Week 2 is over in college football, and we have some BIG changes after Oklahoma pulled off the win over Ohio State in Columbus. The Buckeyes were No. 3 in our rankings last week, but they fall after the 31-16 loss, while the Sooners climb after being underrated at No. 7.
Where do they end up now? Take a look!
1. Alabama — SEC, 2-0
LW: 1 — Result: W, 41-10 vs. Fresno
This was definitely your vintage cupcake game for Alabama. Get up early, sail easy the rest of the way, and the Tide end up with the win. Alabama fans also got to see Tua Tagavailoa for some extended action, and he rewarded them with a touchdown late in the game.
2. Oklahoma — Big 12, 2-0
LW: 7 — Result: W, 31-16 at Ohio State
I wasn't too high on Oklahoma heading into the season, as I thought they had too much to replace on offense with Perine, Mixon, and Westbrook all heading to the NFL. Well, I appear to be wrong on that one, as Baker Mayfield lit up the Ohio State defense with a completely new cast of weapons. Oklahoma also gets revenge from last year, where Ohio State beat them up pretty badly in Norman.
3. Clemson — ACC, 2-0
LW: 2 — Result: W, 14-6 vs. Auburn
Clemson had another close game against Auburn. They did that last year, too, where Auburn was an even bigger mess than they are now... and that turned out to work for Clemson in the end.
New quarterback Kelly Bryant wasn't bad in his first real test, but he clearly has a ways to go in replacing Deshaun Watson. Things don't get much easier for him soon, either, as the Tigers have Louisville next week, and Clemson will likely need to put up a lot of points to compete with Lamar Jackson.
4. Penn State — Big Ten, 2-0
LW: 5 — Result: W, 33-14 vs. Pitt
The Pitt game last year is what really ruined Penn State's chances at getting into the College Football Playoff, as they are probably in as a 12-1 Big Ten champ. Well, this doesn't change that, but Penn State did get revenge in a game that had handled from start to finish. Penn State gets Georgia State next week, which I wonder if that game will be more or less like "beating Akron".
5. USC — Pac-12, 2-0
LW: 8 — Result: W, 42-24 vs. Stanford
So I thought there was a chance that Stanford was the better team heading into this game. Well, couldn't have been more wrong on that, as USC really controlled most of the game. Sam Darnold led the way with 316 yards with only five incompletions. USC gets Texas next week at home.
6. Oklahoma State — Big 12, 2-0
LW: 4 — Result: W, 44-7 vs. South Alabama
They were extremely impressive against South Alabama, no doubt. But Oklahoma State has now played two pretty soft games in two weeks when everyone ahead of them has at least played another significant opponent. They drop slightly because of that.
7. Michigan — Big Ten, 2-0
LW: 10 — Result: W, 36-14 vs. Cincinnati
Offense was still iffy, as Michigan relied on a couple of picks to score two touchdowns here, but a good win nonetheless as there was not let down from beating Florida last week. That being said, the offense is going to need to figure out things eventually, but they have plenty of time to figure that out; Michigan shouldn't be tested in a major game until they play Penn State in October.
8. Florida State — ACC, 0-1
LW: 9 — Result: DID NOT PLAY
Florida State had their game against Louisiana-Monroe cancelled due to Hurricane Irma. Florida State's game next week against Miami has been moved as well, and that game will now be played on October 7.
9. Washington — Pac-12, 2-0
LW: 12 — Result: W, 63-7 vs. Montana
This was a much better performance than their game last week against Rutgers. Montana is a solid FCS team that Washington just toyed with, while Rutgers lost to Eastern Michigan this week after giving Washington some run in Week 1... so yes, an improvement as Washington looked again like the team that went to the College Football Playoff last season.
10. Ohio State — Big Ten, 1-1
LW: 3 — Result: L, 16-31 vs. Oklahoma
So that was a butt-kicking... and that might be the polite way of putting it.
Oklahoma didn't dominate until late in the game, but once they kicked it into high-gear in the fourth quarter, Ohio State simply looked lost. It was another game where Ohio State clearly missed former coordinator Tom Herman, as J.T. Barrett just hasn't looked the same at all since his breakout performance as a freshman in 2014.
11. Georgia — SEC, 2-0
LW: 11 — Result: W, 20-19 vs. Notre Dame
Only time will tell how good of a win this really was for the Dawgs. Notre Dame's defense did look really good, but at the same time, a lot of Georgia fans were screaming at Kirby Smart and Jim Chaney to give Nick Chubb the ball in the fourth quarter, and it wasn't happening. We will see over the next month if that was due to the Fighting Irish, or if it was an actual issue going forward for the Bulldogs.
12. LSU — SEC, 2-0
LW: 15 — Result: W, 45-10 vs. Chattanooga
Derrius Guice and co. made quick work of Chattanooga here, as LSU was able to let off the gas in the second half. Things will get tougher next week, though, as the Tigers travel to Starkville to take on Mississippi State.
13. Wisconsin — Big Ten, 2-0
LW: 14 — Result: W, 31-14 vs. Florida Atlantic
The score may not be impressive, but this was really a cruise-control win for Wisconsin as they racked up of 550 yards of offense. A big points number would have been cool, but they did what they needed to do against an inferior opponent to get a rather comfortable win.
14. Auburn — SEC, 1-1
LW: 13 — Result: L, 6-14 at Clemson
I've seen people calling for Gus Malzahn's head again, which seems weird considering the situation. Sure, Auburn lost, but it was by one score on the road to the defending national champions. Even if you don't like Malzahn and want him gone, this isn't the week to shout it from the rooftops.
15. Virginia Tech — ACC, 2-0
LW: 16 — Result: W, 27-0 vs. Delaware
Apparently the 15 spot in my rankings is now reserved for teams that win 27-0... LSU was in the same spot last week after beating BYU by the same score.
VT plays at East Carolina next week, which will be a bit of a test. Not because ECU is good — they're bad, actually — but because ECU is been a place where ACC teams have gone to die in the past. The Hokies will have to see if they can trump that curse in Week 3.
16. TCU — Big 12, 2-0
LW: 17 — Result: W, 28-7 at Arkansas
This was a close game until TCU pulled away in the fourth quarter, but it was still a fantastic showing for the Horned Frog defense in a true road game. The offense could use some work, though, as former Texas A&M flash-in-the-pan Kenny Hill didn't look great in this one, and 361 total yards isn't going to cut it for TCU once they enter Big 12 play against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State.
17. Stanford — Pac-12, 1-1
LW: 6 — Result: L, 24-42 at USC
Generally there isn't too much shame in losing to a top team like USC, but I thought Stanford might be the real deal this year and it doesn't look like they are. There is still time for Stanford to recover and get back to the Pac-12 title game, but if they don't really figure things out, then they will just take another loss to USC there, too.
18. Louisville — ACC, 2-0
LW: 19 — Result: W, 47-35 at North Carolina
From an entertainment standpoint, I'm all for Lamar Jackson doing incredible things and Louisville finding a way to win it in the fourth quarter. From a "we're trying to win the ACC" standpoint, though, Louisville might want to figure that out with Clemson as their Week 3 opponent.
19. UCLA — Pac-12, 2-0
LW: 22 — Result: W, 56-23 vs. Hawaii
After their incredible 34-point comeback against Texas A&M, UCLA made things a little easier this week as they had little trouble with Hawaii. How little trouble did they have? Well, quarterback Josh Rosen had more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (3). That's not bad, kid.
20. Utah — Pac-12, 2-0
LW: 18 — Result: W, 19-13 vs. BYU
Good news: quarterback Tyler Huntley looked great with 389 yards of total offense, helping Utah win the Holy War over BYU.
Bad news: There wasn't much going on outside of Huntley in this game. And while this is a rivalry game, this game really shouldn't have been this close. Utah will have another week to figure things out before they start Pac-12 play.
21. Miami — ACC, 1-0
LW: 21 — Result: DID NOT PLAY
Miami did not play, as they cancelled their game at Arkansas State due to travel concerns. That game will not be made up this season. Miami's schedule game next week against FSU has also been moved to October 7 due to ongoing concerns from Hurricane Irma.
22. Kansas State — Big 12, 2-0
LW: 23 — Result: W, 55-7 vs. Charlotte
Kansas State put up 55 points for the second consecutive week, which is pretty impressive. Of course, it was against Central Arkansas and Charlotte. I will be more impressed next week if they pull off the same feat against Vanderbilt, who has also started off the season by dominating a couple of lower-tier opponents.
23. Washington State — Pac-12, 2-0
LW: NR — Result: W, 47-44 vs. Boise State
Stop me if you've heard this one before: things got weird in Pullman on Saturday night... uh, Sunday morning for most of the country.
Washington State beat Boise in a three-overtime thriller on Saturday night, which was enough to cause the fans to storm the field in celebration. Hey, they earned it, and now they've earned a spot in the Top 25.
24. Colorado — Pac-12, 2-0
LW: 24 — Result: W, 37-3 vs. Texas State
The good news for Colorado is that they they have given up six total points in their first two games of the season. The bad news is the same as last year — they aren't exactly an offensive juggernaut, and it will be interesting to see if they can keep up once they start playing some high-octane offenses. We won't find out the answer to that for two weeks, as the Buffs have Northern Colorado before playing Washington at home.
25. Florida — SEC, 0-1
LW: 25 — Result: DID NOT PLAY
Florida's game this week against North Colorado was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma. The Gators are currently scheduled to play Tennessee next week.
