WEEK 2 // 2024
“I mean, 4 plus 2 does equal 6.”
- Alabama freshman receiver Ryan Williams citing the jersey number combination between him and quarterback Jalen Milroe after the duo connected on two touchdowns of 50+ yards in Alabama’s 63-0 win over Western Kentucky
Following Caleb Williams, 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, USC may have found its next great quarterback in Miller Moss. Moss led previously-ranked No. 23 USC to a thrilling 27-20 upset over No. 13 LSU at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with a game-winning eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive after the Tigers tied the game at 20-20.
Moss, this week’s Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, completed 5-of-6 passes on the final drive, capped by Woody Marks’ 13-yard touchdown with eight seconds remaining. The win – USC’s first as a member of the Big Ten – elevated the Trojans 10 spots to No. 13 in this week’s AP rankings.
USC hosts Utah State this Saturday, September 7, at 8:00 pm PHX on Big Ten Network before a big-time showdown at Michigan in two weeks in the Trojans’ Big Ten opener.
Like Georgia Tech the week prior in Dublin, Boston College pulled off a second consecutive upset over Florida State in primetime, sending the Seminoles tumbling out of the top 25 after starting the season 0-2.
In the first game of the Bill O’Brien era, the Eagles stunned the 10th-ranked Seminoles, 28-13, in Tallahassee behind an exceptional game from Treshaun Ward. Ward, a former Seminole, totaled 138 yards of offense, including a 13-yard touchdown reception, to help Boston College snap a five-game losing streak to Florida State.
Boston College controlled the line of scrimmage, rushing for 263 yards while limiting Florida State to only 21 yards rushing. Boston College also only committed one penalty and was 9-for-16 on third down.
The Eagles look to move to 2-0 this season when they host Duquesne this Saturday, September 7, at 12:30 pm PHX.
STATE AT #7
For a full schedule of Week 2 games, click here. (All times in PHX)
CFP QUARTERFINAL
Vrbo FIESTA BOWL
ESPN Schlabach – No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 4 Utah
CBS – No. 6 Oregon/No. 11 Iowa vs. No. 3 Utah
247 Sports – No. 5 Texas vs. No. 4 Utah
#3 TEXAS AT #10 MICHIGAN
In the first top 10 matchup of the season, No. 3 Texas travels to the Big House to face No. 10 Michigan on Saturday, September 7.
In their first game as a member of the SEC, the Longhorns dominated Colorado State last week in a 52-0 win. During one stretch, Texas scored touchdowns on six straight possessions.
Meanwhile, Michigan opened its national championship defense with a 30-10 home victory over Fresno State. Fresno State hung tight, trailing only 16-10 with 10 minutes remaining in the game before Michigan pulled away with two late touchdowns, the last on an 86-yard pick-6 by Will Johnson.
Kickoff is 9:00 am PHX time on FOX.
On3 – No. 5 Notre Dame/No. 12 UNLV vs. No. 4 Kansas State
Action Network – No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 4 Utah
College Football News – No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 3 Utah
ESPN Bonagura – Indiana vs. Texas Tech
ESPN Schlabach – Minnesota vs. Iowa State
247 Sports – Rutgers vs. Iowa State Action Network – Maryland vs. Iowa State
Athlon Sports – Illinois vs. TCU
College Football News – Maryland vs. Baylor GUARANTEED RATE BOWL
Liberty running back Quinton Cooley rushed for 110 yards on only 16 carries –averaging 6.9 yards per attempt – in the Flames’ season-opening 41-24 victory last week versus Campbell. Cooley’s efforts were part of an overall Liberty ground attack that totaled 279 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Cooley handled three of Liberty’s four carries on its opening possession of the game and the senior punctuated the drive with a six-yard touchdown run. The score gave the Flames the first lead of the game and they led wire-to-wire in their first game since last season’s Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
In last season’s Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Cooley parlayed eight carries into 79 yards. Cooley had a long rush of 41 yards in Liberty’s first New Year’s Six bowl appearance.
Liberty travels to New Mexico State on Saturday, September 7, at 7:15 pm PHX on ESPN 2 in a Conference USA Championship rematch.
Tetairoa McMillan showed exactly why he was a preseason AP First Team All-American with his performance in Arizona’s 61-39 win over New Mexico. McMillan tied an Arizona school record with four receiving touchdowns, three of 40-plus yards.
The Wildcats wideout was named the AP National Player of the Week. Recording 304 yards on 10 receptions, McMillan posted the second-highest single-game receiving yard total in Big 12 history. He also broke Arizona’s 18-year school record for receiving yards in a game.
Ashton Jeanty ran all over Georgia Southern as Boise State opened its season with a 56-45 road win across the country. Jeanty was recognized as the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week after setting a Boise State program record with 267 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Jeanty tied the Mountain West single-game record with six rushing touchdowns and became only the 10th FBS player since 2013 to score six rushing touchdowns in a game. While his 13.4 yards per carry average was impressive, his eight yards after contact may have been even more of a highlight.
The Guaranteed Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup at a new afternoon time of 3:30 pm on Thursday, December 26. As we eagerly await kickoff in downtown Phoenix, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for Week 2:
• The new-look Big Ten compiled a 17-1 record in Week 1, outscoring its opponents by a combined margin of 591-155.
• No. 2 Ohio State, on the heels of a 52-6 win over Akron, continues to lead four teams ranked in the top 10, followed by No. 7 Oregon, No. 8 Penn State and No. 10 Michigan. No. 13 USC and No. 21 Iowa are also ranked.
• USC made the largest leap in the rankings, moving up 10 spots to No. 13, after an impressive 27-20 victory over then-ranked No. 13 LSU on Sunday in Las Vegas. The Trojans were led by Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Miller Moss, who threw for 378 yards and a touchdown in the upset.
• Penn State overcame a lengthy lightning delay to dispatch West Virginia, 34-12, in large part due to a 20-point second quarter. Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Kevin Winston Jr. led the charge tying a career-high with 12 tackles.
• Despite a close 24-14 victory on the scoreboard, reigning Vrbo Fiesta Bowl champion Oregon totaled 487 offensive yards. Most of the damage came through the air with Dillon Gabriel, in his Ducks debut, completing 41-of-49 passes for 380 yards in the win over Idaho.
• Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after guiding Nebraska to a 40-7 win over UTEP. The former Chandler High School prep became the second Nebraska true freshman quarterback to start a season opener since WWII.
• The Big 12 also experienced league-wide success with its membership going 14-2 in the first weekend of the season. Ten of the 16 Big 12 teams scored at least 41 points in their respective wins, paced by Arizona’s 61-point outburst against New Mexico.
• With No. 11 Utah at the head of the league’s five ranked teams, No. 16 Oklahoma State, No. 17 Kansas State, No. 19 Kansas and No. 20 Arizona follow in this week’s AP top 25.
• Tetairoa McMillan garnered Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after an explosive performance in Arizona’s win over New Mexico. With 10 catches for 304 yards and four touchdowns, McMillan became the first player in FBS history to post 10 receptions, 300 receiving yards, average 30 yards per reception and at least four touchdowns in a game and his 304 yards were the second-most in Big 12 history.
• Iowa State faces No. 21 Iowa this week in the 71st all-time meeting in the Cy-Hawk series. With a win, Iowa State would post consecutive road wins in Iowa City for the first time since the 2012 and 2014 seasons. The rivalry game will be televised on CBS on Saturday, September 7, marking Iowa State’s second time playing on the network.
• Oklahoma State safety Trey Rucker set a career high with 15 tackles in the Cowboys’ win over South Dakota State last week. Rucker, was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
As the college football season kicked off with the first full slate of games last weekend, Fiesta Sports Foundation Board Chair Judy Bernas traveled to Provo, Utah, to celebrate and honor the 1974 BYU football team, which won the WAC Championship and earned its first-ever bowl invitation in program history to the Fiesta Bowl.
More than 50 members of the 1974 team, including four coaches, gathered in Provo for the team’s 50th anniversary ahead of the current Cougars’ seasonopening 41-13 win over Southern Illinois. Bernas joined the team at a banquet last Friday before presenting the team with a commemorative BYU/ Fiesta Bowl logoed helmet during the pregame recognition on Saturday.
Although BYU fell short in the 1974 Fiesta Bowl, that squad is recognized as a foundational piece to BYU’s storied football history. The Cougars’ WAC Championship that season began a stretch of 10 conference titles in 11 years, a span which also included a national championship in 1984.
To read more about the celebration weekend, click here
After a record-breaking season in 2023, the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program returns this fall to deliver $1.25 million straight into Arizona classrooms. In Arizona’s most robust teacher support program, 500 teachers will receive $2,500 each for the second consecutive year as the program enters its ninth year overall.
All Arizona K-12 public and charter school teachers, staff and coaches are eligible to receive much-deserved funding for their classrooms. The application process is simple, requiring only a few minutes to fill out how a teacher will use a $2,500 wish to help fill a need for students. Accessible through WishesForTeachers.org, the application is open through Monday, September 30, at 10 p.m.
CFP QUARTERFINAL AT THE Vrbo FIESTA BOWL
DECEMBER 31, 2024 | 5:30 PM GUARANTEED RATE BOWL
DECEMBER 26, 2024 | 3:30 PM