College Football Best of the Rest Week 2 Preview

Week 2 in college football is here!  Lets look at some of the best top 25 action coming up on Saturday in the week 2 preview.  If you are looking for a preview of all the Florida teams and Texas-Alabama preview's, you will find that here.  Some of the top ranked teams will be in "creampuff" mode this week so I will not burden anyone with what I assume will be big time blowouts.  Here are some of the better games of the day in our week 2 preview.

Colorado-Nebraska are meeting for the 72nd time, renewing a rivalry when both teams were members of the Big 8 and Big 12. The Buffaloes have won the last two matchups in 2018 and 2019 and they have not defeated Nebraska in three straight meetings since 1956-58.

Colorado is looking to win consecutive games for the first time since starting 4-0 in 2020. Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Colorado is one of two Power 5 teams without a win streak of at least two games, along with Northwestern.

With a win, the Buffaloes would become the first team to start 2-0 after losing 11+ games in the prior season since Baylor in 2018. Colorado also did this in 2013 after going 1-11 in 2012.

Ole Miss is playing a non-conference road game against a ranked opponent for the first time since 2008, when it lost 30-28 at No. 20 Wake Forest on Sam Swank’s 41-yard field goal with 3 seconds left.

The Rebels haven’t played a ranked non-conference *matchup* on the road since 1960, when the No. 2 Rebels beat No. 14 Arkansas (then in the Southwest Conference) 10-7.

Tulane has lost 11 straight games against SEC opponents since beating Mississippi State 32-29 in 2006. The Green Wave have lost 12 straight against Ole Miss since beating the Rebels in back-to-back games in 1987 and 1988.

Sam Hartman continues to climb the charts in the record books. He has 116 career passing touchdowns, tied with Matt Barkley for the 12th-most in FBS history. With four touchdowns vs NC State, Hartman would pass Timmy Chang (117) and Luke Falk (119) and move into the top-10 all-time.

Hartman has also thrown a touchdown pass in 32 straight games, the longest active streak in the FBS.

History might be on the side of NC State, who has a 2-1 record all-time against Notre Dame (.667 win pct). Among schools to face Notre Dame at least three times, that is the fourth-best win percentage by any team against the Fighting Irish, trailing Ohio State, Georgia and Chicago. Chicago and Notre Dame last played each other in 1899.

Will Cam Rising return this week for Utah? In its season opener vs Florida, Utah used a two-quarterback system in the 24-11 victory. However, the Utes will certainly welcome back Rising, who became the fourth player (sixth instance) in Utah history to record 3,000 passing yards in a season in 2022.

Rising also finished ninth in Total QBR among qualified FBS quarterbacks in 2022 and third among Pac-12 players, behind only Caleb Williams and Bo Nix. In 2022, Rising had a 83.1 Total QBR and an 84.2 mark in 2021. Prior to Rising, the last quarterback to record a Total QBR that high for Utah in a season was Alex Smith in 2004.

We will be discussing all of these games plus our Pigskin Picks coming up on Shemon and Sheppard 2-6pm.

There's something special about Saturday's in the fall. The pageantry, traditions, and the excitement is unique in American sports. Schools have gone one of two ways with their uniforms. The blue bloods usually go with a traditional look. Ohio State's biggest uniform change in the last 50 years was taking silver striping off the shoulder. Those new to the top of college football, or looking to find their place use uniforms as a recruiting tactic. Schools like Oregon and Maryland rarely were the same combination twice in the same season. But what are the best college football uniforms? That's a nuanced question. I think it's a combination of color scheme, uniqueness, and a winning recent history. The last might seem unfair. But it's tough to look cool when you're getting blown out. Although there will be one school that's been down for the last decade.

The best college football uniforms change with the times. I'm a big fan of subtle changes to classic uniforms. Michigan is the perfect example of that. Changing their helmets from the shiny blue to the matte blue updated the whole look of the program. It's probably a coincidence that they started making the playoff once the change came to the helmet. But what did Deion Sanders say about looking good? The complete overhauls of classic designs stink. The one time a year when Miami wears the all black uniforms I want to punch my television. But more on them later. Let's get into it. The best college football uniforms ahead of the 2023 season.

I don't hold it against Penn State that they have basically had the same threads for the last 50 years. It would look weird if Penn State tried to turn into Oregon with a new look every week. They are instantly recognizable to the average fan. Never change Penn State.

Very similar to Penn State. Alabama is a instantly recognizable brand, and the simplicity of the uniform is part of that brand. It's a no nonsense program who's uniform reflect that.

I love the UGA uniform. They will change the font of the numbers to say with the times, and include a black uniform every once in a while. I think what gives the dawgs and edge over the previous two schools is what they look like in their road top. The white top with grey pants is just a little better looking than the all white look.

Sure they haven't won recently. But the history of Nebraska football is as good as any other school's. The simplicity of the "N" on the side of the helmet and the bright red pops.

One of the most iconic color combinations in college sports. They don't have the on the field success as the other schools on this list, but the Carolina blue and white is a clean look and when they incorporate the navy blue... oopf. They all look good.

Most schools say they are purple and gold when in fact their colors are purple and yellow. THAT is gold right there. This doesn't have the traditional feel of some of the other uniforms, but man they look good.

A lot like Georgia with the grey pants, but the helmet is what does it for me. As the season progresses I become a bigger fan of the Buckeyes threads as the helmets get filled up with buckeye decals.

Talk about a unique color combo- orange and purple. That's half of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is a really clean uniform and the orange helmets really pops. I do wish they incorporated a bit more purple. But it's still a great look every Saturday.

Orange and blue belongs to the Gators. They struck gold with the cursive "GATORS" on the helmet, and the orange provides enough pop to the uniform to make it stand out. This is one of those programs that should never change their football appearance (you hear that Florida State?).

I am a big fan of the gold and blue. Few teams in the country use the "Vegas gold" that UCLA uses, and that powder blue looks great with the gold.

I usually do not like Adidas uniforms. I think they try too hard... most of the time. That's not the case for The U. Adidas went back to the 1980's look and Miami looks (at least before the game) like they did in their heyday.

You might be sensing a trend at this pint; I like powder/light blue. Ole Miss introducing the powder blue was a huge success, and the program has experienced a slight up tick since the new look.

Texas is one of those handful of programs that should never ever change their football uniform. The simplicity of the uniform with the unique "burnt orange" is instantly identifiable.

The maize and blue is an iconic look that Michigan owns. The winged football helmet adds to the classic look that Michigan rolls out every weekend. And they improved it by making it matte a few years ago.

Somehow Oregon football has turned their identity into unique combinations every week. They are identifiable because we never know what they'll look like. Not all the new looks land, but they've done enough to show they know what their doing with their look on the gridiron.

Should aliens present themselves (they're here, don't play yourself) to us and ask "What is college football?" I think showing them a video of Notre Dame football is a great spot. They are college football royalty and the gold puts that on full display.

There is not another lookalike in college football. LSU goes against the grain and wears white tops instead of a school color. And it works for them.

I love everything about this uniform. The simplicity, the cleanness, and the logo on the helmet is all chefs kiss. USC is knocking on the door of the college football elite with Lincoln Riley in charge, and when they get there they will look the part.