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Down 23-3 with 15 minutes to play against the No. 1 team in the country, Texas delivered 21 unanswered points, capped by a go-ahead touchdown from Hollywood Smothers with 25 seconds left, to stun Ohio State 24-23 in the Game of the Year. La Remontada de Austin joins the pantheon of legendary college football comebacks and delivers a defining moment in the Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian era.

Where do I even begin?

Ohio State dominated this game for three quarters. Julian Sayin delivered. Jeremiah Smith was unguardable. The offensive and defensive lines were imposing their will. Ryan Day looked like a genius. Sarkisian, not so much. 

But in the fourth quarter, the game flipped on its head. Manning pieced together three straight scoring drives. The Sayin-to-Smith connection dried up. Day coached conservatively, and the Texas offense looked much more comfortable moving at a fast pace. 

All offseason, Texas operated like a program building for this moment. The Longhorns traded in steady hands for stars via the portal. Sarkisian brought in stalwart defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. This time, this season, this moment, had to be different. On Saturday night, it was.

Day walks out of this loss with egg on his face. The Buckeyes blew a giant lead, played scared down the stretch, and couldn’t get stops on multiple late-game drives. 

For Texas, this was a season-altering win in a gigantic spot. Could this be the type of win that propels this team to greatness? Only time will tell. 

Many people are asking if 2026 Oregon is 2025 Penn State in disguise. 

In Week 1, Oklahoma State got shelled by little brother Tulsa. Saturday afternoon, the Cowboys survived a pair of early, tipped pass turnovers to knock off sixth-ranked Oregon 39-31 in the biggest upset of Week 2 and, possibly, the season.

Oklahoma State fans tore down the goalpost. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker called it one of the best days of his life. Coach Eric Morris was visibly emotional in the post-game interview. Soak it all in, Cowboy fans. That one was well-earned.

The Cowboys should feel awesome about how they bounced back. Mestemaker finished 26-of-43 with 317 passing yards, 109 yards on the ground, and three total touchdowns. On Saturday, he looked a lot more like the quarterback that ripped through the American Conference last season.

For Oregon, this loss is a downright disaster. Dante Moore had an incredibly poor game. The Ducks rushed for just 90 yards on 30 carries and had numerous big-time drops and errors. The offensive coordinator worries didn’t go away either, with playcaller Drew Mehringer having another rough outing. 

It might be time to hit the panic button if you’re an Oregon fan. A season ago, Oregon beat Oklahoma State 69-3. This weekend, the Ducks got thoroughly outplayed by a team they dwarf in budget and talent. 

Oregon’s schedule gets nasty, really quickly, with a trip to LA to face USC in two weeks.

OK, time to tell the truth. Did you walk away from that one thinking that both of these teams are the same? 

Michigan played a clunker. Oklahoma played a bigger clunker. The game was decided on a late-game John Mateer interception that vaulted Michigan to a 17-10 win over the 11th-ranked Sooners. 

Neither team played particularly strong games offensively. Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood completed only nine passes through four quarters. Oklahoma relied on Mateer to run around and do stuff far too frequently. Both defenses can and should feel good about their efforts.

Underwood is still not a very consistent passer. Mateer is neither Baker Mayfield nor a consistent passer.

I’m not convinced either of these teams are making the College Football Playoff this season. But both can play defense.

We didn’t need another reminder, but we got one anyway. Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor has blossomed into a full-blown superstar. 

In a game billed for its enticing quarterback matchup, Taylor outshined Minnesota’s Drake Lindsey, finishing with 227 passing yards, 86 rushing yards, and three passing touchdowns in a season-altering 38-13 win for the Bulldogs. 

The quarterbacks got all the buzz entering Saturday afternoon’s game, but Taylor emerged as the best player on the field. He was composed in the pocket. He showed off serious arm strength on a handful of difficult throws. He even showed off his incredible running abilities when the situation required it. Make no bones about it, this guy is one of the gems of the SEC.

Mississippi State had an impressive game in all three phases. The Bulldogs tallied 252 rushing yards, outgained the Gophers by almost 200 yards, and kept Lindsey out of the end zone for four quarters. 

Statistically, Lindsey finished with 279 passing yards, but much like last season, he was unable to push the ball downfield with any serious venom. He was also asked to throw the ball 48 times as the Gophers fell into an early hole.

If Taylor keeps this up, Mississippi State could snipe a few SEC heavyweights. If Minnesota doesn’t shape up defensively, it might be a long season for PJ Fleck.

It’s only Week 2, but considering how most of the Big 12 fared this weekend, BYU might be the best team in the league. LJ Martin had a nice day, Bear Bachmeier threw three touchdowns, and the Cougars pitched a second-half shutout to outlast Arizona 28-17.

While the eyes of the college football world were seemingly on other action, BYU’s response to a halftime deficit might’ve been the most underrated performance of the entire weekend. After getting gashed by the legs of Noah Fifita, the Cougars clamped down and made Arizona play differently in the second half. Combined with an offense that asserted its physicality, BYU scored 14 unanswered with two Kyler Kasper TD receptions and took control of the game.

More importantly, Bachmeier showed real growth. He might never develop into an elite passer, but if he can make small strides as he did on Saturday, BYU is good enough in other areas to give opponents fits. 

Texas A&M’s defense did an excellent job of creating havoc and causing turnovers in the Aggies’ 48-20 win over Arizona State on Saturday afternoon. After a back-and-forth three quarters, the Aggie defense pitched a shutout and notched a pair of big-time pick-sixes in the final frame. 

Also of note: Texas A&M did a poor job of running the football and quarterback Marcel Reed was merely fine. Questions remain about the direction of this offense under new offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, as much bigger tests await the Aggies in SEC play. 

Meanwhile, Arizona State feels like a plucky Big 12 team. Quarterback Cutter Boley did some nice things until he got terrorized in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Reed Harris had a monster day, notching nine catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns. If Arizona State can figure out how to protect Boley better, the Sun Devils might have a chance to make some noise in the Big 12.

Respect to Memphis and Boise State for throwing nothing but haymakers. 

After a back-and-forth first half, Boise State pulled away after an impressive second-half shutout to notch a 38-20 win in a possible Group of 6 College Football Playoff decider.

Boise State did an excellent job surviving some early punches from Memphis. The Tigers scored touchdowns of 87 and 80 yards in the first half to jump out to a 20-17 first-half lead. Quarterback Marcus Stokes was cookin’ and the Memphis run game was rollin’. It felt like the Tigers had a real shot to knock off Boise State on the Smurf Turf. 

The story of the second half was Boise State’s ability to sustain drives. The Broncos marched down the field on touchdown drives of 77 and 89 yards. Sandwiched between those drives, Cam Bates housecalled a 72-yard punt return touchdown. 

Memphis looks like a good Group of 6 team. Boise State might be the best Group of 6 team.

Speaking of Group of 6 barnburners, how about that UTSA-Texas State ending?

UTSA overcame a 10-point, first-half deficit to knock off the Bobcats 31-26 to win the I-35 Rivalry. 

Jeff Traylor teams just find ways to win. Let’s start there.

UTSA quarterback Owen McCown had a solid day, finishing with 214 passing yards and one touchdown. The Roadrunners ran for 140 yards and one score. Wide receiver David Amador II even threw for a 44-yard touchdown pass. How can you not love that? 

Texas State rushed for 289 yards and two touchdowns, but failed to get the necessary stops in the fourth quarter. They lost what feels like their 10th-consecutive close game under coach GJ Kinne. 

UTSA is one of the better teams in the American Conference through two weeks. If the Roadrunners can keep piecing together road wins, they’ll be a tough out come conference play. Texas State desperately needs to find ways to close out games.  

Week 2 delivered the first truly chaotic Saturday of the 2026 college football season. Texas erased a fourth-quarter deficit to beat Ohio State, Oklahoma State stunned Oregon in Stillwater, and Michigan leaned on its defense to win a rock fight against Oklahoma. On Saturday night, we broke down what Texas proved in its comeback, what went wrong for Oregon, and what Michigan’s win said about both the Wolverines and Sooners moving forward.

Then we widened the lens on the rest of the weekend with our Spano Meter, checking our excitement and concern levels for BYU, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Alabama, Tennessee, Duke, Illinois, Penn State, Washington, Mississippi State, and more. Plus, another loaded batch of Reverbs, our Dude Alerts, and a live run-through of the AP Top 25 ballot after a week that forced us to rethink plenty of what we thought we knew.

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