College Football Week 2 Takeaways: Big Upsets, Oklahoma’s Rise, and Missouri Hype

Drew Thirion|published: Sun 7th September, 18:30 2025

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer throws a pass during practice in Norman, Okla., Wednesday, Aug., 6, 2025. PHOTO USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES

College football is already back in peak form with another week of massive upsets. Florida lost the in-state battle to USF, and Mississippi State grabbed its most significant win in years when Arizona State came to town.

This has led to some significant shakeups as we begin to see a clearer picture of which teams can truly be playoff contenders as we progress further into the season.

Here are some of my biggest takeaways after two weeks of college football.

Preseason Rankings are Pointless

Last week, LSU was getting consideration for being the best team in college football. We saw Clemson sneak by a decent Troy team, and LSU struggle to do anything against a bad Louisiana Tech team.

Perhaps LSU’s win wasn’t anything special, and a 2024 9-3 Clemson team that got blown out by Texas in the playoffs wasn’t a real contender in 2025. I never understood the preseason hype we were seeing from Clemson, as Dabo hasn’t been able to field a real contender since the start of the NIL era. This year is no different.

Another team that was receiving a confusing amount of preseason hype was the Florida Gators. DJ Lagway might be fun, but Billy Napier is one of the worst Power Four head coaches, and the rest of this roster is limited at best. They were manhandled by a USF team that is putting itself in a great spot to be the Group of Five playoff team. But this should still never happen to a Florida team at home.

Oklahoma Can Contend for the SEC and Michigan Might Be in Trouble

Heading over to Norman, Oklahoma, the Sooners dominated Michigan’s freshman QB Bryce Underwood in his first start on the road. The play calling, the receivers, and the offensive line were all massive question marks for the Wolverines, and they all were as underwhelming as they were last season. Oklahoma was a few dumb mistakes away from really making this one ugly.

Underwood didn’t look great himself either, but he still showed flashes of being an excellent college QB. The one bright spot for Michigan was that Justice Haynes could potentially carry this offense against the bottom half of the Big 10.

For Oklahoma, John Mateer is so much fun to watch. I’m not entirely sure if this Oklahoma team is a contender yet in the SEC, but they have taken a considerable step forward from a monotonous offense that struggled through their first season of SEC play.

Big Wins Against Bad Teams Out West

Oregon inside linebacker Jerry Mixon runs the ball for a touchdown after an interception as the Oregon Ducks host the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sept. 6, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. PHOTO USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES

I wasn’t overly optimistic about Oregon or Utah heading into this season, but I am immediately changing my tune on both of these teams.

Oregon annihilated Oklahoma State in its first Power Conference game of the season. This wasn’t the Mike Gundy Cowboys of old, but what Oregon was able to show in this was wildly impressive. Additionally, Gundy’s seat is getting extremely warm in Stillwater.

For Utah, they faced their easiest opponent on their schedule this year, but they showed they have the offense to be the favorite out of the Big 12. Someone has to go 10-2 and win the Big 12, and I would put my money on the Utes.

Missouri is the Most Disrespected Team in the Country

Aug 28, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) celebrates after scoring against the Central Arkansas Bears during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Historically, it’s not crazy to say the SEC can be overrated (looking at you, Florida). And maybe Missouri gives off too much of a Midwest vibe that voters forget this is also an SEC school, but if you want a long shot to win the conference, here’s your team.

The Tigers currently have the 12th-best odds to win the conference at +4500, but they have the most explosive offense and, arguably, the best coach to accompany it.

We knew Beau Pribula could run the ball from what we saw at Penn State; however, I’m starting to believe Penn State chose the wrong guy at QB. I’ve never been high on Drew Allar, and Pribula currently looks the part of an elite SEC playcaller.

But it’s not just Pribula. Mizzou has two excellent running backs in Jamal Roberts and Ahmad Hardy, who both ran for over 100 yards against Kansas. Then Kevin Coleman was such a steady hand on the outside for Pribula, with Brett Norfleet showing that he’s one of the hardest TEs to guard in the country.

I’m ridiculously high on the Tigers, and it’s time to buy stock now before everyone else respects this offense.