The second full week of the 2024 college football season is now over, and the good teams are starting to separate themselves from the rest.
No. 1 Georgia beat Tennessee Tech 48-3 at home. Ohio State dispatched Western Michigan 56-0 but fell in the Associated Press rankings on Sunday. Texas' 31-12 win over Michigan catapulted it into second place in the country.
College football fans have a lot to look forward to, but the question arises: Who were some of the winners and losers of the week?
Let's break it down.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Winners
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) approaches North Carolina State safety Bishop Fitzgerald (7) during the second half of a game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)
Tennessee Volunteers: After beating No. 24 NC State on Saturday in Charlotte, we’re now talking about the Vols’ defense. For all the love Josh Heupel and his offense get with Nico Iamaleava running the show at quarterback, it’s Tennessee’s defense that has made significant strides in recent years. Allowing the Wolfpack just 141 total yards of offense, this defense could be a force in 2024. The Vols moved up to No. 7 in the new AP poll with a big game in two weeks against Oklahoma after a warmup against Kent State.
Nebraska Corn:It's clear that the Nebraska fan base is completely on board with Matt Rhule and quarterback Dylan Raiola. Beating Colorado is one thing, but the “blackshirts” on defense destroyed any hopes Shedeur Sanders had of winning this game in the first half. Even though it wasn't an “important” win in terms of the rankings, it turned out to be a great night for a football program that was moving in the right direction. The Cornhuskers have their quarterback of the future and dealt a knockout blow to any momentum from Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes.
South Carolina Gamecocks:For all the talk last week about Shane Beamer after a close win over Old Dominion, the Gamecocks came into Lexington and destroyed Kentucky. The defense held both Wildcats quarterbacks to just 44 yards on the night, and the Gamecocks are 2-0 after getting a nice win in SEC play.
Kyle Monangai:The Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back showed why he's an unexpected candidate to win the Heisman Trophy this season. He racked up 208 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns as Rutgers defeated Akron 49-17. He has 373 rushing yards and four touchdowns in three games for Rutgers.
Northern Illinois:Northern Illinois pulled off a huge upset against Notre Dame over the weekend, 16-14. The Huskies had to do some serious work late in the game to make sure Notre Dame had no chance of getting their final field goal attempt through the uprights. To make things even better for the Huskies, Notre Dame reportedly paid Northern Illinois $1.4 million to travel to South Bend and beat them. Talk about a win-win situation.
Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks off the field after defeating the Colorado Buffaloes at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sept. 7, 2024. (Images by Dylan Widger-Imagn)
Jim Harbaugh: The Los Angeles Chargers coach earned his first win with his new NFL team. He won over the weekend because he didn't have to endure the Longhorns' drubbing of the Wolverines. Harbaugh also likely won't face any discipline after the NCAA sent Michigan a notice of allegations last month.
2024 COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS: GEORGIA AND OHIO STATE STILL ON TOP; NOTRE DAME DOWNS
Losers
Auburn Tigers:Last week in the SEC, Florida and Billy Napier got the brunt of the jokes after being embarrassed by Miami. This week, it was the Auburn Tigers, who lost to the California Golden Bears at home in a game where Hugh Freeze’s offense looked abysmal due, in part, to QB Payton Thorne. Thorne threw four interceptions and the offense also turned the ball over once in an ugly performance by a team that looked bolstered heading into the 2024 season as if it were improved. The Tigers still have to play Missouri, Georgia and Alabama, so this would have been a nice bowl-qualifying win. Nope, they blew it.
Irish Fighting at Notre Dame: After beating Texas A&M in College Station, there was hope that it would be a springboard into the College Football Playoff, but losing to a team that had never beaten a top-10 team before last weekend was an epic failure for Riley Leonard and head coach Marcus Freeman. All that goodwill they received last week with a win against an SEC opponent is now gone, and the CFP committee will hold it in the Irish’s face at the end of the season if they are in contention.
Iowa Hawkeyes:The hatred between Iowa and Iowa State was on full display Saturday when they faced off in an early-season rivalry game. As the clock ticked down, Kyle Konrardy kicked a 54-yard field goal to win the game for the Cyclones. For the Hawkeyes, quarterback Cade McNamara didn’t help his team, which was also head coach Kirk Ferentz’s first game of the season after being suspended in Week 1 for recruiting violations tied to McNamara. Who knows why. Cade threw two interceptions and just 99 yards in the loss, which is on par with Iowa.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, right, talks with quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) on the sideline between plays against Nebraska during the second half of a game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Colorado Buffaloes:For all the talk about Colorado over the past year and a half, there haven't been many wins to prove it. The latest loss came in a Saturday night blowout against Nebraska, 28-10. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw a brutal interception for a touchdown and didn't stick around long enough to see the rest of his teammates in timeout. Colorado barely managed to get past North Dakota State to start the season and looks to have a very long season ahead of it.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital Sports' college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com Staff.
