Horned Frogs have the talent to take the Big 12 title and sneak into the playoff.

Arkansas has a strong defense that could slow down Hill and the Frogs and make for a struggle. I want to see how TCU does in this game if I can believe in this team against Oklahoma in a few weeks.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: TEXAS TECH AT ARIZONA STATE
Texas Tech blew out Stephen F. Austin last week and looked like an offensive juggernaut in doing so. Tech hasn't played a Pac-12 team during the season since 1999 when it was ... Arizona State.

The Sun Devils can put up points themselves, which leads me to believe this one will be a shootout. Again, in a week full of bad matchups you should try to find ones that are just joys to watch.

HEISMAN WATCH: BAKER MAYFIELD, OKLAHOMA
Yeah, losing on opening day really takes some steam out of those Heisman sails. Still, Mayfield threw for 323 yards and two TDs. If Mayfield can kick back into the winning gear, he'll be back in favor with voters.

STORYLINE
Look, I'm not a big fan of storming the field after a win. It's tacky to me and just reeks of self-pity. I know these are college kids having a good time and getting caught up in the moment so I do allow myself to be alright with it in the right context. Kansas winning its first game since 2014 could qualify as that context. But when you do so by crushing Rhode Island — the FCS Rhode Island — you got to hold back. No FBS school should storm the field when it beats an FCS school. Never. It should never happen.

I'm not saying that beating an FCS school is a given, but doing so shouldn't be placed in the same high regard as knocking off a No. 1 team. Even more sad was that not many fans even attended the game so it wasn't a cool-looking field storm. Add in the fact that the public address announcer had to tell students to get back into their seats and show respect for the program, and you have a fail here.

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