Week two of the 2024 college football season has concluded, and some talented teams are starting to pull away from the rest.
No. 1 Georgia beat Tennessee Tech 48-3 at home. Ohio State beat Western Michigan 56-0 but dropped in the Associated Press rankings on Sunday. Texas beat Michigan 31-12 to move into No. 2 in the nation.
College football fans have a lot to look forward to, but it begs the question: Who were the winners and losers this week?
Let's take a closer look.
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Award Winners
Tennessee State quarterback Niko Iamareva (8) cuts back to North Carolina State safety Bishop Fitzgerald (7) during the second half of a game, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Scott Kinzer)
Tennessee Volunteers: After beating No. 24 NC State on Saturday in Charlotte, we're talking about the Volunteer defense. Josh Heupel and his offensive line, with Niko Iamareva at quarterback, get a lot of praise, but it's Tennessee's defense that has improved a lot over the last few years. The Wolfpack only allowed 141 total yards of offense, but this defense could be a powerhouse in 2024. The Volunteers, after a warmup against Kent State and with a big game against Oklahoma in two weeks, have risen to No. 7 in the new Associated Press rankings.
Nebraska Cornhuskers: It's clear that the Nebraska fanbase is all in on Matt Rhule and quarterback Dylan Raiola. A win over Colorado is nice, but the “Blackshirts” on defense dashed Shedul Sanders' hopes of winning this game in the first half. While it wasn't a “showpiece” win ranking-wise, it was a big night for a football program that is trending in the right direction. The Cornhuskers have their quarterback of the future and delivered a knockout blow to Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes' momentum.
South Carolina Gamecocks: There was a lot of talk about Shane Beamer after a close win over Old Dominion last week, but the Gamecocks rode into Lexington and beat Kentucky. The defense held both Wildcats quarterbacks to just 44 yards on the night, and the Gamecocks improved to 2-0 with a great SEC win.
Kyle Monangai: The Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back proved why he's a dark horse candidate to win the Heisman Trophy this season. He rushed for 208 yards and three rushing touchdowns in Rutgers' 49-17 win over Akron. He has rushed for 373 yards and four touchdowns in three games for Rutgers.
Northern Illinois University: Northern Illinois University pulled off a major upset over the weekend, beating Notre Dame 16-14. Without a big play by the Huskies late in the game, Notre Dame would never have had a chance to sneak a field goal through the goalpost. Even better for the Huskies, Notre Dame paid a reported $1.4 million to travel to South Bend and beat Northern Illinois University. A win-win indeed.
Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Lue leaves the field after defeating the Colorado Buffaloes at Memorial Stadium on Sept. 7, 2024 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Dylan Widger-Imagn Images)
Jim Harbaugh: The Los Angeles Chargers head coach earned his first win with his new NFL team. He did so over the weekend because he didn't have to sit back and watch the Longhorns dominate the Wolverines. Harbaugh is also unlikely to face any sanctions after the NCAA issued a Notice of Concern to Michigan last month.
2024 college football rankings: Georgia and Ohio State maintain their top spots, Notre Dame drops
loser
Auburn Tigers: Florida and Billy Napier were the brunt of the jokes in the SEC last week after being humiliated by Miami. This week, the Auburn Tigers were the brunt of the jokes after losing at home to the California Golden Bears. Hugh Freeze's offense looked awful, in part because of QB Peyton Thorne. Thorne was intercepted four times and the offense fumbled once, a terrible performance for a team that was expected to improve heading into the 2024 season. This would have been a good win for bowl eligibility, as the Tigers still have to play Missouri, Georgia and Alabama, but they missed out.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: There were hopes of a springboard into the College Football Playoff after beating Texas A&M in College Station, but losing to a team that had never beaten a top-10 team before last weekend was a major setback for Riley Leonard and head coach Marcus Freeman. All the goodwill they gained from beating an SEC opponent last week has evaporated, and the CFP committee will likely look at this as a disadvantage if the Irish are in the running for a championship at season's end.
Iowa Hokies: The animosity between Iowa and Iowa State was on full display Saturday when the two teams faced off in an early-season rivalry game. Kyle Conradie booted a 54-yard field goal with time running out to give the Cyclones the win. For the Hokies, quarterback Cade McNamara didn't help the team, and the game marked the first game of the season for head coach Kirk Ferentz, who was suspended in Week 1 for recruiting violations related to McNamara. Cade threw for just 99 yards with two interceptions in the loss, which is just as good as it gets for Iowa.
Colorado State head coach Deion Sanders (right) talks with quarterback Shedul Sanders (2) on the sideline between plays during the second half of a game against the University of Nebraska, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Lincoln, Nebraska. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Colorado Buffaloes: Colorado has made a lot of noise over the past year and a half, but not many wins. Their most recent loss was a 28-10 blowout defeat to Nebraska on Saturday night. Buffaloes quarterback Shedul Sanders threw some awful passes with six interceptions and didn't even last long enough to see the rest of his teammates in garbage time. Colorado barely beat North Dakota State to start the season, but it's looking like it's going to be a very long season.
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Fox News Digital Sports College Football Winners and Losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the staff at OutKick.com.
