Even just two weeks into the college football season, opinions are being formed and forecasts are being made for how the rest of the schedule will play out.
That’s a dangerous proposition when there are 11 more weeks and the unpredictable nature of the sport has already been on full display this season. Almost half of the preseason Top 25 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll has already lost a game. There are more to come.
So one should temper their expectations and not overreact to results. Here are five of those results from Week 2 to keep in mind when looking ahead.
Oregon is lock to make the playoff
As impressive as it was for the Ducks to go into Columbus and defeat No. 3 Ohio State, let’s hold back on crowning them the champions of the Pac-12, let alone giving them a free pass to the playoff. It’s easy to focus on a team’s offense when evaluating its ability. Oregon has the running game that is going to be a problem for most teams to handle. However, the success against the Buckeyes was also due to OSU’s struggles against the run that also were on display against Minnesota. Antony Brown played efficiently, but what still remains to be seen is how the Ducks fare against an elite unit that can slow its run game down. UCLA and Arizona State have that capability.
The other more pressing concern in the defense. Yes, starters Kayvon Thibodeux and Justin Flowe were out against Ohio State and they would have helped. Oregon still bent tremendously by allowing 612…
