Underwood faces first big test as Michigan heads to Oklahoma

College football’s first full week of games is in the books, and it’s time to overreact!

Texas quarterback Arch Manning? Not who we thought he was.

Alabama under Kalen DeBoer? Irredeemable.

Fortunately, 13 weeks remain on the schedule. That means plenty of opportunities for scripts to be flipped, destinies to be fulfilled, and those beloved big-brand programs to recover.

Here’s a look at five storylines ahead for Week 2:

We'll find out more about Michigan's standout freshman QB on Saturday

A year ago, the Wolverines ranked 131st out of 134 FBS teams in passing yards and finished last amongst non-service academies.

So, what do you do when your passing game is laughably bad? You go out and snag the top recruit in the nation, who also happens to be homegrown.

That’s what Michigan did last November, convincing Detroit’s Bryce Underwood to flip his commitment from LSU – granted, with an assist from a handsome NIL package.

Underwood debuted last Saturday against New Mexico, passing for 251 yards and a touchdown in a 34-17 win at The Big House. This week, the stakes get considerably bigger – a trip to Norman, and a meeting with No. 18 Oklahoma, which is fresh off a 35-3 win of its own over Illinois State behind its own incoming quarterback, transfer John Mateer.

We learned last week about the potential pitfall for a heralded yet inexperience quarterback going on the road in an intimidating environment, so it’s fair to pump the brakes on Underwood ahead of his meeting with the Sooners.

But like Manning, he has an opportunity to break through on a giant stage – this one, a prime-time game, and the only matchup of the weekend that features a pair of ranked teams.

As bad as things got for the Wolverines last season, they did manage to plant their flag against rival Ohio State in November, then stomped on Alabama in their bowl game. Momentum is back on Michigan’s side, and it has a chance to reassert itself as a potential playoff team on Saturday against Oklahoma.

Manning has perfect setting for a bounce-back game

Arch’s debut as Texas’ full-time starter was either excruciating or extremely fulfilling, depending on which side of the hype train you rode in on. And though Steve Sarkisian kept the training wheels on most of the afternoon, the reality was this: Arch just wasn’t very good.

So, is everyone ready to throw in the towel?

If you’re in the camp that still believes in Manning, or if you simply understand that opening on the road against the defending national champion is tough, there’s reason to be optimistic. And the breakout might just come this weekend.

Texas is back in Austin on Saturday, hosting San Jose State – a program that’s in a similar class to UTSA and UL Monroe, and on a much lower level than Mississippi State. Last year, Manning made two starts against that trio and saw significant time in place of Quinn Ewers in the other, passing for 806 yards and accounting for 10 total touchdowns.

Going off against San Jose State won’t scream “signature win”, but it could help Manning get rolling before Texas’ schedule ramps up with conference play in a month. If his cameo in 2024 against similar competition was any indication, he’s trending towards having a big game.

The nation’s top wide receivers were quiet, but a pair of Hurricanes took the sport by storm

While every college football fan on social media was scrambling to find the perfect meme to throw shade at Manning, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith was having a difficult opener of his own.

Smith dropped two of the first three passes he got his hands on, eventually settling for six catches and just 43 yards. And he wasn’t the only one of last year’s freshman standouts to struggle or get off to a quiet start — Alabama’s Ryan Williams had three drops of his own, and Auburn’s Cam Coleman finished with only 23 yards and wore twice as many wristwatches as he had catches.

Fortunately, there’s another potential prodigy to keep tabs on until those guys get on track.

Malachi Toney had six catches, 82 yards and a touchdown in Miami’s 27-24 win over Notre Dame, helping fill the void in a receiver room that lost its top five pass catchers to the NFL and transfer portal. Oh, and he doesn’t turn 18 for another two weeks.

And how about one of the Hurricanes’ other additions on the perimeter?

CJ Daniels was a star at Liberty two seasons ago before transferring to LSU but moved to Miami in December after not scoring a touchdown in his lone season in Baton Rouge. This year’s already looking like a different story.

As for those big names mentioned off the top, the road should get a little smoother against weaker competition in Week 2. Smith and Ohio State host Grambling, while Williams and Alabama face UL Monroe and Coleman and Auburn play Ball State at home.

Some dark horse Heisman candidates are beginning to emerge

Garrett Nussmeier gained an early edge on Cade Kublnik, Manning was derailed in Columbus, LaNorris Sellers and DJ Lagway both looked the part and Carson Beck reintroduced himself after a miserable final season at Georgia. 

And while all of those guys are likely to keep their names in the conversation as the season moves along, a new group of candidates went ahead and introduced itself in Week 1.

Tommy Castellanos was benched by Boston College last November, transferred to Florida State a month later, then ran all over Alabama – which couldn’t be saved by Nick Saban, it turned out – while the Seminoles blew the doors off the Crimson Tide in their season opener. And he was one of a handful of dual-threat transfer quarterbacks who had field days over Week 1’s five-day extravaganza.

Mateer was in do-it-all mode in his Sooners debut, and Jackson Arnold – the player he replaced at Oklahoma – rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns for Auburn in a convincing two-score road win at Baylor. Utah’s Devon Dampier might’ve been the best of the bunch, with 293 combined yards (206 passing, 87 rushing) and three total touchdowns in a 43-10 thrashing of UCLA at the Rose Bowl.

And while we’re here, how about a couple of Big 12 signal-callers who got a bit of head start in Week 0?

Iowa State’s Rocco Becht looked rested and ready after his weekend in Dublin, returning home in nearly perfect form – 19-of-20, 278 yards and three touchdowns – in Iowa State’s 55-7 win over South Dakota, and Kansas’ Jalon Daniels had 285 yards and four touchdowns against Wagner.

Both are on a bigger stage in a pair of fun, regional non-conference games this weekend, with Iowa State hosting Iowa in the Cy-Hawk and the Jayhawks heading a couple hours east to face Missouri in the Border War, which is taking place for the first time since 2011.

Dan Lanning has a chip on his shoulder, and it’s bad news for Oklahoma State

Remember the last time this happened?

Two years ago, Deion Sanders and top-of-the-world Colorado roamed into Autzen Stadium, and Lanning went viral for his pregame “fighting for clicks” speech, and that only came after he’d poured water on the Buffaloes for their decision at the time to leave the Pac-12. Oregon went on to win that game 42-6, and has won 20 of its 21 regular season games since.

Well, now Lanning’s at it again, this time with Oklahoma State and Mike Gundy. And in fairness, Gundy started it.

On Monday, Gundy called out Oregon’s lavish spending on his radio show, noting his Cowboys’ much lower budget and the imbalance in Saturday’s non-conference matchup with the Ducks.

Lanning bit back a day later, defending his program’s “spend to win” approach while also pointing out the discrepancy between Gundy’s team and its Week 1 opponent, UT Martin, which Oklahoma State beat 27-7.

Mostly harmless stuff, but also the type of pettiness Lanning seems to thrive on.

Oregon is already favoured to beat the Cowboys by four touchdowns, but you get the sense that this one could get even more out of hand than was originally thought.