Around CFB: Upsets headline Week 1, could a No. 2 upset be on the horizon?

Upsets occur on a weekly basis in college football. Indeed, just last week Maryland upset No. 23 Texas and No. 25 LSU upset No. 8 Miami.

Results like that might make a few jaws drop but aren’t really that surprising. A lower ranked team beating a higher-ranked opponent or an unranked team beating a team that’s barely ranked hardly qualifies as a major upset.

A major upset would be a Top 10 team falling to an unranked opponent. Even that’s not that unusual. That happens about five times a year. In fact, last season Iowa State defeated No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 4 TCU in the same month. Further, it’s not uncommon for the No. 2 team in the nation to become an upset victim, which is pertinent because No. 2 Clemson visits Kyle Field on Saturday.

The 2007 season was especially difficult for the No. 2-ranked team. That year USC, Cal, South   Florida, Boston College, Oregon, Kansas and West Virginia all lost as the second-ranked team. All but Missouri lost to unranked opponents.

But one need not go back more than a decade to realize that No. 2 can be a precarious position. In the last four years, the No. 2 team has lost four times to unranked opponents. No. 2 Oregon fell to unranked Arizona in 2014, while No. 2 Ohio State lost to unranked Penn State in 2016.

Another team was upset when ranked No. 2 by unranked Pittsburgh in 2016 and unranked Syracuse in 2017. That team? Clemson.

No. 2 ranked AP team losses (Since 1989)

Nov. 10, 1990 2. Washington lost to UCLA 25-22
Sep. 12, 1998 2. Florida St. lost to N.C. State 24-7
Nov.  6, 1999 2. Penn St. lost to Minnesota 24-23
Oct.  7, 2006 2. Auburn lost to Arkansas 27-10
Dec.  2, 2006 2. Southern Cal lost to UCLA 13-9

Oct.  6, 2007 2. Southern Cal lost to Stanford 24-23
Oct. 13, 2007 2. California lost to Oregon St. 31-28
Oct. 18, 2007 2. South Florida lost to Rutgers 30-27
Nov.  3, 2007 2. Boston College lost to Florida St. 27-17
Nov. 15, 2007 2. Oregon lost to Arizona 34-24

Dec.  1, 2007 2. West Virginia lost to Pittsburgh 13-9
Nov. 18, 2011 2. Oklahoma St. lost to Iowa St. 37-31, 2OT
Nov. 17, 2012 2. Kansas St. lost to Baylor 52-24 
Oct.  2, 2014 2. Oregon lost to Arizona 31-24 
Oct. 11, 2014 2. Auburn lost to Mississippi St. 38-23

Oct. 22, 2016 2. Ohio St. lost to Penn St. 24-21

Nov. 12, 2016 2. Michigan lost to Iowa 14-13 
*Nov. 12, 2016 2. Clemson lost to Pittsburgh, 43-42
Oct. 13, 2017 2. Clemson lost to Syracuse 27-24 
Nov. 24, 2017 2. Miami lost to Pittsburgh 24-14

* (Clemson was No. 2 in the CFB playoff standings) 

Heisman watch

Will Grier, West Virginia, QB: Yes, Tennessee is bad. Real bad. But the Vols are still an SEC team and Grier shredded them for 429 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-14 victory. 

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin, RB: Averaged 8.1 yards per attempt while rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-3 victory over Western Kentucky.

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, QB: Don’t get caught up in the stats. Tagovailoa’s 227 passing yards is relatively modest, but his performance was exceptional. He threw well, he ran well, he extended plays. And now he’s the full-time starter.

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Jarrett Stidham, Auburn, QB: Here’s another instance in which the numbers weren’t great, but the caliber of competition was a factor. Stidham passed for 273 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 23 to lead Auburn to a hard-fought 21-16 victory over Washington. 

Brandon Wimbush, Notre Dame, QB: Wimbush passed for 170 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 59. Modest for sure. But his performance was so much greater than his numbers. He eluded pressure to make several big plays against a stout defense in leading the Irish past Michigan 24-17.

Predicted playoff participants

1. Alabama: Tua Tagovailoa demonstrated what you saw in last year’s national championship game was no fluke.
2. Clemson: The defense is as good as hyped. Backup quarterback (for now) Trevor Lawrence might be, too.
3. Ohio State: As the rest of the Big Ten struggled, the Buckeyes just kept on dominating.

4. Notre Dame: The combination of a solid defense and an improved quarterback that can make playoff schedule make the Irish dangerous.
 

This week’s top games

Georgia at South Carolina: Though early September this clash could determine the East Division representative in the SEC championship game.

USC at Stanford: Neither team was impressive in lackluster season-opening wins, but this could be a preview of the Pac-12 title game.

Colorado at Nebraska: The renewal of a once-nasty rivalry. Colorado is coming off a dominant win over Colorado State. Nebraska is making its debut under Scott Frost.

Penn State at Pittsburgh: Another once annual rivalry clash. Pitt hopes to avenge last year’s 33-14 loss to the Nits. The Panthers just might judge the Penn State’s defensive showing in an OT win over Appalachian State.

Clemson at Texas A&M: Clemson is a two-touchdown favorite. But coaches Jimbo Fisher and Dabo Swinney have been involved in down-to-the-wire battles before, including last year.

Idle thoughts

• With so many early games and struggling teams perhaps the “Big 12” should change its named to the “Big 12 Eastern Time.”
• The SEC went 4-1 against “Power Five” opponents in Week One. By comparison, the ACC was 0-3, the Big 12 was 1-2, Big Ten was 2-1 and the Pac-12 was 1-2.
• Ole Miss offense looked scary in a 47-27 win over Texas Tech. Tech’s defense returned 10 starters, but those starters were part of a unit that ranked 114th in pass defense last season.
• Calls are being made for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s ouster after a 24-17 loss to Notre Dame. But what if Notre Dame is just that good and Michigan isn’t that bad?
• Some rated the Big Ten East as the strongest division in college football. Maybe time for a re-rank. Ohio State appeared powerful as usual. But Penn State was lucky to escape win an overtime win over Appalachian State, Michigan State struggled to beat Utah State, Michigan fell to Notre Dame. On the plus side, Maryland beat Texas, Rutgers beat Texas State and Indiana beat Florida International.