Week one of the NFL is largely in the books and the world of college football was filled with upsets on Saturday afternoon. Here’s this week’s Cover Two!
Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack
One of the big shockers for me over this past weekend was the beatdown that the Oregon Ducks put on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Yes, the Buckeyes showed chinks in the armor in the season opener against Minnesota but you’d think that would change against a Pac-12 team that you never know how they’ll do against real competition.
Add the fact that the Ducks were without defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux and linebacker Justin Flowe, it looked like it could’ve been a cakewalk for Ohio State. Oregon answered the bell and went up 14-7 at halftime, something many didn’t see coming. They kept the Buckeyes on the ropes and staved off a late rally to pull off the first big upset of the 2021 season.
It was a statement to the college football world that the Pac-12 is back in the conversation for a playoff spot. It’s still early, but you have to think that Mario Cristobal has a chance to bring this team back to college football’s big dance for the first time since Marcus Mariota was leading the program.
Hawkeyes Slap Down Cyclone
Even though Iowa State had a great 2020 season, the recent history of Iowa keeping the Cy-Hawk Trophy in Iowa City loomed large for Matt Campbell. The Hawkeyes did just that with an impressive 27-17 victory where they tore up Brock Purdy like he was in the heart of Tornado Alley.
The Hawkeyes still have some issues they’ll have to figure out because their offense was virtually nonexistent and it was all about their defense leading them to a huge win, moving up to number five in the AP Poll.
Talk to your kids about undefeated Iowa before it’s too late.
Arkansas Gives Texas Taste of SEC Football
The life of a Texas fan must be an existential crisis every week. After a big win over the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns, the Longhorns had a matchup against future conference mates in Arkansas. The Razorbacks looked much improved in their first season under Sam Pittman, but maybe the task of beating Texas on paper was a little too tough for them.
Arkansas didn’t just win, they dominated the Longhorns, potentially giving Burnt Orange native fans a taste of what football in the conference of Dixie might look like in the not too distant future. I don’t know about you, but Arkansas is getting my vote for program on the rise.
Same Combo, Different Stripes
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were the most iconic duo at LSU since Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry and that pairing picked up in 2021 right where they left off in the 2019 National Championship with a 50-yard TD pass late in the first half of the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
While the concerns are still there about the Bengals offensive line, many people took notice that the Bengals look to be much improved in year two of the Joe Burrow era.
WFT Cursed at QB?
Every year I become becomes more and more convinced that the Washington Football Team is cursed at the quarterback position. Since 2018, the Football Team has gone through 12 starting quarterbacks. From Alex Smith to Taylor Heinicke, the state of the position has been a mess.
That curse continued to plague this franchise with Ryan Fitzpatrick going down with a hip injury that will likely sideline the NFL journeyman for a solid chunk of the season. Maybe once Dan Snyder finally sells the team, the hex on this franchise could finally be lifted.
Jameis Winston, Saints Bury Narrative
If you had the New Orleans Saints beating the Green Bay Packers the way that they did, you are a liar. It wasn’t just a big win, it was a statement victory led by Jameis Winston burying the narrative on him and the future of a Saints franchise without Drew Brees as the head honcho.
The former number-one pick smashed a lot of fan’s expectations with five touchdowns and zero interceptions on the way to a 38-3 win over the Packers “at home” against Jacksonville. Not only did Winston look great, but the entire team had a very different feel to it.
Considering a lot of players were missing in action, the Saints proved to the world they aren’t dead yet.