2024 SID Sports Week 3 Rankings

Breaking down the Top 25 and players of the week after Week 2

Week One was full of blowouts and power programs annihilating FCS teams, but Week Two had some more pizazz. We got our first big upset of the year, some great games and a new Number One team (gasp!).

We still don’t know much about these teams, but the picture is starting to show two games in. Right now, the picture is that I was wildly incorrect with my earlier rankings. So let’s break it down. Who’s the Top 25 teams in the nation right now?

SID Sports Week 2 Top 25

1. Texas 2-0 LW: 3
   The Longhorns vault to the Number One spot after a commanding 31-12 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor. Sure, Georgia also notched a top-tier win over Clemson but Texas gets the boost for a few reasons: 1) it was a true road game and 2) Michigan was a Top-10 team. Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns offense are going to be tough to stop, and the Texas defense is no slouch either.

2. Georgia 2-0 LW: 1
   This is very much a 1a and 1b situation between Texas and Georgia. The Bulldogs didn’t break a sweat against Tennessee Tech. Carson Beck was impeccable with 242 yards and five touchdowns and Trevor Etienne looked solid in his first appearance in the red and black. Oh, and the defense has only allowed six points this season.

3. Ohio State 2-0 LW: 2
   It’s not Ohio State’s fault they’ve been jumped, but that’s the price of a weaker schedule. To the Buckeyes’ credit, they trounced Western Michigan 56-0. Will Howard continued to be efficient through the air and the rushing attack couldn’t be stopped. Quinshon Judkins had 108 yards and two scores on only nine carries and Treveyon Henderson added 66 yards and another two scores on 10 carries. Throw in a shutout and Ohio State is very dangerous this year.

4. Alabama 2-0 LW: 8
   The Tide get a big jump after a deceiving 42-16 win over South Florida. The offense saw their first struggles under Kalen DeBoer, but were able to turn it on when it mattered most with 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. A ton of focus is on the offense, but this is still a very good Alabama defense. They made life difficult for Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown through the air, but he showed that teams can scramble on this defense.

5. Oregon 2-0 LW: 4
   The Ducks keep winning ugly games, but they are winning. Boise State is a good team, so I’m not holding that close game against them too much. But this is starting to be a worrying trend. If Dan Lanning’s Ducks are going to be true title contenders, they need to hit their second gear. They couldn’t put away Boise State and they couldn’t put away Idaho. A better team could make them pay.

6. USC 2-0 LW: 10

   It may not be too noteworthy yet, but the Trojan defense pitched a shutout in their 48-0 win over Utah State. I’ve long said that USC needs to find a defense in order to be a legitimate contender. We’ll need to keep an eye on it, but they might have found one. Utah State did have a last-minute coaching change when head coach/playcaller Blake Anderson was dismissed following a Title IX investigation, but USC shut down LSU’s offense as well.

7. Tennessee 2-0 LW: 11
   I’ve talked a lot about defense. Let’s flip over to offense. Josh Heupel’s Vols have scored 155 combined points in the last three games started by Nico Iamaleava, dating back to last season. This very well might be the nation’s most dangerous offense. The defense also played well, holding NC State’s Grayson McCall to an abysmal 22.7 QBR and only surrendering 39 rushing yards in their 51-10 victory.

8. Penn State 2-0 LW: 5
   While Penn State’s win over West Virginia was a huge plus, they needed every second to beat Bowling Green. If you listened to my radio spot on Bowling Green’s The Morning Show (tune in on 88.1 FM WBGU the day before B.G. games), you know that I was worried about this passing attack. I’m still not seeing Drew Allar as able to keep up with the big boys. Bowling Green’s offense also had their way with the Penn State defense, which is very concerning for Penn State.

9. Oklahoma 2-0 LW: 6
   Speaking of concerning wins, Oklahoma was in a way too close game against Houston. Jackson Arnold looked pedestrian and the Sooner offense had only 2.8 yards per carry against a Cougar squad that’s starting from scratch. The defense played admirably, but Oklahoma is going to need to dial it in next week against Tulane to avoid a repeat of the Cotton Bowl.

10. Ole Miss 2-0 LW: 13
    While some above teams have had some worrying stretches, Ole Miss is running through everyone they come across. Granted, that’s been Furman and Middle Tennessee State so far, but the 64 point average the Rebs offense is posting is nothing to sneeze at. Jaxson Dart has been great under center and the Ole Miss defense hasn’t been challenged yet. We’ll see what they’re made of in the next few weeks.

11. Missouri 2-0 LW: 12
    The Tigers are another strong-looking SEC team that hasn’t faced any challenge yet. Buffalo was just a bump in the road for a 38-0 win. Brady Cook hasn’t looked as good as he did last year in the air, but the ground game has picked up the slack so far between Nate Noel and Cook.

12. Utah 2-0 LW: 14

    Cam Rising was good enough to get the job done but tailback Micah Bernard was the real driving force of the offense. The Utes didn’t score in the second half, but they weathered a resurgent Baylor storm to win 23-12. Even with the attempted comeback, Utah held Baylor’s Dequan Finn to a 12.9 QBR. This is a classic Utah defense that’s going to make life difficult for its opponent, but Rising needs to get his feet under him soon.

13. Oklahoma State 2-0 LW: 16
    Oklahoma State got off to a really rough start against a surprisingly strong Arkansas team that did a lot to shut down Ollie Gordon. Arkansas led 21-7 at the half with Gordon essentially non-existent, but then the Pokes stormed back in a quality grit-and-grind affair. Alan Bowman and Brennan Presley picked up the slack and Gordon punctuated the comeback to seal a 39-31 victory in double overtime. Good teams overcome adversity and Oklahoma State showed early they can do that.

14. Miami 2-0 LW: 20
    The Canes didn’t do much this week aside from steamroll poor Florida A&M - who is a pretty good FCS team - but the teams around them struggled so Miami jumped up. Cam Ward, as we all knew, is very good. Damien Martinez is very good. Xavier Restrepo is very good. Does that combination make the Canes good?

15. Michigan 1-1 LW: 8
    Our first team with a loss is none other than Michigan. I depated dropping them further, but I think this team is going to rebound. At least, on the defensive side. I’ve got some serious worries about the offense. Davis Warren isn’t it under center and I’m shocked by how pedestrian Donovan Edwards has looked. Sherrone Moore needs to pull something together to breath life into this lifeless offense.

16. Kansas State 2-0 LW: 15
    Kansas State drops a spot after a scare against Tulane, but I think the Wildcats are still a solid team and Big 12 title contenders. The Green Wave’s offense had their way with Kansas State’s defense until quarterback Darian Mensah got a sudden case of the turnover bug, leading to a scoop-and-score and interception in the end zone. It wasn’t Avery Johnson’s best day, but it was enough to get the win.

17. Louisville 2-0 LW: 19
    To be honest, I didn’t have too much hope for the Tyler Shough-led Cardinals, but Louisville has looked really solid so far this season. Jacksonville State showed little to no resistance in a 49-14 win and Shough posted an 86.3 QBR on the day. Louisville has outscored their opponents 111-14 so far this season. I don’t know if it can stand the rest of the season, but Louisville has the makings of an ACC contender early on.

18. Arizona 2-0 LW: 22
    Arizona was trailing at the half to Northern Arizona, but were able to put the game away in the second. The biggest takeaway for me from this game is that the Wildcats are going to live and die by Noah Fifita. The sophomore posted an abysmal 10.7 QBR on the day, and they really only got the win because tailback Quali Conley played well and Northern Arizona’s offense was somehow worse. They won’t survive this weekend against Kansas State with another outing like that.

19. LSU 1-1 LW: 21
    I’m going to start sounding the alarm on the LSU defense. A week after Miller Moss had his way, the Tigers surrendered 21 points to FCS Nicholls State. They couldn’t stop the run at all, but the secondary limited any downfield passing the Colonels attempted. The offense was solid throwing the ball, but the loss of tailback John Emery Jr. is clear in the lackluster rushing game.

20. Iowa State 2-0 LW: Next Five Out
    The Cyclones erased a 19-7 Iowa lead with 4:47 left in the third to score 13 unanswered and reclaimed the CyHawk trophy on the backs of a 54-yard boot from Kyle Konrardy with the game in its closing seconds. Iowa State struggled to stop Kaleb Johnson in the first half, but some slick halftime adjustments allowed the momentum to flip to the visiting Iowa State. This was a big-time early season rivalry win.

21. Memphis 2-0 LW: Next Five Out
    For the first time this season, a Group of Five team has cracked the Top 25! The Tigers notched another solid win in a 38-174 showing against Troy. Seth Henigan was solid, per usual, but tailback Mario Anderson was the star of the show with 125 yards and two scores. Neither passing game was great, but the Memphis defense largely stopped the Trojan rushing attack. As long as Memphis’s defense is ready to go, they’re going to be a playoff contender.

22. Clemson 1-1 LW: Next Five Out
    The Tigers are back in the Top 25 after dismantling Appalachian State 66-20. The offense finally showed signs of life as it crossed the 600-total yard mark for the first time since an early season win over Charleston Southern last season. Clemson’s defense also stopped a dangerous App State offense that’s been known to catch teams off guard. The arrow seems to be pointing up in Clemson.

23. Nebraska 2-0 LW: UR
    Nebraska vaults all the way up to the Top 25 after an impressive showing against Colorado. Their defensive line was in Shedeur Sanders’ face all game and Dante Dowdell led a powerful rushing attack. Dylan Raiola wasn’t the best, but the true freshman played admirably and showed some flashes of his talent. Nebraska’s defense couldn’t really stop Travis Hunter, but they held Sanders to a 24.4 QBR and is a very underrated unit.

24. Boston College 2-0 LW: UR
    Thomas Castellanos may be one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the nation. Bill O’Brien has his athletic quarterback playing like one of the nations’ best with a 93.9 QBR across both games this season - the third best mark in the nation. The Eagle defense has also been strong, pitching a shutout against Duquesne. This may come crashing down with a road affair with Missouri looming, though.

25. Northern Illinois 2-0 LW: UR
    Thomas Hammock’s squad flew the flag at South Bend and legitimately won that game. Despite some potential for divine (read: officiating) intervention, Northern Illinois proved ball doesn’t lie. Do-it-all tailback Antario Brown was all over the feild with 225 total yards from scrimmage and the Huskies’ defense made Riley Leonard look like a has-been.

Next Five Out: Vanderbilt, Iowa, Washington, Notre Dame, Syracuse

Vanderbilt is steadily climbing the rankings ahead of their SEC slate. Diego Pavia wasn’t great in the 55-0 win over Alcorn State, but a varied rushing attack showed this offense has layers that defenses will need to account for. Iowa showed more offensive oomph than they usually do, but they’re 0-1 with Kirk Ferentz on the sideline. Kaleb Johnson is a dawg though. I thought Will Rogers would settle in nicely in this Jedd Fisch system, and he’s done just that. A 92.4 QBR with four touchdowns against Eastern Michigan showed it and Jonah Coleman ran the ball well. I don’t think this defense has the lights-out power from last year, but should be good enough. Notre Dame looked lifeless against Northern Illinois and I have genuine concerns about this offense. But the defense is very, very good. Especially the secondary. That alone might be the catalyst for a rebound. Finally, Syracuse is getting sneaky good. Kyle McCord is lighting up the Carrier Dome with 735 yards, eight touchdowns and only one pick so far. They toppled a good Georgia Tech team and McCord is spreading the ball around. This could be a really fun team.

Players of the Week

Finally, let’s get into some of the best individual performances of this week.

1. Henry Parrish Jr., RB Ole Miss
   The Rebs don’t care that Quinshon Judkins is gone because Parrish showed he can do the same thing. Middle Tennessee had no answer for the senior tailback, who made the most of his 14 carries with 165 yards and four scores. That’s 11.8 yards per carry. Granted it was against Middle Tennessee but a statline like that is impressive against anyone.

2. Cade Klubnik, QB Clemson
   So, I might be a Cade Klubnik truther because that’s what I’ve been waiting for! The junior Texas-native torched Appalachian State to the tune of 24-26 in the air, 378 yards and five touchdown. His 99.6 QBR was nearly flawless and he threw three more touchdowns than incompletions. Don’t look now, but Klubnik’s 86.7 QBR on the season is the 11th-best in the nation.

3. Ashton Jeanty, RB Boise State

   Another week, another gaudy Jeanty statline. This time, the Boise State running back gashed a very good Oregon defense coached by Dan Lanning for 197 yards and three scores. He averaged 7.7 yards per carry. If offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter kept the ball in Jeanty’s hands, I think that game might’ve had a different result. Oh, and Jeanty’s already at 459 yards and nine touchdown this season.

   Honorable Mention: Collin Guggenheim, RB, Nicholls State

   I had to give Guggenheim a shoutout because you don’t see games like this from an FCS team. Especially against a blue blood program like LSU. The senior tailback was impossible for LSU to stop with 145 yards and two scores on 25 carries. He average 5.8 yards per carry behind an FCS line against LSU! That’s a game of a lifetime for this young man.

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What I’m Reading:

Three-Point Stance by Tyler Schuster: Three-Point Stance is your favorite independent college football newsletter. Come for in-depth analysis and bold commentary, stay for the jokes and memes. An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.

An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.

House Blocking Analysis by Matt Wilson: They say games are won and lost in the trenches. Matt's going to break down exactly how it's done through great film breakdowns and write ups. I used to write with Matt for a Cleveland Browns site, so I know personally that he's going to churn out quality content you won't want to miss!

Split Zone Duo by Alex Kirshner, Steven Godfrey, and Richard Johnson: You can't beat Alex, Richard and Godfrey. They're on the front lines breaking news and creating the best content in the game. I 100 percent recommend SZD for anyone into college football and Steven Godfrey hating your team. They’re mostly a podcast publication, but sometimes being able to listen to three well-informed guys talking about college football is what you need in your life.

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