2025 Week 2 College Football Recap And Top Performers

After an exciting Week 1, how did college football follow up in Week 2?

Week 2 brought its share of close calls, overtime thrillers, impressive individual efforts, and one of the biggest upset in recent college football history. The competition is heating up, and early trends are starting to take shape.

Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from Week 2.

What Did We Learn In Week 2?

• Let’s give South Florida their well-deserved flowers after pulling off one of the most stunning upsets in recent college football memory with their win over Florida. As for the Gators, any hopes of being taken seriously this season may have vanished with that loss. Then again, college football is nothing if not unpredictable—just last year, Notre Dame fell to Northern Illinois and still clawed their way to the National Championship. If history tells us anything, it’s that chaos is always just one Saturday away.

• Grambling State came in ready to compete, but once the game kicked off, Julian Sayin and Ohio State made quick work of the Tigers —this one was never close. That pretty much sums it up.

• For a full half, Troy flirted with history, threatening to pull off one of the greatest upsets college football has ever seen. But once the third quarter hit, Clemson snapped out of its slumber and took control, leaving no doubt down the stretch. Dabo Swinney and his squad may have escaped disaster this time, but if they want to stay in playoff conversations, they’ll need to tighten things up—fast.

• Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood has undeniable talent, but he's not quite ready for the primetime spotlight—and neither are the Wolverines. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s John Mateer looks poised for a breakout, especially when the Sooners unleash Jadyn Ott.

• Every fire needs a spark—and for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, it came in the form of an 83-yard bomb to Parker Livingstone. That play cracked open the offensive floodgates, leading to four touchdown passes in the second quarter alone. Manning found his groove again, and that’s bad news for the rest of college football.

• Plain and simple: if Penn State wants to be in the championship conversation, their offense needs to be more consistent. Their sluggish first half against FIU raised eyebrows, even though they rallied in the second. Still, the running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton is legit—and could carry them deep into the season.

• LSU’s defense is the real deal—arguably the most dominant unit in the country. Brian Kelly has built a team that’s fast, physical, and downright punishing. If they keep playing at this level, the Tigers will be the matchup no one wants on their schedule.

• Behren Morton and the Red Raiders deserve way more attention. What’s brewing in Lubbock is electric. It’s early days, but they’re trending toward Top 10 territory—and fast.

• One thing remains consistent about Oklahoma State: eventually, reality catches up with them. After an impressive Week 1 victory, the Cowboys were thoroughly outclassed by Oregon in a lopsided affair. They tend to shine against weaker opponents, but when matched up against top-25 competition, they falter—often dramatically.

• The Tennessee Volunteers are showing no signs of missing Nico Iamaleava, as quarterback Joey Aguilar led the charge in an explosive 60+-point performance.

• Speaking of Nico, his first half against UNLV was nothing short of a disaster—missed reads, shaky decision-making, and a lack of rhythm that left UCLA scrambling. But credit where it’s due: in the second half, he found his footing and nearly engineered a dramatic comeback. While the early signs aren’t promising, the season is still young, and if Nico can build on that second-half spark, there’s still time to rewrite the narrative.

• Texas A&M have put up back-to-back 40-point outputs so far this season. If there is one team that has a chance of taking the SEC, the Aggies should not be ignored.

• Two weeks in, Miami quarterback Carson Beck has delivered with back-to-back solid performances. If he's truly returned to his 2023 form, the Hurricanes could be in for a breakout season. Beck’s poise and precision under center are starting to look like the foundation of something special in Coral Gables.

• The arrival of Thomas Castellanos has completely reshaped the Florida State Seminoles. That transformation was on full display in their blowout win over East Texas. The energy, the execution—it’s a whole new team.

• Illinois let Duke hang around a little too long, but once Luke Altmyer and crew hit their stride in the second half, it was game over. The Fighting Illini are a well-balanced squad, and it showed.

• There’s nothing more painful in college football than watching Iowa’s offense sputter. Against Iowa State, it was more of the same—just 10 points in a losing effort. Head coach Kirk Ferentz will have to wait another week to surpass Woody Hayes for Big Ten immortality.

• One team quietly making noise is Vanderbilt. Quarterback Diego Pavia has single-handedly injected credibility into the program, especially after orchestrating a gutsy comeback win over Virginia Tech. His leadership and playmaking have turned the Commodores into a team worth following.

• For a moment, it looked like James Madison might topple another ACC giant. But Louisville shook off the cobwebs in the second half and never looked back, dashing the Dukes’ upset hopes.

Week 2 Top Performers

*K Nico Gramatica - South Florida

Offense

QB Julien Sayin - Ohio State

QB Jayden Maiava - USC

QB Arch Manning - Texas

QB Sawyer Robertson - Baylor

WR Jeremiah Smith - Ohio State

QB Steve Angeli - Syracuse

RB Waymond Jordan - USC

QB Beau Pribula - Missouri

QB Carson Beck - Miami

WR Makai Lemon - USC

QB John Mateer - Oklahoma

QB Blake Shapen - Mississippi State

RB J'Mari Taylor - Virginia

QB Dylan Lonergan - Boston College

RB Robert Henry Jr. - UTSA

QB Fernando Mendoza - Indiana

RB Kaytron Allen - Penn State

QB Thomas Castellanos - Florida State

WR Duce Robinson - Florida State

RB T.J. Harden - SMU

QB Behren Morton - Texas Tech

WR Germie Bernard - Alabama

WR Josh Cameron - Baylor

QB Eli Holstein - Pittsburgh

WR Ashtyn Hawkins - Baylor

WR Romello Brinson - SMU

WR Chris Brazzell II - Tennessee

RB Daylan Smothers - NC State

WR Bryant Wesco Jr - Clemson

RB Isaac Brown - Louisville

WR Raphael Poppi Williams Jr. - Pittsburgh

WR Parker Livingstone - Texas

QB Kevin Jennings - SMU

Defense

EDGE Cashius Howell - Texas A&M

DB Omar Thornton - Boston College

EDGE Clev Lubin - Louisville

LB Xavian Sorey Jr. - Arkansas

LB Aiden Fisher - Indiana

EDGE Dylan Stewart - South Carolina

DE Caden Curry - Ohio State

DB Keionte Scott - Miami

LB West Weeks - LSU

LB Nick Rinaldi - Vanderbilt

LB Owen McGowan - Boston College

LB Kendall Johnson - Duke

DL Anthony Lucas - USC

EDGE Princewill Umanmielen - Ole Miss

EDGE Will Heldt - Clemson

LB Teitum Tuioti - Oregon

EDGE Zach Crothers - Pittsburgh

LB Scooby Williams - Texas A&M

S Jackson Bennee - Utah

LB TJ Thompson - Troy

DL Anthony Holmes Jr. - Texas Tech

LB Gannon Weathersby - James Madison

EDGE Lester-Laisene Lagafuaina - Hawaii