Bollobas and Nikiforov [J. Combin. Theory, Ser. B. 97 (2007) 859--865] conjectured the following. If $G$ is a $K_{r+1}$-free graph on at least $r+1$ vertices and $m$ edges, then $lambda^2_1(G)+lambda^2_2(G)leq frac{r-1}{r}cdot2m$, where $lambda_1(G)$ and $lambda_2(G)$ are the largest and the second largest eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix $A(G)$, respectively. In this paper, we confirm the conjecture in the case $r=2$, by using tools from doubly stochastic matrix theory, and also characterize all families of extremal graphs. Motivated by classic theorems due to ErdH{o}s and Nosal respectively, we prove that every non-bipartite graph $G$ of order $n$ and size $m$ contains a triangle, if one of the following is true: (1) $lambda_1(G)geqsqrt{m-1}$ and $G eq C_5cup (n-5)K_1$; and (2) $lambda_1(G)geq lambda_1(S(K_{lfloorfrac{n-1}{2}rfloor,lceilfrac{n-1}{2}rceil}))$ and $G eq S(K_{lfloorfrac{n-1}{2}rfloor,lceilfrac{n-1}{2}rceil})$, where $S(K_{lfloorfrac{n-1}{2}rfloor,lceilfrac{n-1}{2}rceil})$ is obtained from $K_{lfloorfrac{n-1}{2}rfloor,lceilfrac{n-1}{2}rceil}$ by subdividing an edge. Both conditions are best possible. We conclude this paper with some open problems.
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