Wins, worries for Seminoles, Wolverines

1 Florida State and Michigan lost despite winning. The Seminoles and Wolverines survived overtime challenges from Louisiana Monroe and Army, respectively, despite being more than three-touchdown favorites. Turnovers and mistakes nearly got the best of these teams, and while a win’s a win, there are definitely causes for concern moving forward.

2 LSU’s new offense is as good as advertised. The Tigers have not been known for strong passing offenses recently, but that appears to have changed thanks to new offensive coordinator Joe Brady. LSU is averaging more than 410 yards per game through the air. Quarterback Joe Burrow ranks fifth in the country in passing after completing 81% of his passes and scoring nine touchdowns.

3 Time to hit panic button at Tennessee and UCLA. Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt and UCLA’s Chip Kelly are just two games into their second seasons and the hot seat talk already is at inferno levels after 0-2 starts. Both teams rank near the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision in turnover margin after giving up the football a combined 10 times so far this season.

4 ACC struggling to prove it’s not a 1-team league. Clemson remains atop the latest top 25 polls after taking care of Texas A&M during the weekend, extending the program’s nation-leading win streak to 17. But the Tigers and Virginia (25) are the only ACC teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, tying the league with the Big 12 for the fewest ranked schools among Power 5 conferences.

5 Maryland off to record-setting start. New coach Mike Locksley, the former Alabama offensive coordinator, has quickly transformed the Terrapins into an offensive juggernaut after the team blasted then-No. 21 Syracuse 63-20 on Saturday. The 142 total points through the first two games is the most by a Big Ten team since Ohio State in 1996 and propelled Maryland into the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 2013.

6 Two weeks in and Nick Saban already testy. After No. 2 Alabama demolished New Mexico State 62-10 on Saturday, the Crimson Tide coach blasted critics of the team’s weak nonconference schedule while taking students to task for leaving the game early. The rant comes after Saban had to apologize for an expletive-laced rant on the radio earlier this month.

7 Pac-12’s playoff hopes are already fading. Two of the thenfive ranked teams in the Pac-12 lost this weekend, with then-No. 14 Washington suffering a last-second loss to Cal while then-No. 23 Stanford fell to USC. Oregon’s loss a week earlier to Auburn leaves undefeated Utah as the Pac-12’s best hope, at the moment, for sending a team to the four-team CFP semifinals.

8 North Carolina is going back to the future. Mack Brown’s return to the Tar Heels has been a resounding success so far, with UNC starting 2-0 for the first time since 2014. North Carolina converted on fourth-and-17 during the game-winning drive against Miami and held on as the Hurricanes missed a 49-yard field goal to clinch a 28-25 victory.

9 Wisconsin remains stingy on defense. The Badgers are the only team not to allow a point this season in the Football Bowl Subdivision after blanking Central Michigan 61-0. It’s the first time since 2013 that a Wisconsin team has opened a season with back-to-back shutouts and it extends a streak of 11 consecutive quarters going back to last season without allowing a point.