And now, 18 thoughts on an early September Saturday that dared AP voters to just blow up their ballots and start over.

1. Two weeks in, I feel confident that Georgia, Ohio State and Texas are the correct top three teams. After that, I’d be guessing just the same as you. A lot of highly ranked teams had close calls against inferior opponents. And one top-five team flat-out lost at home to NIU as a 28-point favorite.

2. This was supposed to be the year Marcus Freeman led Notre Dame back to national title contention, not to yet another Week 2 home loss to a Group of 5 opponent. (2022 Marshall, meet 2024 NIU.) He already had a stacked, veteran defense before landing renowned offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock from LSU and transfer quarterback Riley Leonard from Duke. But on Saturday, Leonard went just 20 of 32 for 163 yards and two interceptions against a MAC opponent. NIU took advantage of that second pick to sit on the ball for five minutes before hitting a last-minute field goal to stun the Irish 16-14.

From Day 1, Freeman has been unofficially auditioning for the job he already landed, at age 35, after Brian Kelly bolted. After a rough Year 1, he was trending in the right direction. But Saturday was an absolute confidence crusher that sapped all the momentum from Notre Dame’s season-opening win at Texas A&M. If anything, it brought back questions long ago assumed buried about the state of Freeman’s program. Yes, Notre Dame can still reach the 12-team Playoff, but only if Saturday’s game proves to be a complete fluke.

3. A team like NIU will never experience a national title but winning at Notre Dame Stadium as a huge underdog surely feels as sweet. The Huskies coach, Thomas Hammock, himself a former NIU star running back, was sobbing during his NBC postgame interview. The program has had its moments over the last two decades, most notably the Jordan Lynch era circa 2012-13, but this was by far its biggest win. I would not have suggested before the season that the MAC could produce the G5’s CFP rep, but I can’t imagine another G5 team will earn a more significant nonconference win.

“THEY BELIEVED.”

Northern Illinois HC Thomas Hammock spoke from the heart after an incredible upset over Notre Dame. @NIU_Football pic.twitter.com/pFrS5ok5U7

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 7, 2024

4. No. 10 Michigan came out Saturday against No. 3 Texas wearing the same uniforms and playing in the same stadium as the 2023 national champions — but that’s where the resemblances ended. The Longhorns’ 31-12 rout at the Big House confirmed the most dire concerns about the Wolverines’ depleted offense. Much more stunning was the ease with which Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (24 of 36, 246 yards, three TDs, no INTs) shredded a Michigan defense that still boasts star power.

The Horns controlled the line of scrimmage, and Steve Sarkisian was his usual masterful self in scheming guys open, most notably tight end Gunnar Helm (seven catches, 98 yards). It should be a nice confidence boost for Texas as it embarks on its first-ever SEC schedule.

5. New Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore, who took over when Jim Harbaugh left for the Chargers, succeeded in keeping the defending champs’ roster together, but he didn’t do much to upgrade it either. I was surprised last spring when he did not bring in a transfer quarterback to compete for the starting job. Two games in, I’m bewildered by it. Davis Warren seems like a serviceable backup who’s been thrust into the starting job, which does not speak well for the guy he beat out, Alex Orji. We’ll see if Moore gives Orji more reps next week against Arkansas State.

6. Nebraska’s 28-10 rout of old rival Colorado was exactly the kind of party long-suffering Huskers fans have been thirsting for. Five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola looked the part (23 of 30, 185 yards, 1 TD, no INTs), and Matt Rhule’s second team looked faster on offense and fiercer on defense. For Deion and Shedeur Sanders, on the other hand, it was a depressingly familiar plot. Colorado gave up six sacks and ran for just 16 yards, leaving Shedeur Sanders (23 of 38, 244 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and Travis Hunter (10 catches, 110 yards) to play their own game of catch after the outcome was long decided.

The Buffs defense has improved from 2023, but there remains a considerable gap between their offensive skill talent and their offensive line. Maybe AFLAC can help close it.

GO DEEPER

Stewart Mandel’s 12-team Playoff projections after Week 2

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7. The best player in the country so far has been Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who followed up a 267-yard, six-touchdown clinic at Georgia Southern by running for another 192 yards and three TDs against No. 7 Oregon. It wasn’t quite enough to top the Ducks, who won 37-34 on a last-second field goal, thanks in large part to an 85-yard Tez Johnson punt-return touchdown and 100-yard Noah Whittington kick-return TD.

Without those, Oregon might have been in trouble, as its normally explosive offense is not clicking. Following key losses on the inside of their offensive line, the Ducks through two games have already allowed seven sacks. That’s two more than they gave up in either the 2022 or 2023 seasons.

8. On the night Alabama dedicated Nick Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Tide’s offense gave a performance that would have frustrated their former coach to no end. Fourth-ranked Alabama scored on just two of its first 11 possessions against pesky USF and led just 21-16 with 6:45 left before exploding for back-to-back-to-back long touchdowns to win with a deceiving final score of 42-16. Kalen DeBoer’s team is not lacking for weapons, such as running back Jam Miller (15 carries, 140 yards) and freshman receiver Ryan Williams (four catches, 68 yards), but on this night, the Tide’s offensive line brought back troubling memories of its rocky 2023 campaign.

9. Saturday night’s Tennessee-NC State game in Charlotte was shaping up to be Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s coming-out party, but his defense upstaged him. The No. 14 Vols shut down Wolfpack quarterback Grayson McCall, the former Coastal Carolina standout, and held No. 24 NC State to just 143 total yards in a 51-10 blowout. We knew Tennessee had an elite pass-rusher in James Pearce, but nose tackle Omari Thomas and the rest of the Vols’ D-line dominated the Wolfpack. Iamaleava (16 of 23, 211 yards) had his moments as well, but he also threw a pick six that became NC State’s only touchdown.

10. Here’s one I did not see coming: South Carolina, a week removed from eking out a 23-19 home win against Old Dominion, going on the road and suffocating Kentucky in a 31-6 beatdown. The Gamecocks D, led by five-star freshman pass rusher Dylan Stewart, notched five sacks and a pick six of Wildcats quarterback Brock Vandagriff while allowing just 188 total yards.

In addition to starting 1-0 in SEC play, Shane Beamer’s team, 5-7 last season, messed things up for ESPN’s GameDay. The show was expected to be in Lexington next weekend for Georgia at Kentucky. Now: LSU at South Carolina.

11. Former star quarterback Brock Purdy led Iowa State’s ascent under Matt Campbell a few years ago. Enter Rocco Becht, a sophomore in his second year as the starter. Down 19-7 against rival Iowa’s notoriously salty defense, Becht hit Jaylin Noel for a 75-yard touchdown, then in the final minute, connected with Noel again for a 30-yard gain to set up Kyle Konrady’s game-winning 54-yard field goal. With the 20-19 victory, Campbell has beaten Kirk Ferentz two of the past three years after losing his first five Cy-Hawk games.

#IowaState reels #Iowa back in after Rocco Becht hits Jaylin Noel for a 75-yard TD pass. The battle for the #CYHawk trophy is close. pic.twitter.com/OrgAiUwoOm

— College Football Buzz (@CFBBUZ) September 7, 2024

12. The Big 12 dodged a pair of upsets in the early window Saturday when No. 16 Oklahoma State, down 21-7 at one point, held off Arkansas 39-31 in double overtime, and No. 17 Kansas State, down 20-10 at halftime, survived 34-27 at Tulane.

The losers of those games will be kicking themselves for some time, though. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s Razorbacks racked up 648 yards but lost three turnovers and got stopped twice on fourth down. Meanwhile, Tulane redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah put on a show, with four 30-plus-yard completions, and it appeared he’d thrown a tying TD with 17 seconds left. But officials negated it on a non-existent offensive pass interference call. Mensah then threw a dagger interception.

This was an offensive pass interference on Tulane.

The Wave got robbed pic.twitter.com/ApTZ5Wb1ws

— Boot Krewe Media (@BootKreweMedia) September 7, 2024

Perhaps one or both quality wins will end up boosting the Big 12’s at-large chances.

13. Clemson heard all our mockery after last week’s Georgia game and took it out on respected G5 team Appalachian State. Behind a near-perfect performance from quarterback Cade Klubnik (24 of 26, 378 yards, five TDs, no INTs), the Tigers scored 35 points in the first quarter and 56 before halftime in a 66-20 blowout. It served as a friendly reminder that despite losing its opener 34-3, Clemson could well turn around and win the ACC. And also that Georgia remains a holy terror.

14. The offensive wizardry Hugh Freeze showed at Ole Miss and Liberty has yet to make an appearance at Auburn. In the second game of Freeze’s second season, visiting Cal smothered the Tigers passing game, picking off Payton Thorne four times and holding Auburn to 286 total yards in a 21-14 win. Auburn fans will surely call for the head of Thorne, who has never been able to replicate his great 2021 season at Michigan State, but it’s hard to say how much of the problem is him and how much is the Tigers woeful offensive line.

15. A year ago on this same weekend, Illinois went to Kansas and fell behind 34-7, losing 34-23. So it was a big deal for Bret Bielema’s team to not only win Saturday’s rematch, 23-17, but also to stifle the 19th-ranked Jayhawks veteran offense. Kansas’ star quarterback Jalon Daniels finished just 18 of 32 for 141 yards and threw three picks against the Illini’s defense. Perhaps this means Illinois is poised for another season like 2022 when it won eight games and gave Michigan fits. Or perhaps KU is not yet ready for preseason Top 25s.

16. Last week, Syracuse coach Fran Brown joked that he should send a bottle of champagne to Ohio State’s Ryan Day for letting quarterback Kyle McCord become a free agent. McCord looked even better in his ACC debut, going 32 of 46 for 381 yards, four touchdowns and no picks in a 31-28 home win over Georgia Tech. Brown, formerly Georgia’s defensive backs coach, was fairly unknown before getting the job last winter but earned instant credibility from the fan base when Syracuse became the surprise landing spot for the Buckeyes’ 2023 starter. It looks like the pair will be a factor in their new conference this fall.

17. The realignment gods tried to kick Washington State and Oregon State to the curb, but they’re not exiting quietly. The Cougars throttled Big 12 foe Texas Tech 37-16 in an AfterDark game on Fox, with quarterback John Mateer responsible for 197 of his team’s 301 yards on the ground. Next week brings a mid-September Apple Cup against Washington in Seattle. Meanwhile, the Beavers won 21-0 at San Diego State in advance of a huge grudge match at home next week against the hated Ducks. That one is also on Fox.

The two programs’ futures remain uncertain. For now, they’ve opted against continuing their Mountain West scheduling partnership next season, presumably to schedule more P4 opponents. For one week at least, it will feel like old times on those campuses.

18. Finally, when UAB savior coach Bill Clark had to step down for health reasons before the 2022 season, offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent stepped in as interim head coach and went 7-6. That wasn’t good enough for UAB, which made a big-splash hire with Trent Dilfer, despite his never having coached college football.

Vincent is now the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe, which on Saturday whooped Dilfer’s Blazers 32-6. Dilfer, the former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst, has three FBS wins in his first 14 games at UAB.

As always, the splashiest hire is rarely the best hire.

(Photo of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers celebrating after a touchdown: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

It was just two months ago in the tunnel of a stadium on the other side of Kansas City that the U.S. men’s national team players filed through the mixed zone talking about the disappointment of a group-stage exit from the Copa America.

The message that night was one of frustration and needing to find a way to get this team to the next level. Matt Turner said the team needed to hold itself to a higher standard. Christian Pulisic talked about needing to step back and find their identity again, to rediscover their motivation. Veteran defender Tim Ream’s words that day blared a warning.

“Sometimes we as players are not humble enough to understand that we can continue to improve and we think we’re the finished product,” he said. “And that’s not the case until you finish playing.”

In other words, no one has made it yet and no amount of hype or potential will get you there. It takes constant commitment to push to those next levels. Entitlement will be punished.

It would be naive to think the problems that felled this national team on such a massive stage would be solved in two months under an interim manager in front of 10,523 fans in a friendly. (And without regular starters like Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson.) But it shouldn’t be too much to expect that the team put in a performance in which they look like they’re up for the game. Or to expect that the lessons of Copa America — of the requisite intensity and effort and mentality to be a top team — would carry through.

Instead, Canada ran through and ran by the U.S. team en route to a 2-1 win, their first victory over the U.S. on American soil since 1957. Frankly, the scoreline was complimentary to the U.S. Simply put, the U.S. did not look up for it and Canada did. 

There is no room for beating around the bush. There is no running from the performance. It was dismal. The U.S. got bossed by a Canada team that was more committed to a cause. The Canadians wanted it more. Canada won 63 percent of the duels in the first half and outshot the U.S. 11-1. It was only 1-0 at halftime thanks to Patrick Schulte, who made several important saves to keep the U.S. in the game. 

Asked if there was a bit of personal satisfaction with the win, Canada coach Jesse Marsch, who was a candidate for the U.S. job that went back to Gregg Berhalter in 2023, shrugged an obvious yes. “I enjoyed it,” he said. 

And he should have. The difference in the desire displayed between his team and the U.S. team was clear.

“Believe me, I’m not bitter,” Marsch said. “I’d rather coach our team, 100 percent, no questions asked. I’d much rather coach Canada than the U.S. right now. You can see the mentality that’s been developed. You can see the way this team plays. You can see how much they love playing for the national team and they’re willing to put their careers and lives, in the way they play, on the line to be the best they can be for each other and for the team. And that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”

The implication, of course, was that the U.S. wasn’t at that same point of commitment. And Marsch is right. At least he was on this night. Really, it doesn’t feel far off from what Ream was saying two months ago at Arrowhead. This team cannot afford to do anything less than pour itself into every performance. That is a requirement for growth and success.

Schulte spared the U.S. greater embarrassment while Ream says they need to take “much more pride in wearing the jersey” (Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

U.S. interim manager Mikey Varas held his hand up for trying to implement too much in terms of how he wanted the team to play with just three days to prepare. But he also acknowledged his responsibility only went so far.

“The mentality is on the players,” Varas said. “Sorry. They know that. They know. We speak the truth to each other. I love those guys, but they know that mentality — to fight and to run and to sacrifice — I can’t do that for them. I can’t do that. That’s on them. So at the end of the day, it’s a combination between me and them. All of us together.”

Not every performance from the U.S. over the past year has had exactly these same issues, but the result against Canada on Saturday was symptomatic of a team that, since Qatar, comes across as too comfortable. The 2022 World Cup cycle was about repairing the wounds of Couva and gaining experience. This cycle was about turning potential — all the hype around this generation — into actualization. 

Instead, it has felt too often like it’s being treated as a red carpet rolled out to 2026. 

Even on a night when several players had a chance to prove they belonged in this team, who had a chance to make an impression on a new coach expected to arrive in the coming days, the U.S. somehow came out flat. 

How?!

And so the answers in the mixed zone sounded the same two months later as they did at the end of Copa America. 

“It’s something that I think we need to get back to really taking much more pride in wearing the jersey,” Ream said this time around. “And that’s not to say that we aren’t proud to wear the jersey, but I think there’s a certain standard that we need to hold ourselves to and we haven’t been doing that and that’s on us as individuals, as players, and it has to come from within us. You can’t coach intensity. You either have it or you don’t and you either bring it or you don’t and we haven’t been.”

Mauricio Pochettino is coming soon. His arrival can’t come soon enough. The hope is that he will inject enthusiasm. Famously a strong man manager, perhaps Pochettino will unlock something in this group. Undoubtedly, he will bring a new set of eyes to the program and a new level of accountability for every player in the pool. But, just like Varas, Pochettino is a coach. His influence can only go so far. Ultimately, it will fall on the players. 

Ream was right then and he’s right still. No team can afford complacency, but especially not this one. They have everything still to prove. U.S. Soccer clearly felt after Copa America that this team needed some sort of shakeup. Saturday’s loss only reinforced that assessment. 

(Top photo: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)

Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, the league leader in rebounds, will miss the remainder of the WNBA season with a wrist injury, the team announced Saturday. It was after undergoing a medical evaluation following Friday’s game that Reese was ruled out for the rest of the season, according to the team.

“I’m filled with emotions right now that I have a season-ending injury, but also filled with so much gratitude for what is next,” Reese said on social media Saturday.

Reese recorded a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Sky beat the Los Angeles Sparks 92-78 on Friday. It was Reese’s rookie record 26th double-double of the season.

What a year. I never would have imagined the last bucket of my rookie season would be a 3 but maybe that was God saying give them a taste of what they will be seeing more of in Year 2 lol🥲Through it all, I have showed that I belong in this league even when no one else believed.… pic.twitter.com/re1X85mWR2

— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) September 8, 2024

It’s been a record-setting rookie campaign for Reese after the Sky drafted her seventh in the 2024 WNBA Draft out of LSU. She is the WNBA’s all-time leader in single-season total rebounds (446) and offensive rebounds (172). She surpassed Sylvia Fowles for the WNBA single-season total rebound record on Sept. 2 against the Minnesota Lynx. Reese’s league-leading 13.1 rebounds per game and 5.1 offensive rebounds per game are currently the highest averages by any player in WNBA history in those categories.

Reese, a 2024 WNBA All-Star, became the first player in league history to record three consecutive games of 20 or more rebounds. Only Alyssa Thomas, who holds the record with 28, had more single-season double-doubles than Reese.

Reese finished the season playing 34 games, averaging 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game on 39.1 percent shooting from the floor. With Friday’s win, the Sky are 12-22 in 2024 and eighth in the league standings.

How will we look back at Reese’s rookie season?

Reese immediately exceeded expectations at the start of her WNBA career with her relentless rebounding. Her pursuit of the ball on the offensive and defensive glass, led her to set league records for consecutive double-doubles and rebounds in a single season. She also helped a Sky team projected to fall into the lottery stay in playoff position. Were the playoffs to start today, Chicago would be in the eighth seed.

Despite being the seventh pick in the draft, Reese was the second most productive rookie, ahead of everyone in her class but Caitlin Clark. She was a worthy All-Star, adding 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Team WNBA in a victory over the Olympic team. She will undoubtedly earn All-Rookie honors though won’t be in contention for Rookie of the Year. — Sabreena Merchant, women’s basketball staff writer

What does this mean for the Chicago Sky?

Reese was the most impactful player for the Sky this season. Chicago was 22.5 points per 100 possessions better with her on the court, the best on-off differential of any player in the league who suited up for at least two games. Although her effective field-goal percentage of 39.5 was well below league average, her ability to create extra possessions and defend her position made her a positive player, not just for a rookie.

The Sky will have to rely further on Isabelle Harrison and Brianna Turner in Reese’s absence, or even play Michaela Onyenwere at the 4 to improve the team’s spacing. Chicago is tied with Atlanta for the eighth seed, with one game left against the Dream on the penultimate day of the season. — Merchant

Required reading

(Photo: Melissa Tamez / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)