The first week of college football is officially in the books, and it was glorious.
The Big Ten went 10-2 in non-conference games, and 11-3 overall if you add in Ohio State's victory over Indiana on Thursday night. The Big Ten's only two losses came from Rutgers and Purdue, both of which looked better than expected in losses to Washington and Louisville.
As for Ohio State's game against the Hoosiers, we saw a little bit of everything in a 49-21 Buckeye victory. J.K. Dobbins, who was at the top of our Week 1 Stock Up/Stock Down feature, ran for 181 yards in his collegiate debut. Meanwhile, a new-look OSU secondary was shredded for 420 yards and three scores.
As Week 2 of the college football season draws closer, we start with the players and teams I am buying into after a crazy opening weekend.
Stock Up
Antonio Williams - Ohio State sophomore running back
If you had Antonio Williams scoring the first touchdown of Ohio State's 2017 season, you are either lying or, well, you're lying. With Mike Weber out, J.K. Dobbins got the start and Williams earned seven carries as the backup. He made the most of those carries, scoring twice on 44 total yards.
Williams was beaten out by Demario McCall on the depth chart a season ago, but appears to have earned that spot back, at least for the first week of the season. Urban Meyer said Monday that Weber will be ready to play against Oklahoma, but he also said that about his availability for the Indiana game. I am buying stock in Williams because I liked what I saw from him against the Hoosiers and because Kevin Wilson remains adamant that he wants to use three running backs on offense this season.
Malik Harrison - Ohio State sophomore linebacker
Harrison played nearly 20 defensive snaps against Indiana on Thursday, something that I am not sure many saw coming. With an athletic group of tight ends coming into Ohio Stadium on Saturday, I expect the Buckeye linebackers will rotate even more to keep pace with Mark Andrews, who might be the best tight end in the country.
Harrison is one of the more athletically gifted players on Ohio State's roster, and might be the Buckeyes' best option to guard a tight end like Andrews one-on-one. It is clear the Ohio State coaching staff has confidence in him, and I am buying his stock heading into the Week 2 showdown with Oklahoma.
Indiana's Offense
The Hoosiers' offensive unit was always productive when Wilson was on the Indiana sideline, but with Wilson now wearing scarlet and gray, some questioned whether or not the Crimson and Cream could maintain their production. Those questions were answered when quarterback Richard Lagow threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns against Ohio State's secondary.
Simmie Cobbs and Donovan Hale give Lagow two huge targets to throw to, as he improved his draft stock in a primetime game. I'm not saying the Hoosiers are going to contend for a Big Ten title, but I do think this is a team that could win seven or eight total games in a difficult Big Ten East.
Big Ten Conference
As mentioned above, the Big Ten went 10-2 in non-conference games during the first weekend of the season, but perhaps the most impressive performance came from Purdue in a 35-28 loss to Louisville and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.
The Boilermakers led the Cardinals at halftime and looked like they belonged from start to finish against a team that boasts the most electric player in college football. Purdue lost, but I am buying into Jeff Brohm as the Boilers head coach.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Maryland spoiled Tom Herman's Texas debut, and in spectacular fashion. A team that averaged 377.8 yards per game last season put up 51 points and accumulated 482 yards of offense on the road, in what was supposed to be Herman's first step in rebuilding the Longhorn program. D.J. Durkin has recruited well and has the Terrapins looking like a formidable opponent in the Big Ten East, which is arguably the best division in college football.
Also, Rutgers didn't look terrible against Washington. Who saw that coming?
Stock Down
Ohio State Secondary
The Buckeye defensive backfield is on this list for the second week in a row to start the season. Ohio State's corners were in good position on most of Indiana's big pass plays Thursday night, but still failed to break the ball away from the bigger Hoosier receivers.
I think this group will ultimately turn it around, but things don't get any easier for them with Baker Mayfield and the Sooners coming to town. The 420 passing yards allowed were the most given up by Ohio State since Michigan's Devin Gardner threw for 451 yards against the Buckeyes in 2013.
One bright spot for the Buckeye defense was Denzel Ward, who broke up five passes and added an interception to his Week 1 total. I expect the Buckeye secondary to improve, but I am not ready to buy stock in that unit just yet.
Demario McCall - Ohio State sophomore running back
So what position does McCall play exactly? After Ohio State said the speedster from North Ridgeville, Ohio had made the switch to H-back during fall camp, McCall came out for warmups at Indiana and worked exclusively with the running backs. Once the game started, he was on the field for three snaps, all punts that were not kicked his way.
Williams was Ohio State's second choice at running back instead, and played well when Dobbins was getting a breather. I have always been of the belief that McCall is one of if not the Buckeyes' best option at H-back. Right now, though, it doesn't appear the Ohio State coaching staff knows where to play McCall, and until they do, I have a hard time buying stock in him.
Sideline Props
Whether it was Miami (FL) with the gold chain, Texas A&M with what appeared to be a scepter, or Tennessee with a literal garbage can, sideline props littered college football sidelines during the first week of the football season.
So Miami has a "Turnover Chain." Texas A&M has a pimp cane and Tennessee has a trash can. Sounds about right... pic.twitter.com/QlJLnc6jhp
— Coach Jordan Rushing (@CoachRushing) September 5, 2017
Personally, I feel like you probably aren't a very good coach if you need gimmicks or props like these to motivate your team. It's tacky. Imagine if Urban Meyer had one of his graduate assistants walking around with, oh I don't know, a gold-plated hammer or a Flavor Flav clock to hang around a player's neck after a big play. You would think, 'What the hell and why the hell is that a thing?' Those are the same questions I asked myself when I watched these teams play. The props are ridiculous. Miami and Texas A&M should throw their chain and scepter into Tennessee's garbage can and spend more energy on playing defense, rather than coming up with cheap ways to reward good football.
