Duke beats Troy, loses votes after slow start
In their first road test of the season, the Blue Devils (2-0) traveled to hot and humid Troy, Ala. and defeated the Trojans 34-17 after falling behind 14-3. The victory garnered the team 43 votes in this week’s AP Poll, 17 less than it received last week. The Blue Devils also fell two spots after receiving the third-most votes of an unranked team last week and now trail Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Florida in that department.
Duke will look to put together a more complete performance next Saturday against Kansas at 3:30 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Ducks fly by Spartans
By far the biggest takeaway from Saturday’s action was the huge hit to the Big Ten's College Football Playoff hopes. Michigan State was at the forefront of the conference's abysmal performance.
After taking a nine-point lead into the second half, the No. 7 Spartans (1-1) gave up 28 unanswered points to the high-flying Oregon offense en route to a 46-27 defeat. The vaunted Spartans defense, regarded as one of the best in the country, became soft as cotton as the second-half progressed, with defenders looking lost amongst Oregon’s brightly colored uniforms. The loss to the now second-ranked Ducks (2-0) dropped the Spartans six spots to No.13.
Hokies stun Buckeyes
The biggest stunner of the weekend was Virginia Tech’s upset of Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, ending the Buckeyes' 64-game winning streak against unranked nonconference opponents. Although Ohio State was without star quarterback Braxton Miller, backup quarterback J.T. Barrett faced constant pressure from the fierce Hokie (2-0) defense and was sacked seven times . After coming back to tie the game at 21 early in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes (1-1) were done in by a long Hokie touchdown drive and a late interception by Barrett, falling 35-21. The loss dropped the previously eighth-ranked Buckeyes all the way down to No.22 in this week’s poll, and Virginia Tech rocketed up to No. 17 after being previously unranked.
Wolverines demolished, Cornhuskers use miracle to escape
Although the losses by two conference favorites may resonate strongest with fans, the Big Ten’s shattered credibility can also be attributed to poor performances by traditional powers Michigan and Nebraska.
The Wolverines (1-1) were shut out 31-0 by Notre Dame (2-0)—who rose from No. 16 to No.11 with the final victory in the 100-year old rivalry—and the Cornhuskers (2-0) needed the Herculean efforts of Heisman hopeful Ameer Abdullah to come away with a 31-24 victory against lowly McNeese State and fell out of the AP Poll in the process.
Trojans use late field goal to stun Cardinal on the road
Southern California moved up to No. 9 after their 13-10 road victory against Stanford (1-1) ended the Cardinal’s 17-game home winning streak. Although Stanford's mind-boggling inability to convert numerous offensive opportunities contributed to their defeat, the Trojan defense certainly contributed to the victory with a late strip-sack of Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan. Although athletic director Pat Haden’s on-field shenanigans will garner most of the media attention this week, Southern California (2-0) is certainly on the rise in a loaded Pac-12.
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