CFB Blitz: Takeaways from Week 2's top games

College Football Blitz recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Don't talk about Oregon's NIL budget

A word of advice to Oregon's future opponents: Do not, under any circumstances, talk about the Ducks' NIL budget. Mike Gundy learned that the hard way Saturday after suggesting earlier in the week that the defending Big Ten champs have spent nearly $40 million on their roster. Clearly Dan Lanning took it personally on a Michael Jordan-level of disgust, as Oregon laid a beatdown for the ages on Gundy and Oklahoma State in response - and celebrated accordingly.

The Ducks set the tone with two touchdowns on the first three plays from scrimmage, and by the time the dust cleared, the scoreboard read 69-3. The result marked the worst loss for the Cowboys since 1907, and it might have Oklahoma State's athletic director preparing a fresh job posting for the head coaching position.

Oregon was relentless throughout, a team on a mission on both sides of the ball. The offensive efficiency was a sight to behold, with the Ducks' first punt of the season not coming until the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Dante Moore has taken over at quarterback without issue and has already stated that any national title conversation should involve Oregon.

There are two more contests to play first, but it's impossible not to circle the Week 5 matchup at Penn State as arguably the most anticipated on the calendar.

Wake Billy up when September ends

There's no coach in the country happier to see Oct. 1 on the calendar than Billy Napier. The Florida frontman's teams once again blew a tire during the first month of the season on Saturday, falling at home to South Florida as 17-point favorites. The loss dropped Napier to an astonishing 5-7 overall against FBS competition before October begins and puts his job security in Gainesville on shaky ground moving forward.

There's plenty of blame to go around for the Gators' latest loss, including a personal foul for spitting to kick-start the Bulls' eventual winning drive. Still, this one largely falls on Napier. The Gators held a one-point lead with under three minutes to play, but they opted to throw the ball twice instead of running the clock out. Both passes fell incomplete, leading to a 27-second three-and-out series that gifted the ball back to South Florida for the winning drive.

It's likely a make-or-break year for Napier in Florida, as the fourth-year coach has largely underwhelmed. However, his relationship with highly touted quarterback DJ Lagway was what many pointed to as a reason to hold onto hope. Even that might not be enough to see Napier make it through the month with road games at LSU and Miami before the calendar hits October.

South Florida holds nation's top resume

Miami knocked off Notre Dame, and Florida State stunned Alabama before piling up 77 points on FCS competition in Week 2, but the top resume in both the state of Florida and the entire country belongs to South Florida. The Bulls opened with a blowout of Boise State, running up a 34-7 scoreline on last year's CFP participant. The encore was even better with the program's first win ever over the Gators. South Florida entered the season without a ranked win since 2016, and it now has two in the span of 10 days.

Saturday's victory is the latest feather in the cap for coach Alex Golesh, the former Tennessee offensive coordinator who's turned the team around in short order. It's only Week 2, but the Bulls have to be thinking postseason run with the 12-team playoff. Although Golesh's offensive background and star quarterback Byrum Brown usually get the headlines, the defense has allowed just 23 points to start the campaign. South Florida won't have to wait long for the chance to take down another ranked squad, with No. 5 Miami on the slate next week.

Mississippi State got more cowbell

The Mississippi State fans wanted more cowbell, and, my god, did Blake Shapen ever give it to them. The Bulldogs quarterback connected with Brenen Thompson on an electric 58-yard touchdown pass in the final minute to send Davis Wade Stadium into a frenzy with cowbells ringing throughout the entire state. A quick defensive stop later, and the uprights were down with the party fully on in Starkville. And with good reason, as the victory marked Mississippi State's first home non-conference ranked win since 1991.

The game was a tale of two halves. The Bulldogs raced out to a 17-0 lead, only to see Kenny Dillingham's Sun Devils turn to a power running attack after the break. Arizona State dominated the second half and faced a goal-to-go at the 1-yard line late. However, Mississippi State's defense rose to the occasion, forcing a field goal and setting the stage for Shapen's late heroics.

With Alcorn State and Northern Illinois next on the slate, the Bulldogs should be 4-0 when Tennessee comes to Stark Vegas at the end of September.

The lack of passing attack should be particularly concerning for Arizona State, with standout quarterback Sam Leavitt finishing with just 82 yards through the air and two picks. That output won't be good enough to get the Sun Devils back to the CFP for a second straight year.

Heisman Mateer wasn't an overreaction

We highlighted John Mateer as a Heisman Trophy contender in our Week 1 overreactions just seven days ago after he broke the record for most passing yards in a Sooners debut. It turns out that might have actually been a very rational take. The Washington State transfer had something special planned for Week 2, running it up on the mighty Michigan defense to deliver a much-needed big-game victory for coach Brent Venables.

While Mateer's arm strength was on full display with three completions of 30-plus yards, it was his running ability that time and again exposed the Wolverines. The 21-year-old moves like a bigger Johnny Manziel, but with the power of a running back to finish his runs.

Mateer's now over the 300-yard mark in both his games with Oklahoma, and he appears capable of repeating his gaudy Washington State numbers with coordinator Ben Arbuckle by his side. That should make the Sooners a serious SEC threat with Venables' lockdown defense in full flight in Norman.

Alabama cleanses itself with 73-point barrage

It doesn't take the stink off the Florida State performance, but it was nice to see Alabama respond to last week's debacle with a strong showing Saturday. The Crimson Tide absolutely throttled Louisiana-Monroe - a lesser opponent, but not one without the ability to beat the Crimson Tide; just ask Nick Saban. The final score of 73-0 was just the type of offensive output that should cool the temperature ever-so slightly in Tuscaloosa.

Ty Simpson's going to enjoy the film review of Saturday's game, because the quarterback was perfect with a 17-for-17 stat line. He finished with three touchdown passes as the Tide outgained their opponent 583-148 in total yardage.

The test grows slightly with Wisconsin on deck next week, followed by a bye before a clash with Georgia to end September.

Arch rebounds in style ... sort of

So, is Arch good again?

If you're a card-carrying member of the Manning fan club, Saturday was a great day for you. Arch rebounded from his Week 1 struggles at Ohio State with four touchdown passes and an electrifying scoring run against San Jose State. A glimpse at the box score suggests all is good again for the Texas quarterback.

Manning's dual-threat talents were on full display at times. An 83-yard touchdown pass popped off the screen early, and his weaving, 20-yard rushing score cemented the Longhorns' big lead late in the third quarter. Those moments reminded us why Manning was so highly touted entering the season and not solely because of his last name.

However, if you were one of those declaring the first-time starter a bust after the loss at Ohio State, there's still plenty of fuel left in that tank despite the blowout win. Manning missed multiple throws, and a poor decision just before halftime led to an interception in the red zone. Take away the 83-yard touchdown - a play that included about 60 yards after the catch - and Manning completed 18 of 29 passes for 212 yards. Respectable numbers but not exactly a line that lights the world on fire. After all, this is someone who was featured in three separate national commercials during last week's opener. It's okay to have high expectations.

The Longhorns are clearly making it a point to build Manning's comfort, as the redshirt sophomore continued throwing in the 4th quarter with a 38-7 lead.

Saturday was definitely a marked improvement from last week and a step in the right direction for Manning and the Texas offense. However, it might still be a little early to cash those Heisman tickets - at least until next week when we'll probably debate this again.

Playoff Illinois might be a thing

Memo to the College Football Playoff committee: It's time to get familiar with Illinois, especially if its opponents are going to lend a helping hand like Duke did Saturday. The Illini damn near crashed the party last year and showed in Week 2 that they don't plan on missing out again in 2025. Illinois used a 31-6 run in the second half to blow past the Blue Devils on the road with a 45-19 final score.

The defense forced - and recovered - a whopping four fumbles by Duke and intercepted star quarterback Darian Mensah in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Illinois offense clearly has identified a new No. 1 wideout in Hank Beatty, as the transfer piled up 138 receiving yards on eight catches in the win.

Perhaps the biggest reason we're on the Illini for the playoff is their schedule. It's tough to find a more manageable slate in the Big Ten this season. Ohio State visits Champaign in October, and the Illini avoid playing Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan during the regular season.

Beau knows winning

New Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula had a surprising admission before this week's Border War rivalry against Kansas.

"I had no idea about the whole Civil War history," the Penn State transfer said, according to Bill Connelly of ESPN. "I thought it was just a sports rivalry, but I guess it goes beyond that. So I thought that was pretty cool."

OK, so Pribula may not know a ton about history. However, he showed Saturday that he knows plenty when it comes to winning football games. Pribula made his name at Penn State as a running threat, but he beat Kansas time and again with his arm in a thrilling comeback at home. Pribula finished with a whopping 334 yards passing and three touchdowns while also converting four of his five attempts on fourth down. That's exactly the type of performance Eli Drinkwitz was hoping for when he grabbed Pribula from the portal.

Iowa QB curse continues

One of the trademarks of a Kirk Ferentz-coached Iowa team is its ability to shut down the quarterback. Unfortunately, that's both a positive and a negative, as it includes the opposition's signal-caller and whoever's throwing passes for the Hawkeyes. For what feels like the 25th straight season, Iowa is again entering games firing blanks from the quarterback position. While we've grown accustomed to that, this season was supposed to be different with the high-profile transfer of Mark Gronowski. The FCS star claimed the Walter Payton Trophy (that division's version of the Heisman) and was a two-time national champion at South Dakota State. It's safe to say that the learning curve has been a bit steep for Gronowski in the transition to the next level.

The Hawkeyes kept the rivalry game with Iowa State close Saturday - in typical Ferentz fashion - before eventually losing on a last-minute field goal. The defense and running game are likely strong enough to ensure another winning season, but it appears not even peak-Patrick Mahomes could get the pass game cooking in Iowa City.

Sawyer Robertson has arrived

The most electric game of the early window was undoubtedly Baylor's stunning double-overtime victory at SMU, with the Bears erasing a 14-point deficit in the final six minutes to force the extra session. The win takes a fire extinguisher to Dave Aranda's red-hot seat for now, but the main takeaway might be Sawyer Robertson's continued emergence as one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

Robertson's 440-yard, four-touchdown performance Saturday almost single-handedly flipped the early season narrative in Waco, with 1-1 looking significantly better than 0-2. Thanks to Robertson, the Bears have the offense to compete for a Big 12 title. Unfortunately, they're going to need it. Aranda taking over the defensive play-calling duties hasn't changed the disastrous results that unit produced last year.