Week 2 // 2025
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
I think we all felt a little disrespected, maybe, coming in. There was a lot of conversation and none of it was about us. I think we all were highly motivated. Our players were certainly excited to play.
- TCU Head Coach Sonny Dykes after 48-14 blowout win at North Carolina on Monday night
TEAM TO WATCH TEAM oF THE WEEK
LSU FLORIDA STATE
Having dropped its last five season openers, LSU traveled to Clemson for a top 10 matchup in primetime to open its season. The Bayou Bengals went on to upset then-No. 4 Clemson, 17-10, in a big road victory.
Garrett Nussmeier, who was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week, was a perfect 9-of-9 for 39 yards in the fourth quarter, capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tre’Dez Green to give LSU its first lead of the game with 12:48 remaining. With 13 seconds left, Clemson’s Kade Klubnick’s pass to TJ Moore fell incomplete, giving LSU’s defense a turnover on downs to clinch the victory. The win – LSU’s first road win over an AP Top 5 ranked team since 2019 – elevated the Tigers six spots to No. 3 in this week’s AP rankings.
LSU hosts Louisiana Tech this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PHX on ESPN+ before a big-time showdown hosting No. 13 Florida on September 13 in the Tigers’ SEC opener.
In quarterback Tommy Castellanos’ debut, he and the Seminoles stunned eighth-ranked Alabama, 31-17, in Tallahassee. Castellanos completed 9-of-14 passes for 152 yards while also rushing for a team-high 78 yards on 16 attempts with a touchdown. After the upset, the Seminoles are in the AP Top 25 at No. 14.
Florida State had 382 total yards of offense, 230 yards of rushing and 152 passing yards. Alabama was held to just 87 rushing yards, the fewest in an opener for the Crimson Tide since 1975.
The Seminoles defense recorded seven tackles-for-loss and three sacks as Florida State recorded its ninth non-conference win in the past 10 seasons against an SEC team. It was also Alabama’s first non-conference regular-season road loss since 2003.
The Seminoles look to move to 2-0 this season when they host East Texas A&M this Saturday at 9:00 a.m. PHX.
GAMES WATCH to
AP WEEK 2 rankings
For a full schedule of Week 2 games, click here. (All times in PHX)
2025 BOWL PREDICTIONS
Schlabach
No.
vs. No. 1 Ohio
ESPN Bonagura – No. 4 LSU vs. No. 1 Ohio State
GAME OF THE WEEK
#15 MICHIGAN AT #18 OKLAHOMA
In the lone top-25 matchup, No. 15 Michigan travels Norman to face No. 18 Oklahoma on Saturday. This is only the second time these historic programs have met, the first in the 1976 Orange Bowl won by Oklahoma to claim the national championship.
In their season opener last week, the Sooners dominated Illinois State last week in a 35-3 win.
Meanwhile, Michigan opened its season with a 34-17 home victory over New Mexico. The Wolverines outgained the Lobos 462-267 in total yards behind running back Justice Haynes and quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. PHX time on ABC.
Football Network – No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Georgia Athlon Sports – No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Georgia College Football News – No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Penn State CFP SEMIFINAL Vrbo FIESTA BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – Baylor vs. Iowa
CBS Sports – Kansas State vs. Minnesota
College Football News – TCU vs. Nebraska
Athlon Sports – Baylor vs. Minnesota
USA Today – Baylor vs. Wisconsin RATE BOWL
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Athan Kaliakmanis
Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis finished 18-of-23 for 252 yards passing in the Scarlet Knights’ opening victory against Ohio. It was Kaliakmanis’s sixth time throwing multiple touchdowns at Rutgers and 11th overall in his career. The passing yards total was the most by a Rutgers quarterback in the series against Ohio.
Rutgers hosts Miami (Ohio) on Saturday in the first-ever matchup of the two programs at 12:30 p.m. PHX on Peacock.
notable performances
BIG NEWS
The Rate Bowl features Bowl Season’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup at a new afternoon time of 2:30 p.m. MST on Friday, December 26. As we eagerly await kickoff in downtown Phoenix, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news heading for Week 2:
BIG 12
• The Big 12 experienced league-wide Week 1 success with its membership going 14-2 on the opening weekend. Eight of the 16 Big 12 teams scored at least 40 points, paced by BYU’s 69-point outburst against Portland State
• With Arizona State at the head of the league’s four ranked teams, No. 16 Iowa State and No. 24 Texas Tech join the Sun Devils, along with No. 25 Utah making its season debut, in this week’s AP top 25
BIG TEN
• The Big Ten compiled a 16-2 record in Week 1, headlined by Ohio State’s home win over preseason No. 1 Texas behind Julian Sayin’s debut and two stops by the defense in the red zone
• No. 1 Ohio State, on the heels of a 14-7 statement win over then-No. 1 Texas, leads three teams ranked in the top 6, followed by No. 2 Penn State and No. 6 Oregon. No. 11 Illinois, No. 15 Michigan and No. 23 Indiana are also ranked
John Mateer - OKLAHOMA Devon Dampier - utah
In his first game in a Sooners uniform, quarterback John Mateer set a school record for most passing yards in an Oklahoma debut with 392 yards, surpassing Baker Mayfield’s 388 yards against Akron in 2015.
Mateer also surpassed his Washington State career high of 390 yards passing in the win over Illinois State. He completed 30-of-37 passes and ran for a score.
Mateer and the Sooners welcome Michigan on Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. PHX time kick on ABC. ESPN’s College Gameday will be in Norman for the game.
In the season opener at UCLA, Utah quarterback Devion Dampier, a Scottsdale Saguaro alum, completed 84 percent of his 25 pass attempts for 206 yards and two touchdowns as the Utes opened their season with a 43-10 win.
His completion percentage ranked fifth nationally for the week and fourth-best in program history. He also rushed for 87 yards and a score while guiding Utah to points in seven of its first eight drives of the game.
Dampier was named co-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts at Rose Bowl. The Utes return home to host Cal Poly on Saturday at 3 p.m. PHX time.
• Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht earned Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors after going a school record 19-of-20 passing in Iowa State’s 55-7 win over South Dakota, finishing with 278 yards and three scores. He extended his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 20, longest in FBS
• BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week after guiding the Cougars to a dominant 69-0 win over Portland State. Bachmeier is the first freshman to start as quarterback in BYU history and scored five touchdowns, the most ever by a BYU freshman
• TCU scored 48 points in its blowout victory at North Carolina. The Horned Frogs are now 5-1 in road games against Power 4 opponents since 2015 and scored 41 unanswered points after North Carolina took an early 7-0 lead
• Oregon had 253 yards both rushing and receiving in its 59-13 victory at home against Montana State as the Ducks extended their FBS-leading non-conference home win streak to 35 games
• In a 46-11 victory over Nevada, reigning Vrbo Fiesta Bowl champion Penn State totaled 435 offensive yards with senior quarterback Drew Allar completing 22 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. The Nittany Lions opened the game by scoring on their first nine possessions, with five touchdowns and four field goals
• Maryland’s Malik Washington was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after a 39-7 win over Florida Atlantic. Washington’s three touchdown passes were the most by a true freshman in a Power Conference since Trevor Lawrence in 2018
news in the foundation
FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2025-26 GRANT RECIPIENTS
Continuing its legacy of delivering meaningful community impact across the state of Arizona, Fiesta Sports Foundation provided grants to 16 Arizona nonprofit organizations for the 2025-26 season. At the end of the 2025-26 season, the full Fiesta Sports Foundation community impact will enhance the lives of one million Arizonans.
By virtue of the funding, programs that will be implemented include providing safe shelter and services for nearly 700 individuals experiencing homelessness, granting resources for people and families living with disabilities, unlocking the life-changing power of sports for kids regardless of social or economic circumstance and supplying clothing and other essentials to children in foster care and kinship care.
For a full list of 2025-26 Fiesta Sports Foundation grant recipients and how those organizations will utilize the funding, please click here.
charity spotlight
PALO VERDE FIESTA BOWL CHARITIES WISHES FOR TEACHERS
The Palo Verde Fiesta Sports Foundation Wishes for Teachers program – Arizona’s largest direct support initiative for teachers – returns for its 10th year with a record total of $1.5 million in funding to directly benefit classrooms across the state.
This year’s increased program funding will support a record 540 Arizona teachers, each receiving a $2,500 grant to bring a classroom wish to life. Past program wishes have included robotics kits, musical instruments, adaptive learning tools, classroom libraries, athletic gear and a variety of other resources to enhance the learning experience for students.
Arizona K–12 public and charter school teachers are invited to complete a brief online application detailing their $2,500 classroom wish. Applications are now open and close Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at 10 p.m. MST. Applications may be found at www.WishesForTeachers.org.
CFP SEMIFINAL AT THE Vrbo FIESTA BOWL JANUARY 8, 2026 RATE BOWL DECEMBER 26, 2025