Summer has officially come to an end, the autumn air has begun to come in, and college football has made its return. Fans across the country are eager to fill stadiums while embracing the electric gameday atmospheres and traditions. Just two weeks into the season, rivalries, upsets, and surprising storylines are already back, with many more to come.

During Week One, CU Boulder faced (#17) TCU in Fort Worth. The Buffaloes entirely restructured their team during the offseason, acquiring head coach Deion Sanders, NFL Hall of Fame cornerback and two-time champion. Additionally, they brought in quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. On the other hand, TCU lost much of their team to the NFL draft after coming off a national title appearance. Despite many doubting Colorado’s revamped team, CU Boulder put on a masterclass, winning 45 – 42. CU Boulder proved that they were no joke, and that Sanders and Hunter just might be Heisman candidates.

Throughout the entire game, the teams were neck and neck, until Sanders connected with running back Dylan Edwards to take the lead with 4:25 left in the fourth quarter. Sanders accumulated a whopping 510 passing yards, and Hunter recorded an absurd 152 game snaps, playing both the wide receiver and cornerback position.

In the most anticipated game of Week One, (#5) LSU took on (#8) FSU. Although both are touted as title contenders, FSU dominated with a 45 – 24 victory. Quarterback Jordan Travis led the way for the Seminoles with a stellar 342 yards and five touchdowns. However, the biggest shock of the week came on Monday night, as Duke played (#9) Clemson. The game was supposed to be a blowout, with Clemson winning by 12 or more points. However, Duke defied the odds, winning 28-7.

Week One’s chaos was matched by Week Two.

During the day, two ranked teams lost to unranked opponents. (#19) Wisconsin lost 31 – 22 to Washington State, and (#23) Texas A&M lost 33-48 to Miami. 

On Saturday night, however, all the attention was in Tuscaloosa, as (#11) Texas took on (#3) Alabama. Going into the matchup, Alabama had not lost a home game since 2019. All signs were pointing towards a Texas loss, however, the Longhorns fought earnestly to defeat the Crimson Tide 34-24. Texas QB Quinn Ewers put on a show with three touchdowns and over 350 yards. The Longhorns’ victory became Alabama’s first double-digit loss at home in nearly two decades, the first of its kind in the Nick Saban era. 

Despite the many impressive performances in upset games, the Heisman race is nonetheless led by USC QB Caleb Williams (+350). Behind Williams sits other quarterbacks like Quinn Ewers (+500), Jordan Travis (+750), and Washington’s Michael Penix (+1000). As of now, it seems Williams may become the second-ever two-time Heisman winner.

Paw Print spoke to Pine Crest varsity football players Dylan Rosenberg ‘25 and Jake Weidenfeld ‘25 about their thoughts on the games from Weeks One and Two. Rosenberg said, “I think Florida State and Colorado are incredibly overrated, neither will finish top 15.”  In contrast to Rosenberg, Weidenfeld said, “Someone on Colorado is winning the Heisman, and they will end up in the top 10.” 

Only two weeks into the season, fans have seen it all. With ten regular season games remaining, many questions are still left to be answered. Are Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter legitimate Heisman candidates? Does Texas have a real shot to make the college football playoffs? Can Alabama return to the glory they had in the last decade?

Sources:

Week 1 Scores

Week 2 Scores

Texas vs. Alabama Facts

Texas vs. Alabama Facts #2

Heisman Odds

Heisman Facts