Week 1 of the college football season delivered some outstanding matchups that shook up the landscape across the country. While the action from college football today wasn’t quite as exciting, Week 2 still delivered some standout performances, signature moments and left us with a few noteworthy concerns about some teams.
Let’s dive into our winners and losers from the Week 2 college football games today.
Winner: Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson Leads Upset Over SMU
Coming into Week 2, a lot more college football fans knew about SMU Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jenings than Baylor Bears‘ signal-caller Sawyer Robertson. That might change after what happened today in Dallas. Robertson, a former three-star recruit, built off his strong Week 1 showing versus Auburn (419 yards, 3 touchdowns) with an even better performance that resulted in a victory this time around. Baylor trailed 10-0 after the first quarter and later faced a 38-34 deficit late in the game. Each time, Robertson engineered multiple scoring drives and then he helped win it in double OT. It was truly a great day for the senior.
- Sawyer Robertson stats: 34-of-50, 440 passing yards, 4-0 TD-INT, 20 rushing yards
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Loser: Texas A&M Aggies HC Mike Elko’s Defense
The Texas A&M Aggies are 2-0 on the season, but it feels impossible to ignore this program’s big problem. In two victories over UTSA (24 points and 373 total yards and Utah State (22 points and 250 total yards) this Aggies’ defense keeps giving up some big plays. It doesn’t even matter that both opponents struggled on third down, because they still delivered long touchdown drives. Defense is supposed to be Elko’s calling card and this unit has been overshadowing great play from quarterback Marcel Reed. Texas A&M should be very concerned heading into next Saturday’s game against Jeremiyah Love and Notre Dame’s offense.
Winner: Texas Longhorns Freshman Parker Livington Brings a Spark
Early in Week 2 against the San Jose State Spartans, quarterback Arch Manning still hadn’t quite settled down as the Texas Longhorns‘ starting quarterback. That all seemed to change late in the first quarter when freshman wide receiver Parker Lingston got open down the sideline, pulling in Manning’s pass and taking it to the house for an 83-yard touchdown. It really seemed to help give Manning some confidence, as he finished the day with 295 yards and 5 total touchdowns. The stats from Manning are great to see, but it’s the former 247 Sports‘ three-star prospect who really stood out with his two-touchdown performance.
- Parker Livingston stats: 4 receptions, 128 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
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Loser: Mike Gundy Helped Fuel Blowout Loss to Oregon
If you’re going to provide your opponent with bulletin-board material, a top-flight program no less, you have to back it up in some way. Needless to say, Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys didn’t do that in Week 2 on the road versus the Oregon Ducks. Sure, the Ducks’ roster is much more talented and far deeper than the Cowboys’ roster. However, Oklahoma State was also easily outcoached in Week 2, and Gundy provided that program with even more reason to bury him on the field. Safe to say that performances like that will only convince Cowboys boosters that if money is going to be invested in the program, maybe it should be spent on a new head coach.
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Winner: Julian Sayin-Jeremiah Smith Connection Erupts
The Ohio State Buckeyes got the all-important win in Week 1 over Texas, but the lack of big plays between quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was a disappointment. Ohio State’s stars made up for it in Week 2 versus Grambling State. Sayin completed his first 16 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns, with Smith contributing 119 yards and two of those scores. All of that came before the midway point of the second quarter. Sayin still has a lot of room to improve—as evidenced by his interception in the end zone due to a late throw—but it’s great to see that Sayin and Smith are starting to hit big plays
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Loser: Ole Miss Rebels Have a QB Problem
The Ole Miss Rebels have a quarterback problem. Lane Kiffin can dial up a very friendly system for his signal-caller, but there’s only so much he can do to bail out an inexperienced quarterback. Simmons was picked off twice in the opener against Georgia State, albeit one wasn’t deemed his fault by Kiffin. In Week 2, Simmons threw two first-half interceptions and put the Rebels in a hole when their defense was playing really well. The long-term potential Simmons offers is enticing, but the mistakes will be far more disastrous vs SEC teams.
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To make matters worse for Ole Miss, Simmons’ fourth-quarter injury (left leg) could now impact his mobility in the next few weeks if he plays through it. It’ll be interesting to see if Kiffin plays it a bit safe next week, giving Trinidad Chambliss a little more run against Arkansas.
Winner: Tamatoa McDonough’s Clutch Play Wins Cy-Hawk Trophy
The Iowa State Cyclones might not be hoisting the Cy-Hawk Trophy if not for edge rusher Tamatoa McDonough. In Week 2 against Iowa, McDonough was the definition of clutch. With the Hawkeyes’ offense trying to tie the game down 16-13 with 90 seconds remaining, McDonough broke free to take down quarterback Mark Gronowski for a sack. Seconds later, on 3rd-and-11, McDonough came through once more for his second consecutive sack. The back-to-back plays put Iowa in a 4th-and-15 situation that it couldn’t dig out of, ensuring that the Cyclones came out with a nail-biting win. The former Ivy League standout (Yale) made a name for himself on campus this week.
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Loser: Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Team Comes Out Flat
What grade will Dabo Swinney give the Clemson Tigers after today? It sure seemed like Clemson’s head coach spent a little too much time looking back on the season-opening loss to LSU than he did preparing for Troy. The excuse that wide receiver Antonio Williams was out on Saturday can’t fly either. Cade Klubnik doesn’t look like a quarterback worth being a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Granted, the Tigers’ offensive line isn’t doing him many favors. Right now, Clemson doesn’t look like a top-15 team.
Winner: John Mateer Launches Heisman Campaign
Winning the Heisman Trophy is about both compiling gaudy stats and delivering signature performances that are remembered throughout the college football season. Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer delivered the latter on Saturday night. Against the Michigan Wolverines, Mateer was the entire Sooners’ offense with 34 pass attempts (270 yards, 1-1 TD-INT) and team highs in carries (19), rushing yards (74), touchdowns (two), and the longest rushing play (19 yards). He wasn’t flawless in Week 2, but he was golden in the red zone and engineered the game-sealing drive. This was the type of night that will kick-start his Heisman campaign.
Loser: Temperature Turns Up on Billy Napier’s Hot Seat
In early November last season, with a 4-5 record, it was fair to wonder if the Florida Gators might fire Billy Napier. Then, Florida went on a four-game win streak, including victories over LSU and Ole Miss. It bought him another year. On Saturday, the Gators looked like a poorly-coached team in an 18-16 loss to South Florida. In The Swamp, the Gators committed 11 penalties for 103 yards and Napier’s offense went 4-for-12 on third-down attempts. Given the upcoming Gators schedule – at LSU, at Miami, vs Texas, at Texas A&M – it certainly feels like Napier’s seat is heating up again.
Winner: USC Trojans QB Jordan Maiava Continues Early Dominance
Entering Week 2, USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava led the nation in ESPN QBR (96.1). He continues to make it easy for Lincoln Riley and the fan base to forget about Miller Moss. Facing Georgia Southern, Maiava threw for 412 yards and 4 scores before USC took its foot off the gas pedal. Maiava is now responsible for 7 total touchdowns and over 700 passing yards in his first two games this season. The next test is seeing if he can keep performing this well against better competition.
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